Pharmaceutical Sciences - Graduate

Dr. David Feola

Director of Graduate Studies

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences

david.feola@uky.edu

College of Pharmacy

789 South Limestone

Lexington, KY 40506

Program website

(859) 323-8751

Ph.D

The Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences is a multidisciplinary program designed to prepare motivated individuals for academic, industrial, or government careers in pharmaceutical and biomedical research. It is a graduate training program that encompasses research in areas of pharmaceutical sciences that range from identifying fundamental mechanisms of human disease, to the design, development, and formulation of new medicines, to understanding the impact of drug policies on health care systems. Within this broad scientific framework, students develop individually tailored programs of study to meet their particular research interests and career objectives.

Intense, laboratory-based and data analysis-driven research, using state-of-the-art techniques and instruments, forms the basis of a student’s PhD dissertation. Each student develops the skills and judgment to make a unique, scholarly contribution to our understanding of drugs and how therapies impact human health and disease. Students receive the training that will enable them to become independent scientists who can conduct front-line research in pharmaceutical sciences in industrial, academic or governmental settings.

The overall goal of the graduate program is to provide the graduate student with a comprehensive, structured, yet flexible educational experience comprised of both coursework and independent, highly creative research. This goal is supported by additional components, such as research rotations for first-year students and a program-wide seminar series. The intent is to provide both depth and breadth of expertise in the Pharmaceutical Sciences along with developing the creative and critical approach to research that characterizes a PhD-level scientist. Our faculty have established a set of Guiding Principles that direct the evolution of our program to meet these criteria. These can be found at https://pharmacy.uky.edu/apply/phd-program.

Doctoral Program Description

Doctoral degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy are obtained through one of five Tracks. The Traditional Pharmaceutical Science Tracks provide training that is based on advanced coursework in contemporary basic pharmaceutical sciences plus independent laboratory or computational research under the direction of a faculty mentor. In the Traditional Pharmaceutical Science Tracks the many research opportunities available are organized into three broad disciplinary areas: Medicinal, Bioorganic and Computational Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Engineering, and Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. The Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics Track requires a prior degree in an area of professional health care, and focuses on training in translational research at the interface between basic and clinical studies. The Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy Track trains scientists to conduct research on the safe, efficient, and effective use of pharmaceuticals to improve the health of individuals and populations.

Doctoral (PhD) Degree - Application Requirements

CV
Personal Statement
- Please provide a concise (1-3 pages), well-written statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how the PhD program will help you meet your career and educational objectives. In addition, please describe how your unique background, life experiences, and/or challenges that you have overcome motivated your decision to pursue a PhD in our program. This document will help our admissions committee decide if your academic preparation, career goals, and research interests are a suitable match for our program. Successful applicants usually have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.4 or better, previous research experience, and research interests that match with those of one or more of our faculty mentors. You should also clearly indicate which area of the graduate program best suits your interest - Medicinal, Bioorganic & Computational Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Engineering, Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics (must have a PharmD degree upon entry), or Pharmaceutical Outcomes & Policy.
Transcripts
- You will be asked to upload copies of transcripts from all higher education institutions attended and to self-report cumulative GPAs for each institution. If you are offered admission and decide to enroll, you will then be required to submit official transcripts to the Graduate School.
Minimum English proficiency exam scores required for admission are: 90 (TOEFL), 7.0 (IELTS Academic), or 120 (Duolingo). Exceptions are made to this requirement for applicants who have earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree in the U.S.
Three letters of recommendation
- As part of the online application you will be asked to supply contact information for three faculty or supervisors. Once your application has been submitted, the system will contact each person identified and their recommendations will be submitted directly to us. In addition to the items on the online application common form, we require a letter from each which should be uploaded into the system by the writer. There is no specific format for the letters, but recommenders are asked to comment specifically on the applicants academic ability, research experience, personal attributes and likelihood for success in a rigorous doctoral program of study. You can check back into your application at any time to see who has submitted a recommendation.
Application Fee
- The UK Graduate School requires an application fee. Please see details on the UK Graduate School application process website: https://gradschool.uky.edu/application-process We are unable to waive the fee.

The GRE is not required for admission to this program.

In addition to the requirements stated above, applicants must also meet the Graduate School admission requirements.

Application Deadlines

Fall: December 15 (domestic and international students)

The Pharmaceutical Sciences Ph.D. program does not admit students for entry in the spring or summer semesters. We also do not offer an entry-level master's degree program. Please note while there is an option to select summer admission, this is reserved for our students currently enrolled in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Pharm.D. program who have been admitted to the dual degree program and instructed to apply for summer admission.

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