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Pharmacology Master's Program Requirements

The plan below is for full-time students completing the MS Program in 11 months. The Program Director will work with part-time students to develop a schedule based on their timeline.

More details about the MS processes and requirements as well as brief course descriptions can be found in the Student Handbook.

At the start of the program, students will meet with the Program Director to discuss their interests to determine which faculty members might be appropriate choices. Students will then meet with potential advisors. After determining their preference, students will reach out again to faculty to confirm if they are willing to take the student. Once things are finalized, the student and faculty member notify the program director and student affairs program manager.

Required Courses
  • PIBS 503 - Research Responsibility and Ethics (1 credit)
  • PHRMACOL 605 - MS Degree Research (4 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 601 - From Molecules to Patients: Basic Quantitative Principles of Pharmacology (3 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 603 - Practical Statistics (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 614 - Seminars in Autonomic Pharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 621 - Translational Pharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 646 - Student Seminars (1 credit)
  • Cognate/Elective Course (see list below of common choices, the Program Director and/or Student Affairs Program Coordinator can assist in finding other courses that meet this requirement)
    • PHARMACOL 622 - Translational Research (2 credits)
    • BIOLCHEM 690 - Biochemical Regulatory Mechanisms (2 credits)
    • PIBS 550 - Biomedical Innovation & Entrepreneurship (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 605 - MS Degree Research (8 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 612 - Antimicrobial & Cancer Pharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 615 - Seminar in Molecular Neuropharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 616 - Cardiovascular Pharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 617 - Endocrine Pharmacology (2 credits)
  • PHRMACOL 646 – Student Seminars (1 credit)

While MS students do not register for the Spring/Summer, they do continue their research and then write, submit and defend their MS thesis.

Thesis Requirement

As part of the requirements for completion of the MS degree in Pharmacology, all students are required to write a short thesis (approximately 25-35 pages total in length) on their research project. The thesis can be based on either a research project conducted in the laboratory or an in-depth literature survey. 

Each MS thesis will be read and evaluated by at least two faculty members, at least one of whom is a current member of the GPC. It is assumed that when the thesis is submitted that the student’s P.I. will have read and approved the submission. The thesis must be carefully written and grammatically correct. Theses that do not conform to these standards will be immediately returned to the student for revision prior to re-evaluation.

Following review, most theses will require some revision, according to the reviewers’ comments. Unless they wish to rebut the reviewers’ comments, students should make every effort to incorporate reviewers’ suggestions for improvement into the revised text. Successful completion of the MS thesis and a satisfactory oral defense are required for fulfillment of the requirements for the MS degree. All thesis and course work submitted for the MS degree must comply with the Rackham Academic and Professional Integrity Policy guidelines as stated here. Theses may require revisions after review. Students are encouraged to incorporate reviewers’ comments or concerns (If warranted) into the text of their revised thesis.

Program Statistics

Learn more about the Master's program figures including time to degree, funding and more.

View program statistics