Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Program

All students in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Program take “core” courses in biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, toxicology and statistics. This is followed with advanced courses in more specialized areas of pharmacology and toxicology that relate directly to one’s research interests. Beginning in the second year of study, students participate in a weekly seminar program that teaches how to speak more effectively.

Applicants should have a baccalaureate degree in a discipline such as pharmacy, chemistry, biochemistry or a biological science. This training should include course work in each of the following areas:

• inorganic and organic chemistry
• calculus and the biological sciences
• physiology
• biochemistry
• zoology

Acceptance into Ph.D. candidacy is dependent on the successful completion of the comprehensive exam, which takes place during the second year of the student’s academic career. The exam consists of two written components. The first is designed to test fundamental and advanced-concept knowledge of pharmacology and the second is the completion of a written research proposal. An oral exam is administered following the completion of the research proposal and is designed to address the student's knowledge of pharmacology and toxicology with emphasis on his or her specialized research area.

The master’s program differs slightly from the Ph.D. program in that no written comprehensive exam is given, although a final oral exam must be passed to complete the degree program. In addition, the M.S. degree can be completed on a part-time basis while the Ph.D. requires full-time enrollment.

All students are required to prepare and defend a dissertation (Ph.D.) or thesis (M.S.) based upon original research. This constitutes the major effort of the Pharmacology and Toxicology Graduate Program, which can be completed in two years (M.S.) or four years (Ph.D.). The average duration of study for our doctoral candidates is 4.7 years. Attesting to the efficiency of our program, this is significantly lower than the national average of more than seven years.

Doctor of Philosophy curriculum
Course requirements

Ph.D. students in pharmacology and toxicology take courses designed for graduate students with an emphasis on research design and experimentation. They do not take classes with medical students or other professional students. A full-time course load for graduate students is 15 credits in the fall and spring semesters and six credits in the summer. The student must achieve a 3.0 GPA overall or higher in graduate courses and at least a 3.0 GPA in pharmacology and toxicology courses to graduate.

The following courses are required before the comprehensive examination can be taken:

An additional two advanced graduate courses also must be taken prior to eligibility for the comprehensive examination. One of the advanced courses must be a pharmacology course chosen from the following list. The second advanced course also may be selected from this list or may be an advanced course in another department (e.g. Molecular Genetics, BIOC 605 Molecular Biology or MICR 505 Imunobiology), as deemed appropriate by the student's advisory committee.

Advanced courses in other disciplines may include, but are not limited to:

A typical course plan for the full-time Ph.D. student is described below.

Note: Second-year students take the comprehensive exam in June, although some may qualify to take it in January of their second year.

In the third and subsequent years, the majority of the course load is PHTX 697 Directed Research in Pharmacology. Advanced electives also may be taken, as desired. Students also participate in PHTX 690 Pharmacology Research Seminar through their fourth year. The average time required to complete the Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology at VCU is between four and five years.

Master of Science curriculum

The department offers a graduate program leading to the Master of Science in Pharmacology and Toxicology. This is a research-oriented degree program comprised of graduate course work and supervised research leading to a master's thesis. This program is intended primarily as a terminal M.S. degree. Students intending to pursue a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology should apply directly to the Ph.D. program. The M.S. program will be of interest to individuals planning on technical positions in pharmacology or toxicology research or testing, students in the health professions, such as medicine or dentistry, who desire additional research training and for those interested in a government position, such as with regulatory agencies, who seek training in pharmacology and toxicology.

Course requirements for the M.S. degree

* These are minimum requirements. More advanced courses can be substituted. Consult the program adviser.

A typical course plan for the full-time master's student is described below.

A full course load is 12-15 credits per semester and six credits in the summer. The student must achieve a 3.0 GPA overall and a 3.0 GPA in pharmacology and toxicology courses to graduate.

Ph.D. Graduate Advisory Committee

The initial adviser (first year) will be Dr. Stephen Sawyer, the director of the graduate program for Ph.D. students. Upon completion of the research rotation course at the end of the first year, students must select an adviser (mentor). The department has two guidelines related to the selection of an adviser. First, faculty members may have a maximum of three students from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology working under their supervision at any given time. Second, faculty members agree to assume complete or partial fiscal responsibility for that student when accepting students into his or her lab.

After selecting an adviser, full-time students immediately begin carrying out supervised research, typically in the adviser’s lab. It is expected that a tentative dissertation project will be chosen by the student by the start of the second year’s fall semester. After consulting with advisers, students select a Graduate Advisory Committee.

The Graduate Advisory Committee must consist of five members with at least two members from outside of the department. The committee functions to assist the student in determining their course plan, help in the finalization of a dissertation project, and, eventually, approve the dissertation and conduct the final examination.

Six months prior to taking written comprehensive exams, a Graduate Student Advisory Committee and Course Plan form needs to be signed by each committee member, department head and program director and returned for the dean’s signature.

Part-time students

It is possible to complete a portion of the M.S. program as a part-time student. This would be particularly appropriate for students who are employed or who are concurrently pursuing another degree. The most likely way this could be done is to take some of the required courses as a part-time student; however, it would normally be expected that at least a year of full-time laboratory work would be required to complete the thesis project.

Continuing for the Ph.D.

Students who plan to eventually work toward the Ph.D. degree at VCU should apply directly to the Ph.D. program. Master’s students interested in joining the Ph.D. program can apply, but completion of the M.S. degree does not assure acceptance.

On the other hand, applicants who are undecided if they want to earn a Ph.D. and want experience in biomedical research before committing to a doctoral program may be well served by our M.S. program. Outstanding performance in our M.S. program should help the student gain admittance to a doctoral program here or elsewhere. Master’s students seeking to go on to medical or dental school are encouraged to complete their M.S. degree before enrolling in these programs. M.S. students at VCU seeking admittance to medical school will not be enrolled until they complete the master’s.