Our curriculum is streamlined,and therefore students can complete required coursework with as few as 13 credits, plus seminar and research credits. Rotations are also completed in the first semester, which means that first-year students typically join a thesis lab by mid-December. This allows them to rapidly begin their thesis research. Our overall time to PhD graduation is approximately five years and one month. Although not required, students in the Pharmaceutical Sciences PhD program can earn a MS in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Research) “on the way” to the PhD when they complete their preliminary exam.
Our students have excellent outcomes following graduation with slightly more than half pursuing their first employment in industry, slightly less than half pursuing their first employment in academia (usually post-doctoral fellows, although a few do go straight into faculty positions), and some pursuing other careers like science writing or patent law. A small number of graduates pursue additional advanced degrees. For alumni from 2006-present, the top five job titles of our graduates are Principal Scientist, Senior Scientist, Associate Director, Associate Professor, and Director; while the top five employers are AbbVie, Corteva Agriscience, Genentech, Merck, and GSK.
Questions about our program?
Check our FAQ page for detailed answers to common questions