PSC Graduate Program

Curricular Requirements

The graduate program is “mentor-driven” – a plan of study is individualized and dependent on the student’s and mentor’s specific research interests. Each student develops their educational experience with the advice of his/her mentor and an Advisory/Thesis Committee. The awarding of the degree is contingent upon the candidate’s successful defense of a dissertation based on independent original research.

To graduate, students must complete at a minimum:

Required Core Curriculum1

  • PHAR600 — Principles of Drug Discovery (3 credits)2
  • PHAR601 — Principles of Drug Development (3 credits)2
  • PHAR639 — Molecular Spectroscopy and Imaging (6 modules, 1-3 credits)3
  • PHAR628 — Bioanalytical and Pharmacological Methods (6 modules, 1-3 credits)3
  • PHAR705 — PSC Journal Club (1 credit)4
  • Ethics course (minimum 1 credit)

1Under certain circumstances, students may be exempted from required core curriculum courses.  Examples of this would be in the case of students who have completed the UMB PharmD program and are exempt from parts of PHAR600/601 or students who find appropriate alternatives to the PHAR628/639 Methods courses.  All exemptions must be approved by the Graduate Program Director and the Graduate Program Steering Committee.
2PharmD students may take 1-3 credits.
3 Four credits (8 modules) out of 12 modules total from the two courses are required.
4 Students enroll in PHAR705 each semester until PHAR709 is taken.

Required Student Rotations

  • PHAR608 (1-2 credits). Under most situations, students are required to complete at least two rotations.

Required Seminars

  • PHAR708 — Comprehensive exam seminar (1 credit)
  • PHAR709 — Departmental seminar. Students are required to present 1 departmental seminar after their comprehensive exam. Students register for 1 credit during the semester that they are presenting.
  • Dissertation defense.

Some Elective Courses Available for Each Research Area

Students must take at least 8 credits worth of elective courses to fulfill graduation requirements.

Cellular and Biological Chemistry

  • PHAR751 – Drug Design (3 credits)
  • GPLS616 - Molecular Mechanisms of Signal Transduction (3 credits)
  • GPLS701 - Advanced Molecular Biology (3 credits)

Biopharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Technology

  • PHAR602 – Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics (3 credits)
  • PHAR610 – Pharmaceutical Formulation and Unit Processes (4 credits)
  • PHAR620 – Modern Methods of Drug Delivery (4 credits)
  • PHAR707 – Drug Transport and Metabolism (4 credits)
  • PHAR747 – Advanced Pharmacokinetics (3 credits)
  • PHAR702 – Theoretical Aspects of Solid Dosage Forms (3 credits)

Pharmacology and Neuroscience

  • PHAR638 – Pharmacometrics and Experimental Design (3 credits)
  • PHAR653 – Advanced Pharmacology I (4 credits)
  • PHAR654 – Advanced Pharmacology II (4 credits)
  • PHAR729 – Principles of Drug Action (3 credits)

Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences

  • PREV803 – Clinical Trials and Experimental Epidemiology (3 credits)
  • PREV619 – Biostatistical Computing (2 credits)
  • PREV620 – Principles of Biostatistics (3 credits)
  • PHMY562 – Clinical Pharmacokinetics (2 credits)
  • PHAR747 – Advanced Pharmacokinetics (3 credits)

Dissertation Research/Thesis Committee

PHAR899 dissertation research (1-3 credits). Students need a total of 12 credits. The thesis committee is formed after the comprehensive exam and is required to meet on a yearly basis to evaluate progress and direction (may need to meet more frequently to suit individual student needs).