Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design Ph.D.
The Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design provides advanced training in basic, translational, and clinical research within the pharmaceutical sciences and prepares students for career opportunities in academia, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and governmental agencies. It is one of five programs coordinated through the Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Umbrella.
The Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design program is aimed at designing effective new drug therapies while minimizing adverse effects. Research in the program includes a diverse range of therapeutic areas including cancer, cardiovascular, dermatological, immune-mediated, neurological, and psychiatric diseases. Students receive didactic and laboratory training in the design and development of pharmacological compounds including the disciplines of molecular and cellular pharmacology (drug target and biomarker discovery), medicinal chemistry (drug design and synthesis), pharmacokinetics (drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination), pharmaceutics (drug delivery and formulation), pharmacogenomics (genetic basis for drug response) and toxicology (drug-induced toxicity). A unique feature of the PSDD program a focus on health equity for rural and underserved populations.
The Graduate Program is highly collaborative within the broader University of Montana research community with diverse opportunities for study and research at the interface of chemistry, biochemistry, cell and structure biology, computation, and genetics with emphases on issues of pharmaceutical and biomedical importance. Faculty in the program are also closely aligned with several multidisciplinary research Centers and Institutes at the University of Montana including the Center for Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, the Center for Environmental Health Sciences, the Center for Structural for Functional Neuroscience, the Montana Biotechnology Center, and the L.S. Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation.
General Graduate Program Requirements
Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page.
The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing.
The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any requirement is C. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES AND DRUG DESIGN
Graduate students will rotate through the laboratories of at least three faculty members during their first year in the program, after which students will choose a faculty research advisor, advisory committee, and a dissertation research project.
Course Requirements
Note: Specialized electives chosen based on research interests may include classes offered in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, and biochemistry.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BMED 545 | Research Lab Rotations in Pharmaceutical Science | 2 |
| BMED 594 | Seminar (1 cr. per year starting in the second year) | 3 |
| BMED 605 | Biomedical Research Ethics | 1 |
| BMED 609 | Biomedical Statistics | 3 |
| BMED 615 | Molecular Pharmacology | 3 |
| BMED 621 | Drug Design: Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology | 3 |
| BMED 632 | Drug Development: Pharmacokinetics | 4 |
| BMED 637 | Topics in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Design (1 cr. per semester) | 10 |
| BMED 690 | Research (PhD) | 30 |
| BMED 699 | Dissertation (PhD) | 1 |
| Total Hours | 60 | |