Pharmaceutical Sciences Minor
The Pharmaceutical Sciences minor offers unique training for students pursuing careers in healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry.
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Flexible in design, this minor permits students from science or non-science disciplines to learn about drug science in a variety of contexts.
The minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences requires a minimum of 12 credit hours. All students must take PHR2500 and fulfill the remaining nine hours from a list of Pharmacy courses, including at least one designated contemporary issues course (designated by *). Six of the 12 required hours must be at the 3000+ level. Note: some of these courses have prerequisites that need to be fulfilled prior to enrollment. Up to 6 hours can overlap with the GE. Please visit this website for more details about the minor.
The Pharmaceutical Sciences minor must be approved by an academic advisor in the College of Pharmacy. Students interested in declaring the minor should complete this form.
Required Courses
This course provides a comprehensive overview of the drug discovery, development, and delivery process within the U.S. healthcare system, exploring the roles of vested stakeholders (e.g. patients, pharmaceutical industry, providers, insurers, society, etc.) during a drug’s “bench to bedside” development. Additionally, the course discusses post-approval issues with respect to access, social impact, and safety.
- 3 credit hours
- Distance-learning course (100% online)
Electives (at least nine hours)
This course presents an overview of basic principles underlying drug action.
- 3 credit hours
- Autumn only
This class introduces students to diverse careers in the field of pharmaceutical and health sciences. Students will be strategically grouped based on their career interests, and will work closely with their instructor and peers to gain knowledge on various career paths. Through this class, students will engage with guest speakers and will come away with a sense of their options and a critical understanding of career and professional development.
- 0.5 credit hours
- Autumn only, second session
Introduces students to diverse careers in the field of pharmaceutical and health sciences. Students will be taken through multiple professional development initiatives, and will work closely with their instructor and peers to gain knowledge on various career paths. Through this class, students will engage with guest speakers and will come away with a plan of how to pursue their future goals.
- 0.5 credit hours
- Spring semester only, first session course
- Prerequisite: PHR 2100, Junior standing
This course investigates a given drug by assessing its historical use, clinical properties and risks, role in American culture, and other issues surrounding its use and abuse in the United States. Students will engage in activities that will teach them to appropriately analyze various sources of information and effectively communicate key messages using a variety of platforms.
- 3 credit hours
- Prerequisite: ENG 1110 or equivalent; fulfills a GE second writing course
- Both online and in-person sections are available.
This course provides an overview of effects, regulation, and mechanism of action of addicting drugs with an introduction to function of the nervous system and how this function is altered by drugs.
- 3 credit hours
- Counts towards GE Choice Theme: Health & Wellbeing
This course introduces the science behind common drugstore products, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications and drug-cosmetics, including how these products work, potential non-drug alternatives, and various drug-related issues involving their use.
- 3 credit hours
- Counts towards GE Choice Theme: Health & Wellbeing
Humans have been experimenting with chemicals for therapeutic use and taking mind-altering substances for thousands of years. In this course we investigate the genetic evidence of past human drug use, the genetic revelations and techniques involved in therapeutic drug use addiction behavior today, and the role of genetics in the future of therapeutics.
- 3 credit hours
- Fulfills GE Foundations: Historical & Cultural Studies, or GE Legacy: Culture & Ideas
This course provides a survey of the profession of pharmacy, dealing with its history, educational requirements, organization, regulation, and contemporary developments.
- 2 credit hours
This course will provide students with the unique opportunity to learn directly from patient speakers (and caregivers if available) about the impact disease states and therapy have on them. In addition to listening to these first-hand accounts, students will be able to thoughtfully engage and meaningfully reflect each week to develop their understanding and empathy for the patient experience.
- 2 credit hours
This elective is designed to differentiate investigation-focused pharmaceutical research compared to skills-focused laboratory course work and introduce students to exciting topics of active research in the field in a highly approachable way.
- 2 credit hours
This course provides an overview of promising new strategies and technologies in disease treatment.
- 2 credit hours
- Spring semester only
In this course, we analyze America’s drug-taking culture through examining its past, present, and future. Students will identify factors that fuel it, discuss its influence on a patient’s medication experience, and evaluate its role in a current public health crisis – America’s opiate epidemic. The course will conclude with discussing ideas that promote a culture of health.
- 3 credit hours
- Distance-Learning course (100% online)
- Fulfills GE Foundations: Historical & Cultural Studies, or GE Legacy: Culture & Ideas
In this course we discuss the ongoing quest for a cure for cancer, including recent investigations in how cancer is treated, prevented, and detected. Like in many quests, cancer has proven an evasive and adaptable villain and our heroic cancer patients, advocates, researchers, and healthcare providers face additional obstacles in the form of cancer health disparities.
- 3 credit hours
Medications have profoundly affected the human experience. The discovery and use of medications such as antibiotics, contraceptives, and vaccines have reshaped our society in the last century. While many of these medications have had a generally positive impact on human populations, they are not free of controversy. This course will explore their complex history, science, and societal impact.
- 3 credit hours
- Counts towards GE Choice Theme: Health & Wellbeing
This course will develop core competencies in dealing with ethical issues in healthcare and research settings amidst a biologically, socially, and culturally diverse patient population. This will include a discussion of the ethical responsibilities and professional conduct of the pharmaceutical industry, including clinical drug trials and studies, research, and marketing and promotion. This course will also provide a discussion of basic principles of business ethics and proper ethical conduct in other healthcare industries.
- 2 credit hours
This course is designed to provide knowledge about medication therapies and treatment guidelines for common illnesses affecting patients.
