Program Overview

College of Pharmacy

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Iowa offers various programs, including the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), Graduate Studies, and Post-Graduate Residency Programs.

Graduate Studies

The Graduate Studies program includes:

• PhD in Health Services Research
• PhD in Drug Discovery and Experimental Therapeutics
• PhD in Pharmaceutics
• Graduate Degree: How to Apply
• Graduate Student Life

PhD in Pharmaceutics

The PhD in Pharmaceutics requires 72 semester hours of credit, including 30 semester hours in didactic coursework and a minimum of 15 semester hours of pharmaceutics courses. Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00.

Curriculum

The curriculum is designed to develop a strong theoretical, quantitative, and technical understanding of core principles in drug development, including:

• Solid-state chemistry
• Formulation
• Analytical characterization
• Drug delivery
• Pharmacokinetic modeling and simulation

Course Descriptions

The following courses are required:

• PHAR:4146 | Drug Disposition and Pharmacokinetics | 2
• PHAR:4736 | Properties of Dosage Forms I (or equivalent) | 3
• PHAR:4737 | Properties of Dosage Forms II | 3
• PHAR:4800 | Chemical and Biophysical Properties of Drugs | 1
• PHAR:5510 | Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics Seminar (enrollment strongly encouraged for 1 s.h. every semester for a minimum of four semesters) | 4
• PHAR:5745 | Drug Delivery: Principles and Applications I | arr.
• PHAR:5880 | Protein Pharmaceuticals | 2
• PHAR:6700 | Advanced Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics | 3
• PHAR:6706 | Equilibria Processes | 3
• PHAR:6710 | Pharmaceutics Graduate Seminar | 1-2
• PHAR:6720 | Pharmaceutics Research | arr.
• BMED: 7270 | Scholarly Integrity/Responsible Conduct of Research I (taken in second year) | 0
• BMED: 7271 | Scholarly Integrity/Responsible Conduct of Research II (taken in second year) | 0

Elective Courses

Students choose appropriate electives for individual research objectives.

Comprehensive Examination

Students take the comprehensive examination between the beginning and end of their third year of graduate study.

Dissertation

The dissertation is defended in a final oral examination.

MS Degree

The MS degree requires at least 30 semester hours, which may include six semester hours of research. The degree usually requires a thesis.