Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD
The Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD in Temple University’s School of Pharmacy is a rigorous, research-based graduate course of study that prepares you for advanced scientific research. The curriculum integrates biochemistry, molecular modeling, organic chemistry and pharmacology to emphasize the investigation and development of new, innovative drug therapies. You will acquire expertise on drug action, delivery, disposition, synthesis, and transport. Doctoral students leave the program well positioned to lead important discoveries and initiatives to treat disease and positively impact human health.
Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD graduates have gone on to work in academic research labs and government and regulatory agencies. Graduates have also pursued biotechnology, clinical pharmacology and engineering, in addition to pharmaceutics. The Philadelphia region is a hub for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, putting students in the middle of multiple research and career opportunities.
Completed in 4-5 years, the Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD curriculum emphasizes a deep understanding of chemical synthesis, controlled release dosage forms, drug metabolism, encapsulation, mechanisms of drug action, pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacokinetics and solid dosage forms. The interdisciplinary curriculum is divided into three concentrations of scientific study: Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacodynamics.
By focusing on one concentration, you’ll receive the training critical to the development of therapeutic drugs. This research-heavy curriculum includes a final dissertation paper, which must be defended before successful completion of the degree.
Doctoral candidates contribute to extensive research under the mentorship of School of Pharmacy faculty, particularly as they progress through the program. New discoveries and contributions to healthcare in the pharmaceutical sciences are performed in the School of Pharmacy’s state-of-the-art labs and research facilities, including the Jayne Haines Center for Pharmacogenomics and Drug Safety, Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, and the Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) Facility, one of only six in the U.S.