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B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at USP
B.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at USP
Why USP?
Your Life in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Your Future in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Hands-on Learning at USP
Learn from the Best
The USP Pharmaceutical Chemistry Curriculum
Professional Connections in Pharmaceutical
Chemistry
For more information...
Would you like to help develop and evaluate new medications that
prevent, cure, and relieve symptoms of disease? How about improving
analytical techniques for monitoring the levels of drugs in the
body? With a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from USP, you can
make an important difference in the lives of patients suffering
from disease and the physicians who treat them.
Why USP?
USP is one of only a few schools in the country to offer an undergraduate
major in pharmaceutical chemistry. Our four-year program, which
leads to a B.S. degree, emphasizes the chemical analytic skills
that play an important role in the development of drugs and introduces
students to all aspects of the pharmaceutical industry from initial
design of a new drug to delivery of the drug to the patient. Our
program offers these unique features:
- Access to advanced laboratories and equipment including a 400-MHz
NMR spectrometer, a fluorescent DNA sequencer, high-pressure liquid
chromatographs, and Beowulf computer clusters. You'll acquire
hands-on experience in the many laboratory courses incorporated
into the curriculum.
- Students are encouraged to take advantage of summer internships
as they become available. Internships on campus give you the opportunity
to work alongside professors conducting advanced research, where
off-campus internships provide valuable industrial experience.
- Faculty with a wide array of chemical interests ranging from
analytical to biochemical to computational to medicinal. Seven
of our 15 faculty members focus their interests in the area of
pharmaceutical chemistry.
- Option of earning an M.S. in as little as one additional year
of full-time study.
Your Life as a Pharmaceutical Chemist
Pharmaceutical chemists use both sophisticated instrumentation
and simple analytical procedures to study drugs and chemicals which
are present in drug samples, or taken from humans or animals that
have been treated with a drug. Pharmaceutical chemists may develop
new methods to determine if an experimental drug is actually absorbed
by the tissues where it needs to work. These chemists typically
work in teams of professionals during the development and testing
of new drugs.
The majority of USP's pharmaceutical chemistry graduates begin
work in the pharmaceutical industry immediately after graduation,
although often their employer will support future graduate education.
Graduates find excellent career opportunities in the pharmaceutical
industry and in government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration.
As you begin your career, you will benefit from USP's close ties
to the pharmaceutical industry, and our location in the center of
the pharmaceutical industry.
If you choose to pursue graduate or professional school, you will
be well-prepared. USP ranks in the top 11% of 1,150 comparable
institutions whose undergraduates have gone on to complete a doctoral
degree in the sciences, according to the National Science Foundation.
In addition, we rank second in the number of graduates who went
on to receive advanced degrees in the medical sciences, according
to the NSF.
Your Future in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
The demand is strong for professionals with expertise in pharmaceutical
chemistry. You can pursue rewarding positions in:
- Pharmaceutical firms
- Government laboratories such as the Food and Drug Administration,
the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency,
and the National Institutes of Health
- Industrial settings, where you may function as part of a drug
development team or work in production, quality control, or sales
Hands-on Learning at USP
You'll conduct faculty-directed research in first-rate laboratories
and be encouraged to develop new ideas and applications in your
chosen profession. You may also have the opportunity to present
your research findings at national, regional, and local professional
meetings. Through laboratory courses, which usually accompany lecture
courses, you will develop the skills and techniques needed in the
five major areas of chemistry analytical, inorganic, organic, and
physical chemistry, as well as biochemistry.
Learn from the Best
USP is a small university with the number of science faculty you
often find only at a much larger, less personalized institution.
You will have small classes and the opportunity to work alongside
your professors doing advanced laboratory research. The dedicated
14-member chemistry faculty include experts such as:
- Catherine Bentzley,
Ph.D., analytical chemistry. Dr. Bentzley's research interests
include applications of mass spectrometry to identification biologically-related
molecules.
- Preston Moore, Ph.D.,
physical chemistry. Dr. Moore's research interests include membrane
biochemistry and computer-aided drug design.
