Doctor of Philosophy in Natural Sciences: Pharmacology
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
As part of the Natural Sciences Ph.D. program, students in a primary discipline of Pharmacology must meet the minimum Ph.D. program requirements. These can be found within the main program page and subsequent requirement pages.
Pharmacology
Please see the School of Graduate Studies web page for the contact information for the discipline Coordinator. To view all doctoral and graduate faculty in Pharmacology, see this web page.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet both the general and the discipline-specific criteria for admission and be recommended for admission by the faculty review group. Upon approval by the graduate dean, students are admitted to the School of Graduate Studies.
Please see the website for updated application deadlines.
Due to course sequencing, new students will ordinarily be accepted only in the fall term. Applicants must hold a degree in pharmacy (Pharm.D. or B.S.) or a baccalaureate degree in biological, chemical science or health science. In special situations, baccalaureate degrees in other disciplines will be evaluated for admission. For graduates of foreign schools, the applicant must have completed a course of study at least the equivalent of a U.S. baccalaureate degree.
Prospective students must have an aggregate minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all college work taken prior to the bachelor's degree, or an aggregate GPA of at least 3.5 on all post-baccalaureate work to date (minimum of nine hours). For graduates of foreign schools, the applicant must have above-average grades in previous college study. The GRE is optional. However, we request that prospective students who submit their scores should have a minimum aggregate GRE score of 295 for verbal and quantitative and 3.5 out of 6.0 for analytical writing.
For graduates of foreign schools, the applicant must have a minimum score of 550 on written or 213 computer-based or 79 on Internet-based TOEFL exam or alternatively, a minimum score of 6 on the IELTS.
Core Coursework Requirements
Students with a Pharmacology primary discipline will complete a minimum of 46 credit hours for the degree. This includes at least 25 credit hours in the primary discipline, 9 hours outside the primary discipline (decided in consultation between the student and primary advisor), and at least 12 hours of dissertation credit in the primary discipline.
Primary Discipline
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum of 25 credit hours of coursework within the primary area, as described below, with at least 12 dissertation hours. Specific course requirements will be determined by the student in consultation with the primary advisor and the supervisory committee. | ||
| Pharmacology Required Coursework: | ||
| PHARM 5519 | Pharmacology I | 2 |
| PHARM 5520 | Pharmacology II | 4 |
| PHARM 5530 | Pharmacology III | 4 |
| PHARM 5509 | Toxicology | 3 |
| PHARM 5615 | Methods In Pharmacology And Toxicology | 3 |
| PHARM 5580 - Seminar course of any iteration | 3 | |
| EDUC-R&P 5505 | Statistical Methods I | 3 |
| Advanced Courses (5500-level or above) 1 | 3 | |
| Coursework Outside of Primary Discipline (either in designated secondary discipline or multiple other disciplines) 2 | 9 | |
| Dissertation | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 46 | |
- 1
Pharmacology or related areas as approved by the supervisory committee.
- 2
Minimum of 9 hours with possibility of more required. Decided in consultation with primary advisor.
Total Credit Hours: 46
Secondary Discipline
Students with a Pharmacology secondary discipline will complete a minimum of 9 credit hours in the discipline.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum of 9 credit hours in Pharmacy, including the courses listed below: | 9 | |
| PHARM 5519 | Pharmacology I | 2 |
| PHARM 5520 | Pharmacology II | 4 |
| PHARM 5580C | Seminar in Pharmacology/Toxicology | 1 |
| Elective | 2+ | |
Other Discipline-Specific Special Requirements
Additional Coursework
Students will be expected to complete at least three credit hours of statistics. Students are expected to take sufficient computer courses or training as to be proficient in word processing and the use of spreadsheets and databases.
Retention in the Program
Graduate students are required to maintain a cumulative grade-point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). In any semester when the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the graduate student will automatically be placed on probation. The student is allowed one semester to return to good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 3.0). A graduate student should not let the cumulative GPA fall below 3.0 in two semesters throughout the entire program. Students who receive a grade of C in six credit hours or more, or who receive a grade lower than C, or one no-credit grade will be dismissed from the program. Any C grade in courses offered by the Pharmacology division should be repeated no more than once.
Appeals
For special requests or disputes concerning a student's Ph.D. program, written appeals with documentation must first be submitted to the student's supervisory committee. If a resolution of the problem cannot be obtained at the supervisory committee level, the written appeals process must then progress through the following levels:
- Division Chair, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
- Graduate Programs Committee, School of Pharmacy.
- Ph.D. Program Director.
- Dean, School of Graduate Studies.
Comprehensive Examination Guidelines
The graduate school requires that a student demonstrate adequate intellectual mastery of the field of specialization and of appropriate secondary discipline fields by passing a Comprehensive Examination before being admitted into candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. To satisfy this requirement the student must pass two parts of the Comprehensive Examination given by the supervisory committee.
The Comprehensive Examination must be taken before the beginning of the student's third year after admission to full-time graduate study at UMKC. The Comprehensive Examination consists of both written and oral components. The format of the Comprehensive Examination consists of the writing and oral defense of a research proposal in the style of an NIH grant. This topic of the proposal is in an area distinct from the student's intended dissertation project and approved by the committee in advance of the examination.
Written Examination
The written examination will consist of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant proposal including Specific Aims, Methods, and Research Design sections; budget pages are unnecessary. The content will integrate fundamental knowledge from applicable disciplines. The written proposal must be submitted to the supervisory committee at least two weeks in advance of the oral portion of the examination.
Oral Examination
The oral examination shall consist of the student's presentation of their grant to the supervisory committee in order that the committee can evaluate the student's critical thought process and the student's ability to develop and defend an original research proposal. The oral examination includes (1) questions covering the grant proposal prepared by the student for the written examination and (2) other related material in the student's area of specialization, including fundamental knowledge of the primary discipline and secondary discipline(s).
On satisfactory completion of the written and oral portions of the Comprehensive Examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. In the event a student does not pass the examination, one additional attempt may be made at a date no sooner than 12 weeks, and within one year, of the original attempt. A student who fails either the written or the oral examination a second time will be automatically dropped from the program.
A student must pass the doctoral Comprehensive Examination and advance to Ph.D. candidacy within four years from the beginning of doctoral coursework (within three years if entering with a master's degree in the same or closely related field). After the establishment of degree candidacy, a maximum of four years will be allowed for completion of degree requirements (three years for students with a master's degree). Failure to complete the work within the periods specified will necessitate re-evaluation of the entire program and may result in a notice of termination.