Ph.D. Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences
Policies
and Guidelines
For more information regarding the College of Graduate Studies, check the
College of Graduate Studies Web site.
THE Ph.D.
DEGREE
The Doctor
of Philosophy degree is considered the mark of highest achievement in preparation
for creative scholarship and research. It is the highest degree conferred
by our universities and, by nature and tradition, is a research degree. It
is not conferred merely as a certificate of completion of a prescribed course
of study and research. Every Ph.D.-offering department has the responsibility
to assure that the degree be granted only to candidates who have demonstrated
present capability and future promise for scholarly work and independent
research - in other words, to be independent and creative thinkers.
The University,
the College of Graduate Studies, and Ph.D.-offering departments have defined
responsibilities toward their graduate programs and graduate students. Their
major responsibility is to provide the most favorable environment possible
in which graduate students can develop their potential for creative scholarship
and independent research to their maximum ability. This environment comprises
the graduate faculty, academic course work, the research facilities, the
library resources, and a stimulating group of capable graduate students in
each department. The selection and screening process of graduate students
is, therefore, a very serious responsibility of our Department. Students
who reach the level of Ph.D. candidate should be those who have demonstrated
the necessary intellectual ability, motivation, and drive necessary to take
maximum advantage of the provided environment in the development of their
potential as creative scholars and independent research investigators. It
is the objective of our Department to produce the very best research scientists
and scholars possible.
PROGRAM
OBJECTIVES
The primary
area of research training of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is
in the molecular aspects of the in vitro and in vivo interaction of pharmaceutical
agents with other chemicals, both biological and nonbiological. Studies in
this field include, for example, the delineation of the metabolic profiles
of drugs or foreign substances in man and animals, the factors (environmental,
disease, etc.) which affect these profiles, the nature and catalytic properties
(molecular mechanisms and the relationship of structure to biological effect
and function) of the enzymes responsible for metabolic reactions, and the
delineation and modification of the factors involved in the in vitro and
in vivo stability of pharmaceutical chemicals. Research in these areas requires
a strong integration and understanding of chemical and biological approaches
to pharmaceutical problems. A fundamental understanding of the principles
and methodologies of physical and organic chemistry is requisite to the basic
chemical nature of these studies. These are the key disciplines around which
other expertise revolves and serve as the foundation for rigorous research
endeavors in the field. Graduates of the program must possess the necessary
skills to develop quantitative and qualitative methodologies to pursue studies
to elucidate and evaluate the chemical transformations and interactions
which occur in vitro and in vivo. These skills include the synthesis, purification,
and structural determination of organic compounds, the isolation and quantitation
of compounds in biological matrices, and the development, formulation, and
analysis of drug delivery systems. Scholars with these skills bridge the
key interface between the more traditional physical sciences and the health-related
biological sciences.
Pharmaceutics
and industrial pharmacy are the other areas of graduate studies. The theory
and practice of chemical kinetics are utilized to stabilize drugs in pharmaceutical
systems. A fundamental knowledge of the physical-chemical phenomena encountered
in the formulation of drug delivery systems is required for the development
of drug dosage forms. Biopharmaceutics involves the pharmacokinetic assessment
of drug absorption, distribution and elimination, bioavailability and experimental
methodology with emphasis on data analysis. All of these areas require extensive
use of computers. Industrial pharmacy involves the utilization of all areas
of research within the department to the rational design of drug delivery
systems. The role of formulation components in dosage form design, their
impact on product performance and ease of processing are studied. Formulation
optimization and product challenge for physical and chemical stability are
studied with extensive use of computers. These activities take place in the
Pharmaceutical Development Center (PDC) which is a fully FDA approved research
and production facility. This facility is unique in U.S. colleges of pharmacy.
Working in the facility gives a student an advantage over students studying
in other similar graduate programs.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Graduate students
of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences are members of the MUSC Graduate
School and as such must satisfy both the requirements of the Graduate School
and those of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences. The pertinent requirements
of the Graduate School are listed in the General Catalog of the University
and are summarized in the Graduate Student Handbook available from the College
of Graduate Studies. These requirements deal with scholarship, residence,
supervisory committees, research dissertations, examinations (general and
final), etc. Departmental requirements invariably exceed those listed by
the Graduate School because programs of study for graduate degrees are the
responsibility of departments in which the training occurs. The Graduate School
and Departmental requirements for the Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences
are as follows:
Residence:
A minimum of three academic years of resident study is required for
the Ph.D. degree; two of these must be at MUSC. Residence requires 15 credit
hours per semester. The thesis research must be conducted at MUSC unless
the research is of a collaborative nature requiring off-campus facilities.
