Pharmacology

Discipline Coordinator

Karen Mark, (816) 235-5903, markks@umkc.edu

Discipline-Specific Admission Requirements

Prospective students must have an aggregate minimum grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all college work taken prior to the bachelor's degree, or an aggregate GPA of at least 3.5 on all post-baccalaureate work to date (minimum of nine hours). For graduates of foreign schools, the applicant must have above-average grades in previous college study.

Prospective students must have a minimum aggregate GRE score of 1000 out of 1600 for verbal and qualitative and 3.0 out of 6.0 for analytical writing or combined 1500 out of 2400 for verbal, qualitative and analytical.

For graduates of foreign schools, the applicant must have a minimum score of 550 on written or 213 computer-based or 80 on Internet-based TOEFL exam AND a minimum score of 4 out of 6 on the TWE.

Qualifying Requirements for Full Admission

Suggested Compatible Co-disciplines

Core Program Requirements

Specific course requirements will be determined by the student in consultation with the research adviser and the supervisory committee. Generally, 65 post-baccalaureate credit hours, including 20 hours of research and dissertation and 45 hours of coursework, are required for the Ph.D. degree. No more than 27 credit hours (60 percent) can be obtained from a single discipline (preferably in pharmacology). The remaining 18 credit hours (40 percent) can be obtained from one or more participating disciplines. No more than 25 percent of the coursework from the non-participating disciplines will be counted toward the Ph.D. degree. More co-disciplines will be required. As many as 15 credits may be allowed for courses taken in a master's degree program at another institution with the concurrence of the student's supervisory committee.

The total of 27 hours required for pharmacology as the coordinating discipline will be composed of Pharmacy 5519 (four credits), Pharmacy 5520 (five credits), Pharmacy (three credits), three hours of Pharmacy 5580C (pharmacology seminar) and 12 additional hours of advanced courses (5500-level or above) in pharmacology or toxicology as approved by the supervisory committee.

In the remaining 18 hours, three credit hours of statistics, plus 15 credit hours in one or a combination of co-disciplines, which may include cell biology and biophysics, chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry, oral biology, pharmaceutical sciences or other pertinent areas as approved by the supervisory committee.

Other Electives

A supervisory committee may require that additional coursework be taken to prepare the student in a specific research area. This additional requirement may not exceed six credit hours, may be taken in any approved doctoral discipline and must be completed prior to the semester in which the dissertation defense occurs.

Pharmacology as Co-discipline

Students who apply for Pharmacology as a co-discipline should have completed coursework equivalent to Pharmacy Physiology I and II (LS-PHSL 399 and 400) and Human Biochemistry I and II (Bio-Sc 365G and 366G), which are offered at UMKC. Deficiencies existing on admission must be satisfied during the first two semesters of graduate work. When pharmacology is chosen as the co-discipline, the minimum course requirements are completion of Pharmacy 5519 (four credits), Pharmacy 5520 (five credits) and one credit hour of seminar (Pharmacy 5580C), plus sufficient courses constituting the required percentage of their program of study, as approved by the supervisory committee. No more than one C grade in any core course will be permitted. Students who receive more than one C grade or lower will be dropped from pharmacology as a co-discipline. Students must take and successfully pass a written and oral comprehensive examination administered by the supervisory committee members from the Division of Pharmacology. Co-discipline students should take the pharmacology comprehensive examination no later than one semester after completing their required co-discipline coursework.

Other Discipline-Specific Special Requirements

Students will be expected to complete at least three credit hours of statistics. Students are expected to take sufficient computer courses or training as to be proficient in word processing and the use of spread sheets and data bases.

Retention in Program

Graduate students are required to maintain a cumulative grade-point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale). In any semester when the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the graduate student will automatically be placed on probation. The student is allowed one semester to return to good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 3.0). A graduate student should not let the cumulative GPA fall below 3.0 in two semesters throughout the entire program. Students who receive a grade of C in six credit hours or more, or who receive a grade lower than C, or one no-credit grade will be dismissed from the graduate school. Any C grade in courses offered by the pharmacology division should be repeated no more than once.

Appeals

For special requests or disputes concerning a student's Ph.D. program, written appeals with documentation must first be submitted to the student's supervisory committee. If a resolution of the problem cannot be obtained at the supervisory committee level, the written appeals process must then progress through the following levels:

1. Division Chair, pharmacology.
2. Graduate Programs Committee, School of Pharmacy.
3. Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Executive Committee.
4. Dean, School of Graduate Studies.

Comprehensive Examination Guidelines

Written Examination

The written examination will consist of essay-type questions submitted by the members of the supervisory committee and will cover fundamental knowledge in the coordinating discipline and co-disciplines. The written examination must be satisfactorily passed before proceeding on to the oral examination, which should be taken within two weeks of successfully passing the written examination.

Oral Examination

The oral examination shall consist of material related to the student's area of research specialization, as well as fundamental knowledge of the coordinating discipline and co-disciplines.

On satisfactory completion of the written and oral portions of the comprehensive examination, the student becomes a candidate for the Ph.D. In the event a student does not pass the examination, one additional attempt may be made at a date no sooner than 12 weeks, and within one year, of the original attempt. A student who fails either the written or the oral examination a second time will be automatically dropped from the program. A student must pass the doctoral comprehensive examination and advance to Ph.D. candidacy within four years from the beginning of doctoral coursework (within three years if entering with a master's degree in the same or closely related field). After the establishment of degree candidacy, a maximum of four years will be allowed for completion of degree requirements (three years for students with a master's degree). Failure to complete the work within the periods specified will necessitate re-evaluation of the entire program and may result in a notice of termination.