Students in new doctoral program will start this fall.
UNT Health Fort Worth has received final approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to offer a new Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree program, officially adding the degree to the institution’s academic offerings. The approval makes the program the first Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree of its kind in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
The milestone marks the completion of the program’s regulatory and accreditation process, following prior approvals from the UNT System Board of Regents and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. With accreditation now finalized, UNT Health may officially admit students into the program and move forward with recruitment and student-facing communications reflecting the program’s fully approved status.
Housed within UNT Health’s College of Pharmacy and Health Professions, the doctoral program is designed to prepare scientists and researchers to advance drug discovery, development and translational research.
“Full approval allows us to officially admit students into a program designed to meet the evolving needs of the profession,” said Evan Robinson, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Professions. “This approval reflects years of intentional planning and collaboration, and it positions us to educate and support the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists at the highest level.”
The program was developed in response to growing workforce demand within pharmaceutical sciences and related research fields. It expands UNT Health’s graduate education and research portfolio while building on the institution’s strengths in interdisciplinary collaboration and health innovation.
“This is an exciting achievement for UNT Health and the College of Pharmacy and Health Professions, reflecting a collaborative effort to build a program focused on workforce development in pharmaceutical sciences,” said Rebecca Cunningham, Ph.D., senior associate dean for research and program director. “With full accreditation in place, we are ready to advance research, foster innovation and train scientists to address complex challenges in the field.”
Students in the program will complete a minimum of 60 semester credit hours and conduct dissertation research in one of four concentrations: medicinal chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacology and toxicology, or applied outcomes research. Potential career paths for graduates include biotechnology, clinical pharmacology, drug design and development, formulation development, pharmacogenomics, regulatory sciences and pharmaceutical outcomes research.
The application deadline is July 1 for students who wish to begin classes this fall. Applicants must hold either a master’s degree or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. More information is available at www.unthealth.edu/pharmsci.
About UNT Health UNT Health Fort Worth, located in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural District, trains the health care providers, public health workforce and scientists of the future in an interprofessional ecosystem. Through its four colleges — Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Professions, and College of Nursing — students learn to work in teams and develop an innovative mindset that prepares them for a rapidly changing health landscape. UNT Health Clinical Practice Group, the clinical enterprise of UNT Health, provides patient-centered care to people across Tarrant County. UNT Health’s research enterprise provides a foundation to expand the frontiers of scientific discovery to improve health and well-being.
