PhD program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PHSC)

Prospective students who would like to enter the graduate program in pharmaceutical sciences select from one of five specific training tracks with an emphasis in the following disciplines: pharmaceutics and drug delivery, pharmacology and toxicology, pharmaceutical/medicinal chemistry, clinical pharmacokinetics, and biomedical sciences. We tailor our curriculum, resources, and mentoring styles to the individual needs of a diverse next generation of pharmaceutical scientists who will positively shape the world through scientific research in the pharmaceutical sciences. Students with or without master's degrees will be considered for admission into the PhD program.

The mission of the PhD program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PHSC) is to provide a comprehensive knowledge base that leads to drug discovery, design, and development of pharmaceutical dosage forms through basic and applied research in pharmaceutical sciences. This comprehensive knowledge will afford graduates the ability to detect and correct product manufacturing issues of post-marketing adverse drug events and to perform translational research leading to the discovery and development of pharmaceutical dosage forms. Consistent with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) message of pharmaceutical current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) of the 21st century, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), Quality by Design (QbD), and the Critical Path Initiative, the PHSC aims to provide strong foundational, educational, and research training in drug discovery and pharmaceutical product development; delivery of drugs to their sites of action; modernization of pharmaceutical manufacturing; regulatory affairs; and to support the existing preclinical and translational research programs within Texas A&M to obtain practical dosage forms that benefit patients and the citizens of Texas.

The PHSC program will prepare students for executive positions in academia, research, education, government, industry, and related fields. These new leaders of pharmaceutical sciences will identify, research, and problem-solve issues related to pharmaceutical sciences. The proposed PhD program will provide education and research training for a comprehensive knowledge base required for translational research from bench to bedside and to identify product quality issues that cause post-marketing adverse drug events and recalls that lead to dose and medication changes by physicians. It will prepare the students to fill the voids of pharmaceutical scientists and executives in academia, research, education, government, industry, and related fields.