During the first year of graduate study, Ph.D. students complete three research laboratory rotations. These rotations introduce the student to research, both in terms of specific questions and techniques and to more general aspects of research strategies and problem solving. In the second year, students select a faculty advisor and laboratory for their research project. By the end of the second year, coursework in the major and minor should be largely completed. Students advance to Ph.D. candidacy by completion of written and oral comprehensive examination.
Successful performance permits the student to complete the Ph.D. dissertation research.
The Ph.D. degree is awarded upon successful completion of a research project that culminates in an original and significant scientific contribution. The M.S. degree is awarded upon successful completion of a research project. Its primary aim is the discovery of chemical mechanisms by which cellular and molecular functions are regulated for the purpose of understanding how existing drugs act and to develop new drugs for treatment of diseases. The broad scope of interests of pharmacology ranges from the study of intermolecular reactions of chemical constituents of cells with drugs to the effects of chemicals in our environment on entire populations. Training in this area prepares students for careers in hospital laboratories, police crime laboratories, medical examiner's offices, industrial hygiene laboratories, and toxicology laboratories in industry, government, and universities.