Program Overview
The Department of Pharmacology offers both thesis-based and non-thesis (course only) Master of Science degrees. The thesis-based M.S. degree is a course and research based program, with a minimum of 15 course credits, and 9-15 research credits for a total of 30 credits.
Research interests in the Department of Pharmacology are diverse, with special emphasis on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular pharmacology, physiology, neurovascular coupling, signal transduction, and medicinal chemistry/cancer chemotherapy. Students may choose advisors from within the Department of Pharmacology, or with the approval of the Program Director may choose faculty from outside of the department. Prior students have done thesis work in Departments of Pharmacology, Neurological Sciences, Biochemistry, Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Psychology, Psychiatry, Emergency Medicine, or Medicine. This gives students a wide range of options for selecting thesis advisors and conducting pharmacology research. Students in the thesis-based track will write and defend a thesis.
A course only M.S. degree requires 30 credits in coursework, but does not require a thesis or thesis defense. A set of courses taught by the Pharmacology Department are required.
Elective courses can be chosen from a wide range of approved courses offered in departments throughout UVM. Students will work with the Program Director to choose elective courses that best suit their career goals.
Research experience can be gained even in the course-only track by taking Pharmacology Techniques, which involves research in a lab for one or more semesters, but does not require writing or defending a thesis.
Program Requirements:
Students must meet the Graduate College requirements for a Master's Degree.
A minimum of 30 credits and successful completion of a written comprehensive exam. are required for the Master's Degree in Pharmacology.
Students enrolled in the thesis-based program must also write, present and successfully defend their research thesis.
All students are required to pass a written comprehensive exam that will be taken once they have completed all the core courses requirements. The questions are based on the required courses, which are common to the thesis and non-thesis tracks. Grading is on a 1-10 scale for each question. An average score of 7 or better is required to pass. The comprehensive exam should be completed by the end of the second semester of the last year of the two-year Master of Science program. A single re-take is permitted for the comprehensive exam.