School of Pharmacy—Graduate (PhD/MS) Program

Founded in 1878, the School of Pharmacy is the oldest of the University's schools of the health professions. Since its inception, the School of Pharmacy has been at the forefront of changes in pharmacy education. Students who enroll in the school's graduate program may earn a Master of Science (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. The graduate program provides education and training in the design and implementation of basic and clinical studies related to the discovery, development, and clinical use of drugs. Students who have earned a professional pharmacy degree and wish to pursue a career in clinical research may enroll in an intensive clinical scientist track. Graduates of our graduate program currently hold positions in industry, education, and government.

The School of Pharmacy also offers a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, a six-year professional program configured in a course of study requiring two years (62 credits) of pre-professional courses taken during the freshman and sophomore years followed by four years in the School of Pharmacy's professional program. For further information, see the description of the PharmD program in the First-Professional Programs section of this bulletin.

The School of Pharmacy is dedicated to maximizing human health and well-being by preparing pharmacists to be lifelong learners, by providing pharmaceutical care, by developing innovative practice models, and by advancing science through cutting-edge research.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 311 West Superior Street, Suite 512, Chicago, IL 60610; 312-664-3575; 1-800-533-3606; fax: 312-664-4652; and is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Contact Information

School of Pharmacy

Marcia Borrelli

1104 Salk Hall

3501 Terrace Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15261

412-648-1120

Fax: 412-648-1086

E-mail: borrelli@pitt.edu

www.pharmacy.pitt.edu

Admissions

Applications for admission to the graduate program should be received by January 31 for fall term admission. Applicants must possess a BS degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university and a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale (B average). Those students applying for the clinical scientist track should have earned a BS in pharmacy, a PharmD, or an equivalent degree in another health-related discipline. All applicants must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and foreign students must take Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Further instructions are provided with the application forms.

Admission requirements and a downloadable application form are available on the School of Pharmacy Web site, www.pharmacy.pitt.edu/gradprogram. The application forms are files with PDF extensions that are readable using Adobe Acrobat software. All students are required to complete the general application. Foreign students must also complete the supplemental application.

Applicants must include an application fee of $50 with their completed application. Checks or money orders should be made payable to the University of Pittsburgh.

Financial Assistance

There are a limited number of teaching assistantships and graduate research assistantships that are awarded on a competitive basis to students offered admission to the program. These awards offer full tuition and a stipend. Additional positions may be available if faculty have grant funding for graduate students. For additional information on financial aid options, see Financial Aid section.

Academic Standards

School of Pharmacy students are responsible for upholding the standards of behavior outlined in the University's Guidelines on Academic Integrity (online at www.pitt.edu/HOME/PP/policies/02/02-03-02.html), the University's policy on sexual harassment, and other policies related to student behavior.

Each year, students will be asked to sign a copy of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Code of Conduct that reaffirms their commitment to ethical and professional behavior. Details of the code are outlined on the school's Web site.

Degree Options

The School of Pharmacy offers both the Master of Science (MS) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in pharmaceutical sciences for highly motivated, qualified individuals seeking a career in the pharmaceutical sciences.

Special Academic Opportunities

The School of Pharmacy is home to four research centers that provide unique opportunities to graduate students. These are the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research (CEDAR), the Center for Pharmacogenetics, the Pharmacodynamic Research Center, and the Center for Outcomes Research. Collaborative projects between faculty members doing basic and clinical research provide students with even broader training and education. An intensive clinical scientist track is also available for students who have earned a professional pharmacy degree and wish to pursue a career in clinical research.

Program Descriptions

The graduate program is designed to provide a stimulating environment for students with a wide variety of backgrounds to receive education and training in the design and implementation of basic and clinical studies relating to the discovery, development, and clinical use of pharmaceutical agents. The program consists of a sequence of required core courses, elective courses, faculty-directed research rotations, and an original research project leading either to a final thesis for MS students or to a dissertation for those pursuing the PhD. Opportunities for interdisciplinary research in the areas of drug disposition and response; genomics-proteomics and drug discovery; drug delivery and targeting; and neuro-endocrine pharmacology.

Degree Requirements

Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Students are required to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including 6 credits of work on a master's thesis, to meet the requirements for the Master of Science (MS) degree. The specific plan of study is developed by the student and faculty advisor. The required courses are listed below:

*MS students are required to present a seminar during two terms. PHARM 3024 and 3025 fulfill this requirement (two terms at 1 credit each).

Students are also required to complete an additional 6 credits of specialty elective courses and a master's thesis to complete the degree requirements:

PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Students must complete a total of 72 credit hours to fulfill the requirements for the PhD. Required courses for all PhD students are listed below. Students who have had prior course work or extensive experience in a given area may be exempted from the required course at the discretion of the faculty. The remaining credit requirements are completed through elective courses and dissertation research. The specific plan of study is developed by the student and their faculty advisor and committee. Courses should be selected to assure an adequate breadth of knowledge as well as depth in the student's focus area.

Curriculum for PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Students enrolled in the school's graduate program are required to complete a core curriculum, regardless of their area of focus. The required courses are listed below (subject to change):

Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation

Each student follows a program of study developed in conjunction with the major advisor with input from the student's doctoral committee. The program of study must contain all of the program core courses as well as elective courses specific to the student's focus area.

Following completion of course work, students are required to complete a comprehensive examination. To be eligible for the comprehensive examination, students must be in full graduate status and have completed didactic course work with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00. To qualify for advancement to candidacy for the Doctor of Philosophy degree the student must pass the comprehensive examination.

Admission to PhD candidacy constitutes a promotion of the student to the most advanced stage of graduate study and provides formal approval to devote essentially exclusive attention to research and writing of the dissertation.

Each PhD student must write a dissertation that presents the results of research carried out by the student. An appropriate research project involves a substantive piece of original and independent research grounded in an appropriate body of literature. It is relevant to an identifiable field as it is currently practiced. It represents a hypothesis tested by collection and analysis of data and provides a significant contribution or advancement to that field.

See Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees for a full overview of regulations and procedures for PhD candidates.

Program Course Listings

PHARM 2001 Pharmaceutical Analysis

PHARM 2002 Concepts of Pharmacology

PHARM 2003 Introduction to Pharmacoepidemiology

PHARM 2007 Special Topics in Drug Research

PHARM 3000 Topics in Neuroscience

PHARM 3002 Advanced Pharmacokinetics

PHARM 3008 Advanced Drug Delivery and Targeting

PHARM 3009 Advances in Pharmaceutical Sciences

PHARM 3024, 3025 Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar

PHARM 3027 Topics in Biopharmaceutics/Pharmacokinetics

PHARM 3028 Pharmacology and Therapeutics

PHARM 3038 Essentials of Competitive Grant Writing

PHARM 3061 Special Topics in the Pharmaceutical Sciences

PHARM 3063 Graduate Research in the Pharmaceutical Sciences

School of Pharmacy Graduate Faculty