Curriculum

Oregon State’s online master’s in pharmaceutical sciences emphasizes basic and applied research in drug delivery and targeting, medicinal and computational chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunology, and molecular and cell biology. This is a non-thesis master’s degree that does not require traditional lab work and can be completed fully online. Additionally, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how regulatory agencies and organizations intersect within the legal and regulatory processes of drug development.

Learn more about this program's curriculum and view sample program schedules on the College of Pharmacy’s website.

Licensure information

A degree from this program does not lead to licensure as a pharmacist and is not a direct pathway to a pharmacist degree (Pharm.D.). To learn about Oregon State’s in-person Pharm.D. program, please visit the College of Pharmacy website.

Degree requirements

A total of 45 quarter credits are required to graduate with your master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Degree requirements and curriculum information are available on Oregon State's academic catalog.

This online degree program is designed for individuals with educational backgrounds in biology, chemistry, or related fields who are interested in careers within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. Although there is no formal list of prerequisites, applicants are typically expected to have completed coursework in chemistry and biology, such as an introductory series equivalent to CH 121-123 and BI 221-223.

Sample course topics

• Biochemistry
• Natural products chemistry
• Drug formulation
• Manipulating the human genome
• Pharmacokinetics in drug development
• Nanomedicine and nanotherapeutics
• Immunology and biological drug development
• Cancer biology and therapeutics
• Vaccines and vaccine development

Complete a capstone project

Your capstone project will give you hands-on experience in reading, analyzing, interpreting and presenting pharmaceutical science data. The project will also demonstrate your ability to interpret research literature and present scientific information, which is very important to prospective employers. Once you are enrolled in the capstone course, a faculty mentor will be assigned to you and will support you throughout your project. They will also help you workshop and develop your résumé, so you can transition smoothly into a career upon graduation.