PhD. Pharmaceutical Science

[09M3]

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I will be starting my first year of pharmacy school this coming fall. I have a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry (no degree). I am very interested in the field of chronopharmacology and the current research that is being conducted on pulsatile drug delivery systems. Will a strong background in chemistry help me in this area of research? The highest chemistry I have taken is physical chemistry. The Pharm.D program I am attending in the fall requires students to take at least 2 credits hours of electives each semester (except the fourth year) and I wanted to know if I should take those electives in classes such as Advanced Inorganic, Organic 3, and other grad level chemistry courses? Also, my mentor works for major pharmaceutical company as a senior scientist in the Infectious Disease Division; specifically HIV-1. I was offered to intern for him during my summers, starting after my P1 year; this will actually count towards the experience hours I have to acquire each summer. Do you think interning for a pharmaceutical company will help me get into a respectable graduate school such as UF for example? Basically what I am asking is, what is your best advice (besides excellent grades of course) for a first year pharmacy student trying to ultimately get a PhD and do research in drug delivery?

 

[catchsomezz]

i hate to sound like a douchebag, but its the truth.

the best way to get a PhD and do research in drug delivery is not to go to pharmacy school; take the gre and apply to a graduate school.

disclaimer: i am doing something similar to you. but approaching the topic at a different angle. if your goal is ultimately to do benchwork research, grad school, wihtout pharm school, is a much better choice.

 

[EDLKim]

I will be starting my first year of pharmacy school this coming fall. I have a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in chemistry (no degree). I am very interested in the field of chronopharmacology and the current research that is being conducted on pulsatile drug delivery systems. Will a strong background in chemistry help me in this area of research? The highest chemistry I have taken is physical chemistry. The Pharm.D program I am attending in the fall requires students to take at least 2 credits hours of electives each semester (except the fourth year) and I wanted to know if I should take those electives in classes such as Advanced Inorganic, Organic 3, and other grad level chemistry courses? Also, my mentor works for major pharmaceutical company as a senior scientist in the Infectious Disease Division; specifically HIV-1. I was offered to intern for him during my summers, starting after my P1 year; this will actually count towards the experience hours I have to acquire each summer. Do you think interning for a pharmaceutical company will help me get into a respectable graduate school such as UF for example? Basically what I am asking is, what is your best advice (besides excellent grades of course) for a first year pharmacy student trying to ultimately get a PhD and do research in drug delivery?

Any type of internship for a pharmaceutical company will help you get into graduate school if your ultimate goal is to get a PharmD/PhD. You should talk to a counselor and tell him/her what your goals are so that the school can help you come up with a plan that geared towards reseach in the future. Usually people who want a PhD would apply to the dual programs (PharmD/PhD) but that's incredibly difficult to get in. Many pharmacy schools are aware of this therefore they will definitely help guide you in a direction geared towards research.

Btw, just because you are going into pharmacy doesn't mean you are limited to only get a PharmD. I have worked for a pharmaceutical company as an undergrad, and the big guys who were making $200,000+ were all PharmD/PhD. Even if you don't get a PhD, you can still do research. My professor only has a PharmD and she did research for Allergan before transitioning into academia.

 

[ret09]

I'm not sure about other pharmacy schools, but at UF you don't apply directly as an incoming student for a PharmD/PhD (or any dual pharmD degree program for that matter). First you start your PharmD, and if you are interested in the dual degree you apply during your P2. You should definite take the dual degree route if your school offers it. Its silly to do a 4 year PharmD and then a 5 year PhD when you could compress that into 7 years.