M.S. Degree Curriculum

Ecampus Non-Thesis M.S. Degree

Required Number of Credits: 45

The non-thesis online M.S. 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 15-16 credits are completed per term. Part-time enrollment is also available. Students must register for a minimum of 3 credits per term. Sample schedules are below with recommendations on sequencing for part-time students.

Required Courses (9-15 credits):

  • 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 Courses

  • 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

Elective Courses (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

Fall
  • PHAR 522        Drugs and the Body, 3 cr, required
  • PHAR 507        Seminar, 1 cr, required (up to 4 allowed)
  • BB 550             Biochemistry I, 3 cr
  • PHAR 556        Pharmacokinetics in Drug Development, 3 cr
  • PHAR 523        Drug Formulation and Product Optimization, 3 cr
  • H 524               Intro to Biostatistics, 4 cr
Winter
  • BB 551              Biochemistry II, 4 cr
  • PHAR 528         Biostatistics with applications in Pharm. Sciences, 3 cr
  • BIOE 513          Drugs and Devices, 3 cr
  • GRAD 514        Introduction to Graduate Writing, 3 cr
  • GRAD 520        Responsible conduct of research, 2 cr
Spring
  • PHAR 594        Advances in manipulating the human genome, 3 cr
  • PHAR 521        High Throughput Screening, 3 cr
  • PHAR 567        Regulatory Affairs for Pharmaceuticals, 4 cr
  • EMGT 560        Elevating Problem-Solving to Drive Change, 3 cr
  • PHAR 506        Research capstone, 3 cr

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 M.S. Degree

Required Number of Credits: 45

The non-thesis on-campus M.S. 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. Students 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 can be completed in 3 terms (approximately 9 months) if 15-16 credits are completed per term, which is recommended. Part-time enrollment is also available. Students must register for a minimum of 3 credits per term. Sample schedules are below with recommendations on sequencing for part-time students.

Required Courses (9-15 credits):

  • PHAR 525 or 522 Foundations of Drug Action (on-campus only), or Drugs and the Body (online only) (3 credits)
  • GRAD 520 Responsible Conduct of Research (2 credits)
  • PHAR 507 Seminar (1 credit, up to 4 allowed)
  • PHAR 506 Research Capstone (3 credits, up to 6 credits allowed)

Strongly Recommended Courses:

  • BB 550 & 551 Biochemistry I & II (3 credits & 4 credits, unless prior upper-level biochemistry was completed)

Elective Courses (usually 30 to 33 credits):

  • PHAR 563 Cancer and Chemoprevention (2 credits)
  • PHAR 670 Introduction to Systems Biomedicine and Pharmacogenomics (2 credits)
  • PHAR 573 Current topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences (3 credits)
  • PHAR 574 Nanomedicine (3 credits)
  • VMB 674 Vaccines and New Therapies (3 credits)
  • PHAR 594 Advances in manipulating the human genome (3 credits)
  • PHAR 669 Introduction to grant writing (3 credits)
  • PHAR 527 Foundations of Drug Action II (3 credits)
  • MB 516 Immunology (3 credits)
  • PHAR 572 Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics (3 credits)
  • PHAR 537 Bioorganic Chemistry (3 credits)
  • TOX 511 Fundamentals of Toxicology

Optional Online Courses:

These courses are not required, but are open to on-campus students and may be used to complete remaining 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 (Requires prior completion of H524, Intro to Biostatistics)
  • 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

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.

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 M.S. Degree

Required Number of Credits: 45

The thesis M.S. 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.

Required Courses (18 credits):

  • PHAR 525 or 522 Foundations of Drug Action (on-campus only), or Drugs and the Body (online only) (3 credits, required)
  • GRAD 520 Responsible Conduct of Research (2 credits, required)
  • PHAR 507 Seminar (1 credit, required, encouraged every term)
  • PHAR 503 Thesis research (at least 6 credits, usually 12 credits or more)

Strongly Recommended Courses: 

  • BB 550 & 551 Biochemistry I & II (3 credits & 4 credits, if similar upper-level courses were not completed)

Elective Courses: 

  • PHAR 563 Cancer and Chemoprevention (2 credits)
  • PHAR 670 Introduction to Systems Biomedicine and Pharmacogenomics (2 credits)
  • PHAR 573 Current topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences (3 credits)
  • PHAR 574 Nanomedicine (3 credits)
  • VMB 674 Vaccines and New Therapies (3 credits)
  • PHAR 594 Advances in Manipulating the Human Genome (3 credits)
  • PHAR 669 Introduction to Grant Writing (3 credits)
  • PHAR 527 Foundations of Drug Action II (3 credits)
  • MB 516 Immunology (3 credits)
  • PHAR 572 Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics (3 credits)
  • PHAR 537 Bioorganic Chemistry (3 credits)
  • TOX 511 Fundamentals of Toxicology

Optional Online Courses:

These courses are not required, but are open to on-campus students and may be used to complete remaining credits.

  • PHAR 556 Pharmacokinetics in Drug Development (3 credits)
  • PHAR 523 Drug Formulation and Product Optimization (3 credits)
  • PHAR 528 Biostatistics with applications in Pharmaceutical Sciences (3 credits, Requires prior completion of H524, Intro to Biostatistics)
  • PHAR 521 High Throughput Screening (3 credits)
  • PHAR 567 Regulatory Affairs for Pharmaceuticals (4 credits)
  • PHAR 594 Gene Regulation and Disease (3 credits)
  • EMGT 560 Elevating Problem-Solving to Drive Change (3 credits)
  • BB 585 Applied Bioinformatics (3 credits)
  • GRAD 514 Introduction to Graduate Writing (3 credits)
  • VMB 671 Molecular Tools (3 credits)
  • BIOE 513 Drugs and Devices (3 credits)

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.