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The School of Pharmacy offers professional Master of Science degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences under the “named option” designation.  These named-option master’s degrees provide students with knowledge and skills that are directly applicable to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.  

  • The Applied Drug Development named option allows students to earn their Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences through coursework that explores various facets of the drug development process. 
  • The Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation named option allows students to earn their Master of Science degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences through interdisciplinary coursework covering the discovery, development, and clinical application of psychoactive drugs as therapeutic agents.  

The Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences does not currently accept applications for a terminal research-based master's in pharmaceutical sciences. Prospective students may not apply for a research master’s degree program, and should instead see information about the Ph.D

Students apply to the Master of Science named options in Pharmaceutical Sciences through the following paths:

Students interested in a research-based graduate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences apply to the Ph.D. program through the following path:

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Information

Students enrolled in this program are not eligible to receive tuition remission from graduate assistantship appointments at this institution.

However, students may contact the Office of Student Financial Aid to discuss federal loan programs and other lending opportunities.

Students seeking the PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences should see this Guide page.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Credit Requirement 30 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 16 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement See Named Options for requirements information.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required.
This program follows the Graduate School's policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements Candidates will be dropped from the program if they receive more than 7 credits of grades at the BC level or lower. This applies to formal courses and research credits.
Assessments and Examinations See Named Options for requirements information.
Language Requirements No language requirements.

Required COURSES

Select a Named Option for courses required.

Named Options

A named option is a formally documented sub-major within an academic major program. Named options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. Students pursuing the M.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences must select one of the following named options:

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

  1. Demonstrate critical knowledge and in-depth understanding of principles in pharmaceutical sciences and in the student's area of expertise.
  2. Identify important research questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and design experiments to test those hypotheses.
  3. Conduct research that contributes to the student's field of study.
  4. Communicate scientific knowledge and research results effectively to a range of audiences.
  5. Apply ethical principles in conducting scientific research.

The Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Program has educated generations of scientists for challenging positions in industry, academia, and government.

Students should refer to the following for the named option master’s degree faculty listings:

Students should refer to the following for the research-based Ph.D. degree faculty information: