Pharmaceutical Science Graduate Programs

Pharmaceutical Science Graduate Programs and Curriculum

A graduate degree in pharmaceutical science may be the right choice for you if:

• You love all sciences – particularly chemistry and biology
• You have a strong desire to help people
• You want to make a difference in the world
• You are passionate about curing a particular disease.
• You are a creative problem solver

Pharmaceutical science is a general master’s degree, and many programs offer a chance to specialize in areas such as pharmaceutical toxicology, pharmaceutical chemistry or pharmacology, among others.

Not every pharmaceutical science graduate degree program has the same requirements, but many require core courses such as:

• Chemical engineering
• Economics
• Biology
• Physiology
• Statistics
• Marketing
• Medicine
• Chemistry
• Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical Science Career Paths

As drug research increases, more pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are hiring M.S. pharmaceutical science graduates. Graduates can choose from positions in areas such as hospitals, drug research companies and within academia as professors or researchers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Earnings of workers in the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry are higher than the average for all manufacturing industries. In 2008, production or nonsupervisory workers in this industry averaged $821 a week, while those in all manufacturing industries averaged $724 a week.

Data according to

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Career Guide to Industries, 2010-11 Ed.

Pharmaceutical Science Future Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of wage and salary jobs in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing is expected to increase by 6 percent. The demand is expected to remain strong for this industry's products, including the diagnostics used in hospitals, laboratories, and homes, the vaccines used routinely on infants and children, analgesics and other symptom-easing drugs; antibiotics and other drugs for life-threatening diseases and "lifestyle" drugs for the treatment of nonlife-threatening conditions.