GRADUATE
PROGRAM
Program of Study
The Department
of Pharmacology offers a Ph.D. program for qualified individuals. The program represents a flexible,
research-oriented approach designed to develop the interests, capabilities and
potential of all participants.
Prerequisites usually include a strong background in biology and/or
chemistry and an interest in scientific research. The student-faculty ratio is low to permit
maximum mentoring of students. The
program is individually adapted to provide students with a diversified
background in the pharmacological sciences with a heavy emphasis on research
that begins at the earliest possible opportunity for each student. There is a combined M.D./Ph.D. program also
available through the School
of Medicine. Independent work is the key to the Ph.D. and
the awarding of such a degree indicates that the faculty considers the
individual capable of initiating and completing quality research.
The Curriculum
The curriculum
is designed to provide a solid understanding of basic pharmacology while also
exposing students to the breadth of pharmacology from the molecular and
cellular to the integrative and systems level of pharmacology. Students complete basic graduate-level
courses in biochemistry, physiology, molecular biology, neurobiology and
pharmacology and may then select from a large number of advanced courses
offered by the department or other departments within the School of
Medicine. A typical program consists of
a minimum of 40 semester hours in graduate-level courses combined with
individualized instruction in current laboratory methods for research.
Doctoral Qualifying Procedures
Students work
with several faculty members during their first year in the program before
selecting a preceptor for the thesis research at the end of the year. By the
end of the second year, successful passing a written comprehensive exam is
followed by a thesis research proposal that should be submitted and the
doctoral candidacy exam passed. The student is then admitted to candidacy for
the degree and thesis research proceeds until completion. Committee acceptance of a written doctoral
thesis and successful defense of the thesis are the final degree requirements.
Research
Facilities
The Department of Pharmacology occupies half of the sixth floor of the Brody Medical
Sciences Building.
The Medical Sciences Building
has modern research and support facilities, an excellent Health Science Library
as well as a number of specialized core facilities for conducting state of the
art research. The School of Medicine is adjoined by the Allied Health School,
School of Nursing, the hospital and with other
university and county facilities comprises a 100-acre campus. Research by the faculty is supported by
grants from several different agencies including the National Institutes of
Health, the National Science Foundation and private foundations. Students are
encouraged to present their research results at local, national and
international meetings. Many
investigators have collaborative research arrangements with other research
facilities in the state, the nation and overseas.
Financial
Aid
Full-time doctoral students (North Carolina
residents and U.S.
citizens preferred) are eligible for annual graduate fellowships of $21,500
(without regard for dependency status) plus tuition and fees and individual
health insurance. While these students
are responsible for paying in-State tuition and fees, they are reimbursed for
this expense for the Fall and Spring semesters but not for Summer. These
students are also reimbursed up to $800 for medical insurance each academic
year. However, fellowships will not be
awarded if the quality of the available applicants does not meet the standards
of the program. While the guidelines of the program preclude a student from
holding part-time employment outside the department, spouses (U.S. nationals & residents only) can usually
secure employment in the thriving Greenville
area.
Student
Group
The Department of Pharmacology has 9 students in various stages of training.
These students come from many different geographical locations within the United States
as well as from other countries. Total graduate enrollment in the basic
sciences within the School
of Medicine is
approximately 52 students. The small numbers of students and the collegial
atmosphere provide for individualization of curricula and training and easy
access to faculty members and support facilities.
Applying to the Program
It is the policy of the Department to limit acceptance into the graduate
program to those students who, in the judgment of the faculty as a whole, have
the potential to become outstanding scientists.
Application forms to the graduate school may be accessed on-line (on-line application and
information). Additional information
on the application process may be obtained from the Director for graduate program
in the Department of Pharmacology or the Dean of the Graduate
School of East Carolina University. Students with strong
backgrounds in the biological and chemical sciences are encouraged to
apply. The basic entrance requirements
are flexible but a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution is
required. However, applicants should
possess knowledge of organic chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics
Applicants will be judged on the basis of grade-point average, GRE results,
letters of recommendation, a personal statement and the results of personal
interviews when possible. The department
does not use a predetermined formula as a basis for acceptance. Rather, all available information is
considered in making final decisions.
International students must submit scores for the TOEFL as well. All
materials must be received by June 15 in order to be considered for admission
in the fall semester, although decisions are made as the applications are
received in the year.
