The Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Advanced work may be selected from pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, and medicinal chemistry.”  The graduate program emphasizes both research and teaching excellence. Our program size allows us to offer individual attention to the graduate student. Students with a bachelor of science degree in biology or chemistry must have an adequate background for graduate work in the College.

After successful completion of either degree program students have had a high level of success gaining highly desirable employment in academia, industry and governmental agencies doing work in pharmaceutical sciences. 

The pharmaceutical sciences curriculum consists of a core of courses involving both basic and pharmaceutical sciences. In addition, students will select courses that will prepare them to be competent scientists in their fields.

Master’s Program 

The master's program (MS) requires a minimum of 30 semester credit hours, of which 20 must be in the major field. Completion of the MS degree takes an average of 2-3 years. This includes 1-1.5 years of coursework (minimum 17 semester credits of letter-graded course), 8-15 credits of thesis research, and at least 10 credits for research dissertation. 

PhD Program

The doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) is awarded in recognition of high scholarly achievement as evidenced by a period of successful study, the satisfactory completion of examinations and the development of an acceptable dissertation project covering some significant aspect of a major field of learning and research. 

Completion of the PhD program typically takes about 4-5 years. This includes two years of coursework (minimum of 30 semester credits of letter-graded course - 18 must be at 700-level), pass written and oral preliminary examinations before being formally admitted, and 60 credits for research dissertation.  

Application

Along with the application form and application fee $35, we require the following:

• Official transcripts from all institutions attended since high school
• Official scores the Graduate Record Examination
• Three letters of recommendation from individuals who have knowledge of your potential for graduate study in pharmaceutical sciences. 
• Foreign applicants whose native language is not English must provide results of the TOEFL. 

Applications are accepted throughout the year, but students desiring financial assistance are encouraged to apply for fall semester before March 15 and October 1 for spring admission.

Graduate Bulletin provides all essential information including application information about graduate studies at NDSU. Direct any other questions to the PSCI department. All applicants are automatically considered for financial assistance. We have been fortunate to be able to support most of our students. These assistantships carry yearly stipends starting at $16,000 and have a waiver of tuition for six credits or more per semester. Living costs are among the lowest in the country. On-campus housing is available for married and single students.