Admission and Degree Requirements
Applicants to the M.S. or Professional Science Master’s programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences must have a B.S. degree or be in the last semester of their baccalaureate program. Up to 12 credits of graduate work of appropriate course work with a grade of B or better can be transferred into the UMass Lowell MS Pharmaceutical Science programs if approved by the Graduate Coordinator.
Upon admission or through the successful completion of prerequisite courses, students will be expected to have successfully demonstrated undergraduate level knowledge in biochemistry, calculus, general and organic chemistry and biology or anatomy and physiology.
The M.S. curriculum will consist of 32 credits of coursework. Coursework will generally be scheduled in the fall and spring semesters. Full-time students should finish in 12 months by taking course during the summer terms. Students who attend part-time should finish within five years.
The Program Coordinator and advisers in the program will guide M.S. students through a part-time or full-time program of study. Full-time study is equivalent to 9 credits per semester.
Example Plan of Study by Semester for Full-Time M.S. Students
Fall Semester
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| CHEM.5500 |
Biochemistry I |
3 credits |
| PHRM.6100 |
Principles of Pharmaceutical Sciences |
3 credits |
| PHRM.6120 |
Principles of Pharmaceutical Sciences Lab |
1 credit |
| BIOL.5420 |
Cell Biology (a) |
3 credits |
| Total |
10 credits |
Spring Semester
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| Total |
10 credits |
| CHEM.5620 |
Pharmaceutical Biochemistry (b) |
3 credits |
| PHRM.6400 |
Pharmaceutical Analysis |
3 credits |
| PHRM.6420 |
Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab |
1 credit |
| XXXX.XXXX |
Pharmaceutical Science Elective |
3 credits |
Summer Term I
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| Total: |
6 credits |
| MLSC.5510 |
Advanced Pathophysiology (c) |
3 credits |
| PHRM.6600 |
Pharmacokinetics & Drug Metabolism |
3 credits |
Summer Term II
| Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
| PHRM.6410 |
Drug Delivery |
3 credits |
| PUBH.5770 |
Introduction to Biostatistics |
3 credits |
| Total |
6 credits |
Total Credits for MS degree: 32 credits
- (a) OR BIOL.5760 Cell Culture or CHEN.5350 Cell and Microbe Cultivation
(if Cell Biology or equivalent training was previously completed at either the undergraduate or graduate level)
- (b) OR CHEM.6310 Principles of Medicinal Chemistry I (3 credits)
- (c) OR HSCI.5500 Human Development and Pathophysiology (3 credits)
Pharmaceutical Sciences Elective options include (but are not limited to):
- BIOL.5760 Cell Culture
- BIOL.5820 Cancer Biology
- BIOL.5930 Immunology
- CHEM.5140 Advanced Analytical Chemistry
- CHEM.5260 Chromatography
- CHEN.5350 Cell and Microbe Cultivation
- CHEN.5450 Protein Isolation and Purification
- CHEN.5550 Biopharmaceutical Regulatory Compliance
- CHEN.5480 Engineering Process Analytics
- MLSC.5600 Molecular Pathology
Other pharmaceutical sciences elective options may be added to this list or be approved by the Graduate Coordinator.