- Guillermo Moyna,
Ph.D., organic chemistry. Dr. Moyna's research interests include
biomolecular NMR spectroscopy, computational chemistry, and computer-assisted
rational drug design.
- John G. Nikelly,
Ph.D., analytical chemistry. Dr. Nikelly's research interests
include chromatographic methods for analysis, including HPLC,
GC, and capillary electrophoresis.
- Vojislava Torbia-Pophristic,
Ph.D., physical chemistry. Dr. Pophristic’s research interests
include using computers to model taste receptors and metallo-clusters
used as anti-perspirants.
- Rodney J. Wigent,
Ph.D., physical chemistry, Dean of Graduate Studies. Dr. Wigent's
research interests include investigation of how inert excipients
modify the bioavailability of drugs administered for treatment
of disease.
- Randy J. Zauhar,
Ph.D., director of the graduate bioinformatics program. Dr. Zauahr's
research interests include bioinformatics and computer modeling
of drug-receptor interactions. Drs. Zauhar and Moore also co-teach
our Computer-Aided Drug Design course.
The USP Pharmaceutical Chemistry Curriculum
Pharmaceutical chemistry majors take courses within several departments
at the University, drawing most heavily on the expertise within
the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Required courses
in the curriculum of particular interest include Introduction to
Pharmaceutics, which provides a broad overview of the manufacture
of drugs; Pharmaceutical Analysis, which focuses on the analytical
techniques utilized most in the pharmaceutical industry; and Structure-Activity
Relationships, which focuses on the relationship between the structure
of an organic molecule and its biological activity. Also available
as an elective is our course in Computer-Aided Drug Design.
The pharmaceutical chemistry major has been designed for students
who have a strong interest in drug development.Your program begins
with two years of foundation courses in:
- Inorganic chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Biology
- Math
- Physics
In your third and fourth years, your course work will emphasize chemical
analysis and other courses directly related to activities in the pharmaceutical
industry, such as Introduction to Pharmaceutics, Structure/Activity
Relationships, and Computer-Aided Drug Design.
First Year
- Orientation for the Chemical Sciences
- Principles of Chemistry I and II
- Principles of Chemistry Lab I and II
- Introductory Biology I and II
- Mathematical Analysis I and II
- College Composition
- Introduction to Literature
- Physical Education I and II
- Social Science
Second Year
- Principles of Organic Chemistry I and II
- Principles of Organic Chemistry Lab I and II
- Basic Inorganic Chemistry
- Mathematical Analysis III
- Mathematical Analysis IV or Introduction to Biostatistics
- Physics I and II
- Intellectual Heritage I and II
Third Year
- Physical Chemistry I and II
- Molecular Structure in Biochemistry
- Analytical Chemistry
- Analytical Chemistry Lab
- Instrumental Analysis
- Intermediary Metabolic Biochemistry
- Introduction to Pharmaceutics
- Discussions in Chemistry
- Literature of Chemistry
- Public Speaking
- Core Distribution Requirement
Fourth Year
- Seminar in Chemistry I and II
- Physical Chemistry Lab I
- Chemistry Electives
- Structure-Activity Relationships
- Pharmaceutical Analysis
- Core Distribution Requirements
- Social Science Requirement
- Electives
Professional Connections in Pharmaceutical Chemistry
You'll be encouraged to participate in the American
Chemical Society Student Affiliate Organization, which sponsors
seminars, field trips to industrial and governmental laboratories,
and social events. In addition, you can present the results of your
undergraduate research activities at scientific meetings sponsored
by organizations such as the American Chemical Society and Sigma
Xi.
For more information.
To learn more about the Pharmaceutical Chemistry program, contact
the Admission Office at 1-888-996-USIP (8747), e-mail admit@usip.edu, or fill out our online
information request form.
Misher College
of Arts and Sciences
Department of Chemistry
& Biochemistry
Admission
Map of Pharmaceutical
and Chemical Companies in Philadelphia area
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