MS Programs

The Medicinal Chemistry MS Program integrates aspects of contemporary medicinal chemistry and pharmacology, emphasizing topics most relevant to therapeutics design, discovery, and action. The core curriculum focuses on a combination of synthetic organic chemistry, bioorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and pharmacology courses. Specialized, in-depth electives are offered in these areas. The program develops students’ knowledge of medicinal chemistry through design, synthesis, pharmacological and profiling of novel pharmacotherapeutics as applied to helping solve unmet medical needs. For this purpose, many program graduates have established research careers in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. Undergraduate prerequisites are general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry or cell/molecular biology.

Graduate education in pharmacology embodies the principles and mechanisms of drug action in biological systems. Through course work, seminars, and conferences, students in the Pharmacology MS Program gain exposure to both classical and recent approaches that have led to the development of current theories of drug action and therapeutic application. Pharmacology should not be confused with the doctoral degree in pharmacy leading to professional licensure as a pharmacist and involving the medication management.

Just as cars are useless without roads, drugs are useless without effective delivery systems. This is especially important in contemporary pharmaceutical research, as new chemical entities are either too hydrophobic (e.g., many anticancer drugs) or hydrophilic and highly labile (e.g., nucleic acids). The Bouvé College of Health Sciences’ School of Pharmacy pharmaceutics faculty and students are developing the routes for bringing small-molecule drugs and biological therapies directly to the target cells responsible for many major diseases.

Our comprehensive Pharmaceutical Sciences MS Program has many faculty members in pharmaceutics and drug development specializing in the use and delivery of therapeutics. The program faculty seeks to improve the understanding and description of how chemical and physical properties of drugs and dosage forms affect drug performance in healthy and diseased systems. Graduate students may choose from programs concentrating in:

With a strong focus on nanotechnology-based advanced delivery systems that address contemporary therapeutic needs, the Pharmaceutical Sciences program also gives students opportunities to study with some of the world’s top pharmaceutics researchers. Students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences MS Program have the option of performing industrial internships (typically during the summer) in some of the most prestigious areas of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

The science and research surrounding human health and disease are becoming more interdisciplinary. In response to this trend, the Biomedical Sciences MS Program allows students to focus on areas across the biomedical sciences to gain training in human (patho)physiology and the application of existing and potential therapeutic approaches to treating disease. The Biomedical Sciences MS curriculum is particularly appropriate both for those entering as well as those currently employed in the field, including research technicians, clinical laboratory workers, science teachers, and science administrators. For those currently employed, the program can enhance their performance in a present position or open new employment opportunities. Graduates of the program will be well prepared to enter related PhD programs at the university.