- 2 credit hours, Spring Only
How should we navigate questions of identity in the world of cognitive and mood enhancing drugs? Where do we draw the line on “smart drugs” for intellectual endeavors or the use of performance enhancing drugs in athletics pursuits? More broadly, we will debate whether and how as a society we might enact particular restraints on our pursuit of human enhancements.
- 3 credit hours
- Fulfills GE Foundations: Historical & Cultural Studies, or GE Legacy: Culture & Ideas
The goal of the Health Citizenship: Advocacy and Change-making elective is to build a foundation of knowledge of historical and current state and federal issues that impact healthcare and cultivate skills to become effective changemakers to improve the healthcare system. Students will participate in distance learning and discussion activities to evaluate opportunities for improvement for healthcare. By the end of the elective, students will have developed enhanced knowledge, communication and relationship skills to leverage their role to advance patient care.
- 3 credit hours
- Distance-learning course (100% online)
- Counts toward GE Themes: Citizenship for a Diverse and Just World
This course examines the history and biology of vaccines. We explore the discovery and development of vaccines, along with the political and cultural controversies that have surrounded them for centuries.
- 4 credit hours
- Fulfills GE Choice Theme: Health & Wellbeing, or GE Legacy: Historical Studies
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The first course in a two-course series covers principles governing the design, synthesis, delivery, action, and use of drugs in disease treatment. Model disease pathophysiology and treatment will be investigated, discussing how biological differences can be targeted for therapeutic gain.
- 5 credit hours
- Spring semester only
- Prerequisite: PHR 3200 or PHR 4100 or BIOCHEM 4511 or BIOCHEM5614†, EEOB 2520†
†concurrent enrollment acceptable
The second course in a two-course series covers principles governing the design, synthesis, delivery, action, and use of drugs in disease treatment. Model disease pathophysiology and treatment will be investigated, discussing how biological differences can be targeted for therapeutic gain.
- 5 credit hours
- Autumn semester only
- Prerequisite: PHR 4000, EEOB 2520
Laboratory and library work designed to give the qualified student an opportunity to complete an original investigation or pursue an interest in a special problem.
A course designed to use problem-based learning to promote understanding of biomedicinal concepts. Case studies will be assigned allowing students to apply biochemical principles and communicate with their colleagues in the course.
- 2 credit hours
- Prereq: PHR 3200
The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-transmembrane receptors) superfamily in humans is composed of over 800 members, and is the target of about one-third of all pharmaceuticals. A remarkable array of extracellular signals transmit signals via GPCRs. Our class will focus on the biochemistry and pharmacology of these receptors.
- 2 credit hours
- Concur: PHR 3200, or permission of instructor
An elementary course designed to introduce the student to the topic of pharmacokinetics. The application of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetic principles as they relate to drug absorption, distribution and elimination will be discussed.
- 2 credit hours
- Prereq: MATH 1141 o 1151, or permission of instructor
Introduces students to pharmacological research and drug discovery through readings, discussions, and presentations.
- 2 credit hours
- Concur: PHR 3200, or permission of instructor
Focuses on the pharmacology of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs constitute a large and diverse family of proteins whose importance is underscored by the fact that at least one third of the currently marketed drugs target these proteins.
- 2 credit hours
- Concur: PHR 3200, or permission of instructor
This course is designed for pharmaceutical science majors, neuroscience majors, or non-majors with a basic knowledge of biology. This course will serve as an introduction to principles of pharmacological therapy of neurologic and psychiatric diseases.
- 3 credit hours
- Prereq: 3200 or 4100, or Biochem 4511 or 5613, or Neurosc 3000, or permission of instructor.
Exploration of current research topics in pharmacology through discussions of recently published pharmacology papers.
- 1 credit hour
- Prereq: PHR 4000, 4400 or 4460; and, permission of Instructor.
Lab exercises to teach the theory and practice of basic techniques in pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry and pharmacology: including spectroscopy, hydrolysis, drug synthesis, pKa determination, IC50 determination, enzyme kinetics, and drug action.
- 3 credit hours
- Prereq: CHEM 2540; concur: PHR 3200 or equiv. biochemistry course
Examination of the laboratory instrumentation and methods used in the drug discovery process.
- 4 credit hours
- Prereq: PHR 3200 or equiv. biochemistry course
Course credit earned by conducting research while enrolled as an undergraduate student.
- Credits vary
This course overviews principles underlying drug action, including an investigation of current treatments for a variety of common diseases. In addition, this course will implement activities that emphasize the ethical aspects and implications of a variety of drug therapies.
- 3 credit hours
Introduction to economic evaluation of pharmaceutical and other health care interventions and services, including evaluating costs and health outcomes, using results to inform resource allocation, interpretation and evaluation of economic evaluations in the literature, and decision analysis in health care.
- 3 credit hours
Vaccines are among the most significant achievements in modern medicine, providing a safe and highly effective means to prevent disease. However, an increasing number of individuals are refusing vaccination. In this course, we analyze contributing factors to the anti-vaccine movement, discuss the psychology behind vaccine hesitancy, and evaluate the implications of under vaccination.
- 3 credit hours
Seminar on global pharmaceutical issues and international practices of pharmacy.
- 2 credit hours
- Graded S/U
Explore the meaning of success and leadership, attributes of successful leaders and what can be done to be a successful leader.
- 1.5 credit hour
- Prereq: instructor permission
- Graded S/U
This lecture- and discussion-based course provides instruction, debate and exploration relating to the impact of chemical dependency on healthcare professionals, including the concepts of addiction, individuals at risk, intervention, withdrawal, emotions, recovery networks, regulatory actions and returning to practice.
- 3 credit hours