Master of Science (M.S.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Ecampus Non-Thesis MS Degree

The non-thesis online MS degree option in Pharmaceutical Sciences is targeted to bachelors degree holders in biology- or chemistry-related fields who wish to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries, or those who wish to advance their careers in those industries. The online degree provides the flexibility of completing degree requirements around a student’s work schedule or other life commitments. The student will gain an understanding of the drug discovery, development, and approval processes; how drugs function in the human body; and the processes and techniques for acquiring and analyzing data to evaluate drug activities.

The program may be completed in 3 terms (approximately 9 months) if a full academic load of 15 - 16 credits is completed per term. However, part-time completion of one or a few courses per term is readily accommodated. Sample schedules are below with recommendations on sequencing for part-time students.

Required credits (cr):9

• PHAR 522 Drugs and the Body, 3 cr
• GRAD 520 Responsible Conduct of Research, 2 cr
• PHAR 506 Research Capstone, 3 cr (up to 6 credits allowed)
• PHAR 507 Seminar, 1 cr (up to 4 credits allowed)

Strongly recommended

• BB 550 & 551 Biochemistry I & II, 3 and 4 cr, unless prior upper-level biochemistry was completed
• H524 Intro to Biostatistics, 3 cr pre-requisite for PHAR 528

Optional courses to complete remaining credits (usually 30 to 33 credits):

• PHAR 556 Pharmacokinetics in Drug Development, 3 cr
• PHAR 523 Drug Formulation and Product Optimization, 3 cr
• PHAR 528 Biostatistics with Applications in Pharmaceutical Sciences, 3 cr
• PHAR 521 High Throughput Screening, 3 cr
• PHAR 567 Regulatory Affairs for Pharmaceuticals, 4 cr
• PHAR 594 Advances in Manipulating the Human Genome, 3 cr
• EMGT 560 Elevating Problem-Solving to Drive Change, 3 cr
• BB 585 Applied Bioinformatics, 3 cr
• GRAD 514 Introduction to Graduate Writing, 3 cr
• VMB 671 Molecular Tools, 3 cr
• BIOE 513 Drugs and Devices, 3 cr

Not available until AY 2026

• PHAR 520 Pharmacology of Cannabis, 2 cr
• PHAR 543 Vaccines and Immunization, 3 cr
• PHAR 544 Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, 3 cr

Sample Full-time Program of Study

Part-time Program of Study

It's recommended that part-time students take PHAR 522 Drugs and the Body, H 524 Biostatistics, and BB 550 & 551 Biochemistry I & II earlier in the program and reserve PHAR 506 Research Capstone for the last term(s) of the degree. Optional courses may be taken in any order.

Biochemistry waiver

For all Master's degree options, students who are approved to waive Biochemistry I & II may substitute other optional courses or up to 3 additional credits of Seminar, Capstone, or Reading and Conference courses on the program of study.

On-Campus Non-Thesis

The non-thesis on-campus MS degree option in Pharmaceutical Sciences is meant for bachelors degree holders in biology- or chemistry-related fields who wish to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries or those who wish to advance in their careers in those industries. The non-thesis option is mainly coursework with no hands-on research requirement. The student will gain an understanding of the drug discovery, development, and approval processes; how drugs function in the human body; and the processes and techniques for acquiring and analyzing data related to evaluating drug activities.

The program may be completed in 3 terms if a full academic load of 15-16 credits is completed per term, which is recommended. However, part-time students who complete a few courses per term can be accommodated. Sample schedules are below with recommendations on sequencing for part-time students.

Program requirements: 45 credits total credits

Part-time Program of Study:

 It's recommended that part-time students take PHAR 522 or 525 Drugs and the Body or Foundations of Drug Action and BB 550 and 551 Biochemistry I & II earlier in the program and reserve PHAR 506 Research Capstone for the last term(s) of the degree. Optional courses may be taken in any order.

Sample Non-Thesis Program of Study

A sample non-thesis M.S. program of study can be found here: https://oregonstate.box.com/s/qbepmen35s9aou5h5zd0yc5wbarbp48f .

Biochemistry waiver

For all Master's degree options, students who are approved to waive Biochemistry I & II may substitute other optional courses or up to 3 additional credits of Seminar, Capstone, or Reading and Conference courses on the program of study.

On-Campus Thesis

Program Requirements: 45 credits

The thesis MS degree option in Pharmaceutical Sciences is targeted to bachelors degree holders in biology- or chemistry-related fields who wish to pursue or advance a career in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries or those who wish to pursue a future Ph.D. degree in the field. The thesis option provides an opportunity for extensive hands-on research. The student will gain an understanding of the drug discovery, development, and approval processes; how drugs function in the human body; and the processes and techniques for acquiring and analyzing data related to evaluating drug activities.

The additional time required to acquire data and complete a thesis usually requires an additional year of full-time research work following completion of a year of traditional coursework totaling a minimum of two years to complete the MS thesis degree option, dependent upon research progress and success. Part-time coursework may be accommodated under some circumstances but is not recommended for the thesis option.

Sample Thesis Program of Study

A sample M.S. thesis program of study can be found here: https://oregonstate.box.com/s/qbepmen35s9aou5h5zd0yc5wbarbp48f

Biochemistry waiver

For all Master's degree options, students who are approved to waive Biochemistry I & II may substitute other optional courses or up to 3 additional credits of Seminar, Capstone, or Reading and Conference courses on the program of study.