PhD Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

The PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences trains researchers in drug discovery, development and formulation. Students select one of five concentrations (pharmaceutics and drug delivery, pharmacognosy, chemistry in drug discovery, molecular mechanisms and therapeutics, forensics; forensics not currently admitting), complete research rotations, a preliminary exam and a dissertation.

Faculty: Retzky College of Pharmacy | Department: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences | Duration: Minimum 96 semester hours from the baccalaureate or 64 from a master's degree | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Core courses include Scientific Integrity and Responsible Research, Drug Discovery, Design, and Development, Training in Research Presentation and biostatistics, with at least 24 hours of 400-500 level didactic courses and concentration courses.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme: pharmacy, chemistry, biological sciences or related biomedical science baccalaureate; at least 3.00/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours; no tests required; three letters of recommendation; personal statement. International applicants: minimum English scores TOEFL iBT 80 (reading 19, listening 17, speaking 20, writing 21) for exams before 21 Jan 2026 or 4.5 overall on the new scale, IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 each section), PTE Academic 54, Duolingo 130.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uic.edu/admissions/

Explore more study programmes

Health Sciences