Pharmaceutical Sciences Minor

The 5 primary learning objectives of the minor program are:

1. Explain how pharmaceuticals are researched and developed.

2. Describe how pharmaceuticals interact with the human body.

3. Compare methods of formulation, manufacturing and testing of pharmaceutical dosage forms.

4. Explain how basic sciences play a role in the development of modern therapeutics.

5. Describe how molecules become medication and how they’re approved to treat human diseases.

The minor program maps to the following 4 Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Problem Solving: The minor program is designed to train students to approach complex pharmaceutical challenges—such as optimizing drug candidates, addressing formulation barriers, or interpreting clinical data—using systematic, evidence-based methods. Case studies, laboratory investigations, and research projects require learners to identify problems, evaluate alternatives, and design viable solutions.

2. Critical Thinking: Across Drug Discovery, Drug Delivery, and Clinical Pharmacology, students evaluate foundational sciences, assess reliability of data, interpret conflicting evidence, and justify their conclusions. Open-ended assignments cultivate the ability to question assumptions and reason through uncertainty.

3. Mastery of Knowledge: Courses in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Clinical Pharmacology provide deep, scaffolded content knowledge that builds from molecular mechanisms to therapeutic application. Students demonstrate mastery through applied assessments, capstone projects, active learning sessions, and cumulative evaluations.

4. Innovation and Creativity: Design projects, computational modeling, and research experiences require students to generate new ideas, propose novel drug designs, and imagine technologically advanced delivery systems.