Program Overview

Program Details

Degree

Certificate

School

Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science

Department

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Available

On campus

Program Description

The drug discovery graduate certificate program prepares students with skills and knowledge essential for a career in early, preclinical drug discovery. Taught by experts in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry with decades of real-world experience as leading scientists in major companies, the graduate certificate program focuses on key areas in medicinal chemistry and biochemistry, including protein structure and property interaction, ligand and receptor interactions, and modification of ligands and compounds to better-fit receptors and other targets.

Courses of this certificate program will count toward students’ master’s degree in chemistry or chemical biology, either as core or elective courses.

Target Audience

The certificate program is designed for students who would like to acquire and/or improve specific professional and technology skillsets that are valued by the following healthcare sectors:

• Biotechnology
• Pharmaceutical
• Research labs in universities and institutes

Educational Objectives

• Design, develop, and analyze compounds for a company, research institution, or academic laboratory.
• Contribute to research on compounds, proteins, protein targets and biomaterials to further improve healthcare.

Educational Outcomes

• Analyze case studies regarding the molecular causes of disease and the development of FDA-approved drugs from the perspective of both medicinal chemistry and biological interactions.
• Design, formulate, and refine compounds and evaluate them using computational and experimental techniques for drug discovery applications.
• Prepare professionally written reports and deliver effective oral presentations regarding drug discovery and development topics, research, and experiments.