Credits and
Scholarship: A minimum of 45 credits of course work, exclusive
of thesis and non-thesis research, must be satisfied. Graduate students must
maintain better than a cumulative 3.00 GPA. Any grade of less than a 2.00
is grounds for dismissal from the program. Credits earned for a master's
degree may be applied towards the doctoral degree.
Teaching
Experience: A minimum of one semester of teaching assistantship
experience is a required component of the training for the Ph.D. degree.
Examinations:
Written and oral comprehensive examinations must be taken by all Ph.D.
students. The written comprehensive examination is based on material covered
in courses and writing an original research proposal. The oral comprehensive
involves defending this proposal and demonstrating an understanding of the
general field by answering questions. The timeline for taking and completing
these examinations is as follows:
Written Comprehensive
Examination: Taken early in the Fall semester of a student's
third year in residence.
Research
Proposal: The student will distribute to all of the Faculty of
the Department an original, Ph.D. quality Research
Proposal by July 1st of their rising third year. Details on this proposal
are provided in Appendix A.
Oral Presention:
Within 30 days of notification of having passed the Written Comprehensive
Examination, the student will stand for the Oral Presention of the Original
Research Proposal.
Students failing
either the written or oral examinations may retake the exams no more than
30 days after the initial failure. A second failure is grounds for dismissal
from the Ph.D. program. A Thesis Proposal is required for advancement to
Ph.D. candidacy and a final examination (defense of the thesis) is required
for the degree. See Appendix B, Progression Steps to the Ph.D. Degree for
scheduling details of the general and final examinations.
DIDACTIC
TRAINING
The formalized
course work required of our students can be subdivided into three parts:
a) prerequisites,
b) core curricula,
and
c) electives.
a) Prerequisites
Graduate study
in the Pharmaceutical Sciences is open to students holding a B.S. degree
in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Pharmacy. B.S. degrees in other areas of specialty,
e.g., Psychology or Biology may also be appropriate, depending on the specific
course work taken by the student. It is assumed that all applicants will
have completed basic courses in organic chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
In addition, the Department requires the following core prerequisite courses
outlined below:
| Course
|
Credits
|
| Human Physiology |
3
|
| Math (calculus or above) |
3
|
| Chem. (Analytical, Organic,
and Physical) |
9
|
| Medicinal Chemistry |
3
|
| Pharmacology |
3
|
| Pharmaceutics |
6
|
| Pharmacokinetics |
3
|
Given the multidisciplinary
nature of the entering graduate students, it is recognized that students entering
with a B.S. or Pharm.D. in Pharmacy may be deficient in the mathematics and
chemistry requirements, while students entering with a B.S. in Chemistry
or Biochemistry may be deficient in the human physiology and medicinal chemistry
requirements. Acceptance of students into the program is contingent upon
completion of these requirements as soon as is practical. In addition to these
core prerequisite courses, specializations require the additional courses
described in the following sections.
b) Core Curricula
Since there are
three major research divisions within the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
the Core Curricula is differentiated. There is one set of courses that are
required of all students (Common Core) and three sets of specialty core courses:
those that are required of Industrial Pharmacy students (IndPharm Core);
courses that are required of Pharmaceutical Science students (PharmSci Core),
and courses that are required of Pharmaceutics students (Pharmaceut Core).
These are delineated below.
Common Core
| Course
|
Credits
|
| Physical Chemistry |
3
|
| Advanced Medicinal Chemistry I |
3
|
| Advanced Medicinal Analysis |
3
|
| Statistics |
3
|
| Medical Research and Laboratory Practice |
2
|
| Seminar |
8
|
IndPharm
Core
| Course
|
Credits
|
| Kinetics and Mechanisms |
4
|
| Drug Stability Pharmacokinetics |
3
|
| Design in Pharmaceutical Systems |
4
|
| Computer Programming |
6
|
| Physical Pharmacy |
4
|
PharmSci
Core
| Course
|
Credits
|
| Advanced Medicinal Chemistry II |
3
|
| Advanced Organic Chemistry |
4
|
| Bioorganic Chemistry |
3
|
| Stereochemistry/Reaction Mechanisms |
4
|
| Heterocyclic Chemistry |
3
|
| Kinetics and Mechanisms |
4*
|
| Drug Stabilization Exp. Design in Pharmaceutical Systems |
4
|
| Pharmacokinetics
|
3
|
| Drug-Receptor Interactions
|
3*
|
| Antibiotics and Alkaloids
|
3*
|
| Glycosides, Carbohydrates
and Volatile Oils |
3*
|
Pharmaceutics
Core
| Course
|
Credits
|
| Kinetics and Mechanisms
in Drug Stability |
4
|
| Pharmacokinetics |
3
|
| Exp. Design in Pharmaceutical Systems |
4
|
| Computer Programming |
6
|
| Physical Pharmacy |
4
|
| Industrial Pharmacy |
8*
|
| Advanced Organic Chemistry |
4* |
*Recommended
but not required
It is expected
and desired that students will have partially completed the requirements
prior to entrance in this program. For example, many students with a B.S.
