Pharmaceutical Sciences: Health Outcomes Research and Policy Option — PhD
The Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy offers interdisciplinary MS and PhD degree programs in pharmaceutical sciences. Those pursuing one of these degrees must select one of four curricular options: 1) medicinal chemistry, 2) pharmaceutics, 3) pharmacology, or 4) health outcomes research and policy.
The medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics and pharmacology options are designed for students interested in the drug discovery or development processes and are affiliated with the Department of Drug Discovery and Development. Areas of interest include neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, cancer, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, synthetic organic chemistry, forensic analytical chemistry and drug delivery, disposition and formulation.
The health outcomes research and policy option is designed for students interested in studying healthcare delivery, medication use and outcomes. This option is affiliated with the Department of Health Outcomes Research and Policy.
Note that courses used to fulfill program core requirements may also be used to fulfill option specific requirements.
The PhD program requires a minimum of 60 semester hours earned through instruction beyond the bachelor’s degree including 1) a minimum of 30 semester hours graded (e.g. A, B) graduate course work (6000–8999); and 2) a minimum of 30 semester hours of additional graduate course work (6000–8999) that may include ungraded courses, and must include at least 10 hours of research and dissertation. A general examination, often called the preliminary examination, is required of all applicants for the degree of doctor of philosophy. It consists of written and oral testing. The student becomes a candidate for the degree upon successful completion of the general examination. Students working on the dissertation, submitting their dissertation or awaiting approval of their final examination must register for Research and Dissertation in the semester(s) when these steps occur. Candidates for the PhD degree must complete a dissertation proposal and successfully defend their proposal during the final examination.
For the PhD program, students must complete a core curriculum outlined below:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Communications (Six credits required) | 6 | |
| Seminar (may be repeated multiple times for credit) | ||
| Seminar (may be repeated multiple times for credit) | ||
| Introduction to Grant Writing | ||
| Data Analyses and Interpretation (Six credits required) | 6 | |
| Design and Analysis in Education I | ||
| Design and Analysis in Education II | ||
| Advanced Quantitative Methods for Management I | ||
| Pharmacokinetics | ||
| Drug Products and Biopharm | ||
| Advanced Medicinal Chemistry I | ||
| Advanced Medicinal Chemistry II | ||
| Organ Systems Pharmacology I | ||
| Organ Systems Pharmacology II | ||
| Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology & Toxicology I | ||
| Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology & Toxicology II | ||
| Experimental Statistics I | ||
| Experimental Statistics II | ||
| Experimental Design (Six credits required) | 6 | |
| Research And Dissertation | ||
| Research And Dissertation | ||
| Option specific requirements for PhD students pursuing the Health Outcomes Research and Policy option include: | ||
| HORP 7510 | Health Services Delivery and Evaluation | 3 |
| HORP 7520 | Social and Behavioral Theory in Health | 3 |
| HORP 7530 | Pharmaceutical Economics, Outcomes, and Policy | 3 |
| HORP 7540 | Pharmacoepidemiology: Methods and Applications | 3 |
| HORP 7820 | Research Methods and Design Health Science I | 2 |
| HORP 8950 | Seminar (may be repeated multiple times for credit) | 1 |
| HORP 8990 | Research And Dissertation (total of 10 CR required) | 10 |
| DRDD 7000 | Introduction to Grant Writing | 3 |
| STAT 6110 | Sas Programming and Applications | 3 |
| In addition to the specific core and option course requirements listed above, students must complete instructor approved graduate electives (6000–8999) to reach the 60 hour degree requirement. | ||