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PhD Program

Objectives

Pharmacy student in a research setting.

The objective of the graduate program in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is to provide graduate students at the PhD level with expertise in the area broadly defined as the pharmaceutical sciences, with an emphasis on bioanalytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacometrics, and drug delivery. The particular area chosen by the graduate student for a research topic receives special emphasis. Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency, knowledge, and research capabilities in his or her chosen specialty, in addition to a fundamental appreciation of all those areas encompassed by the pharmaceutical sciences.

Refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for the curriculum.

Admissions

Researcher in a lab setting.The PhD program based in the College of Pharmacy is under the jurisdiction of the College of Graduate Health Sciences. The PhD is a research degree that prepares scientists to engage in basic research.

Requirements

Applications for the PhD program are accepted from students with a BS or MS degree in pharmacy, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering, or other appropriate disciplines. The standard admission time for new students is in the Fall Semester, which begins about mid-August. Prospective graduate students should submit a completed application form and supporting documents by March 15th for the Fall Semester. More information can be found on the College of Graduate Health Sciences admissions page. The admission requirements are:

  • A minimum grade point average of 3.0
  • A combined score (verbal and quantitative) of at least 300 on the Graduate Record Examination
  • TOEFL or IELTS scores if your native language is not English or have graduated from an institution outside the US
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • No application fee

Financial Aid

We offer a tuition waiver, stipend, and health insurance. Students may also apply for other fellowships.

Student reseracher in a research setting.Application Materials

Submit an Application Online

You may submit your application electronically. Complete the application form automatically submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services.

All admission documents should be uploaded directly into the WebAdmit application portal (i.e., test scores, letters of recommendation, etc.), not sent directly to the Office of Enrollment Services.

For non-US applicants, official test scores and three letters of recommendation should be sent directly from the contributing source and not by the student to the Office of Enrollment Services.  Transcripts from non-US institutions MUST be verified and certified to generate a grade point average (GPA).  Service agencies, include, but are not limited to, Educational Credit Evaluation (ECE) at www.ece.org, World Education Services (WES) at www.wes.org, and American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) at www.aacrao.org.  A document-by-document certification is not acceptable.  These agencies charge a fee for service, and applicants are responsible for payment. 

Documents and other supporting materials should be mailed to the following addresses:

UTHSC Transcript Processing Center
PO Box 9141
Watertown, MA 02471

UTHSC Transcript Processing Center
c/o Liaison International
311 Arsenal Street, Suite 15
Watertown, MA 02472

If you have questions regarding admissions, please get in touch with us at the following address:

Hassan Almoazen
Associate Professor and Director of PhD and Dual Degree PharmD/PhD Programs
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy
881 Madison Ave
Room 661
Memphis, TN 38163
OFFICE 901.448.2239
FAX 901.448.473
Email:halmoaze@uthsc.edu

Applicant Privacy

To comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy must limit conversations regarding individual students and/or their applications. The faculty and staff of the College may not disclose application information, including admission status, to anyone except the applicants themselves.

Additional Resources

2024 Information for Fall 2024 Admission (Video)

Questions on applying for a PhD in the UTHSC College of Pharmacy? Watch our 2024 Information for Fall 2024 Admission video fro answers.


Program Documents

For additional information on the admission and application process, please refer to the documents below.

Spring 2024 Graduate Seminar Schedule

The Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Seminar series is held Tuesdays, 1 – 2 pm in room 105 in the UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy Building.

Date Speaker Affiliation
Tuesday, January 9 Dr. Cem Kuscu UTHSC/Department of Surgery
Tuesday, January 16 Dr. Sudeshna Roy University of Mississippi/Med Chem
Tuesday, January 23 Dr. David Boulton AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
Tuesday, January 30 Sara Nabih Maria\Alexander Jenner College of Pharmacy
Tuesday, February 6 Dr. Heather Mefford Neuroscience/St. Jude
Tuesday, February 13 Dr. Jolieke Vanoosterwijk US Biologic 
Tuesday, February 20 Dr. Alex Dopico UTHSC/Department of Pharmacology
Tuesday, February 27 Dr. Udai Singh UTHSC/Pharm Sci
Tuesday, March 5 Dr. Umesh R. Desai Virginia Commonwealth University/Med Chem
Tuesday, March 12 Ashton Coker\Osama Alaidi  College of Pharmacy
Tuesday, March 19 Dr. Douglas Green Immunology/St. Jude 
Tuesday, March 26 Dr. Steven Varga St. Jude/Dean of Graduate School 
Tuesday, April 2 Dr. Tom Laughner UTHSC/TLC
Tuesday, April 9 Lina Zhou/ Kristiana  Avad College of Pharmacy
Tuesday, April 16 Lidya Hagos Gebreyesus\Niloy Kulldeep College of Pharmacy
Tuesday, April 23 Nelufar Yasmen/ Fahad Bin Aziz Pavel College of Pharmacy
Tuesday, April 30 Kelli Hartman/Ahmed Rakib College of Pharmacy
Feb 5, 2024