in Pharmacy will have completed the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and basic
medicinal chemistry requirements, while some students with a B.S. in Chemistry
will have completed the analytical methods and, perhaps, the biochemistry
requirements. All students in the program are required to complete all of
their respective core course requirements; failure to complete all of the
core requirements by the end of the third year is cause for loss of Departmental
support. All students are required to attend the weekly formal departmental
seminars each semester in residence except summer semester. In addition, they
will be required to prepare and present one of these seminars every year
that they are in the program past their first year.
c) Electives
All students
will be encouraged to carry an average of 16 units per semester. They will
also be encouraged to include in this didactic training at least 9 credits
(total) of electives exclusive of the core and specialty curriculum. The
nature of the electives will depend upon the student's interest, needs, and
recommendations of their research supervisor. For example, additional advanced
courses in biochemistry, chemistry, immunology, mathematics, pharmacology,
or pharmacokinetics could be highly appropriate.
SELECTION
OF A RESEARCH ADVISOR (MAJOR PROFESSOR)
Students are
expected to select their research advisor (major professor) by the end of
their first 12 months in residence. See Appendix B. The relationship between
a research advisor and a graduate student is a very special one, and the
selection of a research supervisor is probably the most important decision
a graduate student is called upon to make.
In this Department
we want graduate students to have complete freedom in the selection of a
research supervisor, or in the change of an advisor, should this become desirable.
The agreement in the selection of an advisor must be mutual and there is
no obligation on the part of a faculty member to accept a particular student.
The selection of a research advisor, and area of specialization, must be
done on a fully informed basis. In order to help achieve this, new students
will be provided with a list of currently active Departmental faculty members
and required to arrange visits within the first semester with each faculty
member to discuss their research interests. Moreover, new students are required
to do research with at least two faculty members during the first year in
the program.
Once selected, a research advisor becomes the official advisor to the
student, and shares with the student the responsibility for the Progression
Steps listed in Appendix B. The research advisor, in collaboration with
the Ph.D. Advisory Committee, is responsible for the student's program of
study and research.
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE
Financial support
is available in two stages. During the first two years, a student will be
supported either through a competitive stipend from the Graduate School or
from the Pharmaceutical Sciences Dept. After the first two years, a student
will be supported either from a grant through his/her research supervisor,
from outside fellowships such as those from the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical
Education, or by departmental support. No student will be guaranteed funding
after five years in the program.
Students receiving
financial support are expected to maintain good academic standing and make
normal progress toward completion of their degree requirements in order to
remain competitive. Students in this category can usually anticipate financial
assistance throughout their normal graduate career. Since support is intended
to allow the student to pursue their degree full-time, employment outside
of the department is strongly discouraged, and may result in loss of departmental
support.
APPENDIX A
Format and Protocols for
the Written Examination and Original Research Proposal
1. Written
Comprehensives
The purpose
of the Written Comprehensives is to test the student on their knowledge of
the material which they have studied over the past two years. The Written
Comprehensives will be scheduled for the Fall semester of the Student's third
year In residence. The student will be notified by the Department of the
schedule for the exams by the first week of the Fall semester. The tests
will consist of written questions from each Faculty member of the Department
and the questions will concern materials taught by that Faculty member.
All questions will have been reviewed by all of the faculty prior to the
exam. The schedule will consist of three, 8-hour exams. The Department will
establish the schedule of the individual questions for each day and all students
will complete all questions scheduled for that day. The exams questions will
be graded by the author and the exam will be assigned a Pass / Fail status
by a majority of the Graduate Faculty of the Department. The results of all
exams will be distributed to all faculty. Students will receive their results
no later than two weeks after completion of the Written Comprehensives.
2. Original
Research Proposal
The purpose
of the Original Research Proposal is to demonstrate the ability of the student
to think of, and develop, an original research idea. The student will distribute
to all of the Faculty of the Department and his/her thesis committee an original,
Ph.D. quality Research Proposal by July 1st of their rising third year.
This proposal will be written in NIH format and will include all sections,
excluding the "Other Support", "Resources and Environment", and Sections
5-8. The forms will be made available on disk in both MacIntosh and PC format
by the Department Graduate Program Advisor. The proposal topic must not be
related to the thesis project and must be approved, prior to writing, by
the Thesis Advisor. The Faculty and committee will return reviews of the
Research Proposal to the student at any time, but not less than two weeks
prior to their Oral Presentation of the material. Grading of the Proposal
will be accomplished at the Oral Presentation.
3. Oral Presentation
of the Original Research Proposal
The purpose
of the Oral Presentation is to demonstrate the student's knowledge of the
written proposal and their ability to communicate effectively. Students will
stand for an Oral Presentation of their submitted Original Research Proposal
within thirty days of reception of the notification of passing of their
Written Comprehensive examination. The Proposal Presentation will consist
of a 20 to 30 minute presentation of the Proposal to the Faculty of the Department
followed by a period for questions. The questions will be related, but not
limited, to material discussed in the Proposal Presentation. Satisfactory
completion of the Oral Presentation will be determined by the consensus of
the attending Graduate Faculty and will be communicated to the student immediately
following the Presentation.
APPENDIX B
PROGRESSION STEPS TO THE Ph.D. DEGREE
1. Selection
of a Research Advisor
Students are
encouraged to become familiar with the research interests and activities
of all faculty members in the Department via interviews with the faculty
and by working with at least two faculty members on research problems during
the first year in the program. Students are encouraged to make decisions
concerning a research advisor by no later than the end of the first 12 months
in residence.
2. Completion
of Comprehensive Examinations
The Written
Comprehensive will be completed by the end of the fall semester of a student's
third year in residency.
3. Appointment
of the Doctoral Advisory Committee
The appointment
of the Advisory Committee may be done after a research advisor has been chosen
but must be completed no later than six months after completion of the core
curriculum. The Committee shall consist of at least five members, three
must be from the student's major department and two must be from outside
the department. One of the outside members must be from Pharmaceutical Sciences
at USC. At least four of the committee members must be Graduate Faculty.
The membership of the Committee will be selected by the student in conjunction
with his/her major advisor, and the names will be forwarded by the advisor
to the Graduate School for approval by the Dean. The thesis advisor will
serve as chair of the Committee and will be responsible for coordinating
the activity of the Advisory Committee and ensuring compliance with regulations
of the Graduate School.
4. Scheduling
of General Examination
This must be
done by the research advisor by requesting a warrant from the Dean of the
Graduate School for the General Examination. It is important to remember
that this cannot be done any sooner than four months after the appointment
of the Advisory Committee.
5. General
Examination/Review of Progress
In order to
determine whether a student should be encouraged to proceed to Ph.D. candidacy,
an evaluation of his/her performance will be made by all of the departmental
faculty at the completion of the comprehensive exam process. Criteria to be
considered include progress in course work and research, and performance on
the comprehensive examination.
6. Appointment
of the Thesis Reading Committee
When the thesis
is about ready to submit to the Thesis Reading Committee, the student's research
advisor will ask the Dean of the Graduate School to appoint a Thesis Reading
Committee (usually three) from among the members of the Advisory Committee.
This should be done early enough before the final exam to provide time for
the Reading Committee to study the thesis and prepare its report, because
two weeks must lapse between the submission of a favorable report to the
Dean of the Graduate School and the Final Examination.
7. Scheduling
of the Final Examination
When the research
advisor submits the favorable report of the Thesis Reading Committee to the
Dean of the Graduate School, he or she will also request a warrant for the
Final Examination. The research advisor and the student will then determine
an appropriate date for the Final Examination, which shall not be less than
two weeks from the date of submission of the Reading Committee report to
the Dean.
8. Final Examination
The final examination
will consist of two parts: presentation of the thesis and an oral examination
by the thesis committee. Completion of the thesis includes incorporation
of corrections provided by the thesis reading committee, submission of the
thesis to the graduate school, and acceptance of the thesis by the graduate
school.
Last updated by Kathy Chessman on
12/07/05
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