PhD in Pharmaceutical & Translational Sciences

All students admitted through the Pharmaceutical & Translational Sciences (PHTS) Program will take a set of foundation core courses in addition to courses specific to each track. Students must complete all core courses (foundation and track-specific) before advancing to candidacy.

Unit/Course Requirements

A minimum of 60 units of graduate course credits is required for the Ph.D., including coursework, and research and dissertation units. At least 24 units of formal coursework are required at the 500 level or above (see Course Offerings below), exclusive of directed research. No more than 8 units of 794 Doctoral Dissertation may be applied toward the Ph.D. degree. Students must complete the first-year PHTS foundation curriculum as well as course requirements for their specific Ph.D. program track. Additional coursework relevant to the research interests of the student may be required by the student’s guidance committee or by the student’s faculty adviser. A minimum of 12 of the 24 units is to be taken in courses in the student’s chosen track. Of the total 60 units, 36 units may be fulfilled with other courses, directed research, and dissertations.

Student Teaching

Teaching experience is considered an integral part of the training of graduate students. Thus, each Ph.D. student is given the opportunity to participate in the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) teaching program of the school. Most students will be supported as teaching assistants during their first two years in the PhD program.

Graduate Seminar

All first-year PhD candidate students are required to attend departmental and other scheduled School-wide seminars. Students who have passed their qualifying exam are required to present at least one departmental seminar per year.

Qualifying Examination

Students will be required to pass a qualifying exam by the end of the 1st semester of their third academic year in the program. Before permission is granted to sit for the qualifying examination, all students must complete the 24 required units as stated above, with no grades lower than “C” and with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. The final evaluation of the examination is determined by a consensus of the guidance committee. If a student fails, it is at the discretion of the committee to allow the student to repeat the examination within 60 days. The program has the option to dismiss the student from the program with or without the option of a terminal master's degree after the first or second failure.

Individual Development Plan (IDP)

All PhD students regardless of their chosen tracks/PhD programs are required to complete an Individual Development Plan (IDP) and a Curriculum Vitae annually at the end of each year of matriculation. IDPs are intended to serve as a tool to facilitate communication between trainees and their advisors. The student will meet with his/her advisor and IDP committee to systematically identify training needs and competencies, establish goals, and take stock of year‐by‐year progress during the PhD years; and to plan and prepare for their post‐PhD future while they are in graduate school. The IDP committee is comprised of the student’s primary advisor (or Program Chair if the student does not yet have an advisor at the end of the first year) along with two other members from the student’s qualifying or dissertation committee (see below), with the option of substituting one of the committee members with a professional from the student’s career of interest.

Thesis/Dissertation

Each student must satisfactorily complete a thesis/dissertation, based on an original investigation, under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Presentation and oral defense of an acceptable dissertation is required for PhD candidates.

PHTS Foundation Core Curriculum

All students in the Pharmaceutical & Translational Sciences (PHTS) program are strongly urged to take a foundation core of classes and seminars (a total of 24 units). These courses are designed to introduce students to various areas of pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, mechanisms of disease, drug development, and disease, a broad range of pharmaceutical sciences research methods, and to build a solid foundation in scientific writing, biostatistics, literature evaluation, and ethical conduct in research. The core courses for all students, regardless of track, include:

• MPTX 502 – Pharmacology (4 units, Fall)
• PSCI 556 – Principal Research Approaches and Scientific Writing (4 units, Fall)
• INTD 500 – Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research (or equivalent course that satisfies NIH RCR requirements) (1 unit, Summer)
• PM 510L* – Principles of Biostatistics (or equivalent course) (4 units, Spring)
• Additional Core Curriculum – At least one of the following three courses, from the MPTX, PSCI, and CXPT tracks should be selected:
  • MPTX 500 – Cell Signaling/Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology I (4 units, Spring or Fall),
  • PSCI 665 – Drug Transport and Delivery (4 units, Spring)
  • CXPT 609 – Preclinical Experimental Therapeutic Drug Development) (4 units, Spring or Fall)

The purpose of the USC School of Pharmacy Ph.D. program in Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics is to prepare graduates to execute original, high-level research in the discipline-specific to the graduate’s area of emphasis, especially in the investigation of disease processes, drug development, and the efficacy and toxicity of therapeutic regimens. Graduates might be employed at leading research universities, in industry, in government, or in any research-centric arena.

Doctoral students enrolled in the program will be able to:

• Achieve and demonstrate deep methodological skills and an understanding of contemporary research in their respective area of emphasis.
• Implement innovative research practices under the guidance of their faculty advisor and in concert with their research team.
• Demonstrate understanding and apply contemporary research in their respective area of emphasis to industry contexts and be able to engage in innovative practices informed by such research pertinent to clinical translational research and their area of emphasis in diverse contexts.
• Demonstrate understanding of leading research teams in their respective area of emphasis by mentoring and providing teaching assistance to Pharm.D. students, master’s students, and fellow Ph.D. students who are less advanced than they are in their respective doctoral programs.
• Launch an independent research agenda in their respective area of emphasis under the guidance of their faculty advisor.
• Complete and orally defend an acceptable dissertation based on original investigation and supervised by their dissertation committee showing mastery of an area of emphasis within clinical translational research, capacity for independent research, and a scholarly result.

• Cutting-edge research opportunities covering the entire pharmaceutical continuum
• Top-notch research faculty with exciting projects
• Highly interdisciplinary and collaborative environment, preparing you for the way modern research is carried out
• Ample course options provide flexibility to accommodate a variety of research interests
• Umbrella admissions program with open lab rotations across programs
• Guaranteed funding for first 2 years, including tuition and fees, generous student stipend, and health and dental benefits; continued funding through to 5 years through Fellowships, TA or RAships
• Top candidates are eligible for Deans and Joint Provost-School of Pharmacy Fellowships
• Opportunity to enroll in a variety of MS programs (eg. Regulatory Science) with no tuition fees!
• Strong professional development program, including career networking, presentation skills, and scientific writing
• Annual Individual Development Plan (IDP)
• Eligibility for travel funds to attend national/international research conferences and workshops
• Strong mentoring to ensure each student’s success
• The modest size of the program provides a nurturing and supportive environment
• Excellent staff to provide administrative support and guidance in student matters
• USC is a well-funded private university exhibiting strong growth