West Chester University
Master's of Science (M.S.) Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Liberal Studies
Proposed Start Date: Fall 2012
This program will enable people to gain the necessary skills to broaden their expertise in unfamiliar areas of the pharmaceutical industry making them more marketable as they search for a new position in this highly dynamic industry, start a new bioscience endeavor or require additional expertise in their current position.
What are the career prospects?
Pennsylvania has long been a leader in the biosciences. According to PaBio, Pennsylvania ranks 4th in drugs and pharmaceuticals, 7th in medical devices and 3rd in research, testing and medical labs among all the states. On a more local level, Philadelphia ranks second in the nation in the biosciences. Since 2001, employment in the biosciences within the state has grown at 10.9%. Many of these new companies are biotech start-ups and new pharmaceutical companies arising from academic research. This program will provide individuals with knowledge of developing drugs and running a business, necessary background to bring their project to fruition. Numerous companies have been involved with the undergraduate pharmaceutical product development (PPD) program by providing internship opportunities. Many of these companies have also expressed interest in post-baccalaureate students. Some of our potential or existing industry partners include:
- Absorption Systems
- Cephalon/Teva
- Endo Pharmaceuticals
- GlaxoSmithKline
- ICON Clin. Research
- INC Research
- Janssen [JNJ]
- LifeSensors
- Merck
- Morphotek
- MTTI Inc.
- NuPathe
- Nuron
- Particle Sciences
- Pfizer
- Progenra
- ProMetrics
- Puresyn
- Reaction Biology
- Shire
- ThermoFisher Scientific
- ViroPharma, Inc.
Is the Master's of Science (M.S.) Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences for me?
This program would be ideally suited for several student populations. First, this program would be valuable for the recent science graduate in chemistry or biology who is considering a career in the pharmaceutical industry and needs to gain an understanding of the intricacies of drug discovery and development. Next, this program would help the academic scientists who have limited knowledge of how to take a compound from the bench to the clinic and/or individuals who may have even less knowledge of how to run a business, especially in the areas of management, communications and human resources skills. Lastly, the program would assist the career changer who needs to gain updated information about the pharmaceutical industry to enable them to seek employment in another area of the industry.
Can anyone with a B.A. degree apply or are applications restricted to certain UG degree majors?
The program is science-based and with that a basic knowledge of science is expected. Individuals without this background would be advised to take introductory courses in biology and chemistry in order to better understand the material presented in the specific courses in applied pharmaceutical sciences.
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