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Department of Medicinal Chemistry
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Graduate Program Description
The Department of Medicinal
Chemistry offers a graduate degree program leading to the
Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis
in Medicinal Chemistry
The Ph.D. program is
designed to provide expertise in the chemical and biological areas through
both course work and laboratory research experience. The graduate curriculum
is intended to maximize the talents of each student and to facilitate
attainment of the individual student's professional aspirations.
Graduate Support
- Graduate Student Support
It is the goal of the faculty of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry
to support graduate students at the highest level of support as dictated
by available funds. Such assistance will be provided only to those individuals
who demonstrate satisfactory progress toward fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree sought as determined by the faculty of the Department of
Medicinal Chemistry. All graduate students will be reviewed for satisfactory
progress towards their degree after each semester. In general, financial
support will be provided for
five years for students in the Ph.D. program.
- Financial Assistance
Graduate students are eligible for financial assistance in the form
of fellowships and assistantships. Graduate assistantships in the Department
of Medicinal Chemistry include both teaching and research assistantships.
Teaching assistantships require part-time laboratory or classroom assistance
of a faculty member, while research assistantships require part-time
research activities within the department. The current stipend
level for assistantships in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry is
very competitive with compensation levels offered by other Medicinal Chemistry
graduate programs in this country.
Graduate Degree Program
PH.D. DEGREE PROGRAM
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Curriculum: The graduate
course requirements for a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry consists of a minimum
of 21 graduate course hours in medicinal chemistry, 6 hours
of chemistry courses, and 6 hours of elective credit. These requirements
can be satisfied in the following way.
- Advanced Medicinal Chemistry I, II (MEDC
501 and MEDC 502) (6 hours)
- Drug Action and Design (DAD) courses (four
out of seven) (12 hours)
- Seminar on Current Medicinal Chemistry
Topics (MEDC 543 and/or MEDC 544) (2 hours)
- Chemistry courses 500/600 level (6 hours)
- Graduate Level Elective courses (contingent
upon research advisor approval) (6 hours)
- Problems in Medicinal Chemistry (MEDC541
or MEDC 542) (1 hour)
- Cumulative Examinations:
The
Cumulative Examination System is designed to assess the student's ability
to accumulate and apply knowledge in the area of medicinal chemistry.
Cumulative exams will be
administered monthly throughout the calendar year. Once students have officially
entered the exam system, each student will have eighteen (18) attempts to
pass five (5) examinations from at least four (4) different departmental
faculty members. Students are required to pass a minimum of two (2)
of the first twelve (12) exams administered.
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Original Research Proposal
(ORP): The student must prepare,
submit, and successfully defend an original research proposal (ORP). This
ORP will encompass both an oral and written component. After completion of
at least 4 semesters of course work and upon receipt of an official letter
from the departmental Chair signifying successful completion of the cumulative
examination process (which ever comes second), the student is provided 30
days within which time he/she must submit a 2-page research proposal abstract
to the departmental faculty for idea approval. The approval process may take
up to, but no longer than, one week. Once the departmental faculty approves
the ORP abstract, the student will have 60 days in which to complete the
ORP. A copy of the original research proposal must be delivered to departmental
faculty members at least one week in advance of the examination date. All
ORP defenses will be scheduled for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Seminar
requirement: Students are required to register for MEDC 643
(Fall) and MEDC 644 (Spring) every semester, with the exception of the semester
where a seminar is presented (MEDC 543 or MEDC 544).
- Dissertation
Research: Graduate students will select a research advisor
during their first semester in the graduate program, and a begin working
on a doctoral research project. After admission to Ph.D. candidacy
(successful completion of cumulative exams and ORP) students will assemble
a Dissertation Committee and prepare and defend a Dissertation Prospectus,
which abstracts the research topic for their dissertation.
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