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Major · Health Professions

Pharmaceutics and Drug Design

A program that focuses on the scientific study of the formulation of medicinal substances into product vehicles capable of being stored, transported, and then introduced into the patient and behaving in ways optimal to therapeutic interaction. Includes instruction in statistics, biopharmaceutics, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, physical pharmacy, pharmacological analysis, drug design and development, pharmacological biotechnology, chemical separations, spectroscopy, drug-host interactions, immunology, quantitative drug measurement, enzymatic transformations, and metabolic excretion.

Schools offering
8
Annual completions
180
Typical degree level
Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$107k

About this major

A program that focuses on the scientific study of the formulation of medicinal substances into product vehicles capable of being stored, transported, and then introduced into the patient and behaving in ways optimal to therapeutic interaction. Includes instruction in statistics, biopharmaceutics, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, physical pharmacy, pharmacological analysis, drug design and development, pharmacological biotechnology, chemical separations, spectroscopy, drug-host interactions, immunology, quantitative drug measurement, enzymatic transformations, and metabolic excretion.

Examples of specialized tracks: Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (MS), Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (PhD).

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Health specialties teachers, postsecondary $106k +17.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Medical scientists, except epidemiologists $101k +8.7% Doctoral or professional degree
Biochemists and biophysicists $104k +5.8% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$107k

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Pharmaceutics and Drug Design

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 59 59
South Dakota State University Brookings, SD 0 39 39
University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM 0 37 37
University of Toledo Toledo, OH 0 26 26
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 0 9 9
West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA 0 8 8
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 0 2 2
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 0 0 0
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

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Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What can I do with a Pharmaceutics and Drug Design degree?
Graduates commonly pursue careers such as Health specialties teachers, postsecondary, Medical scientists, except epidemiologists, Biochemists and biophysicists.
Is a Pharmaceutics and Drug Design associate's enough, or do I need a bachelor's?
This major is typically offered only at the bachelor's level.
How many colleges offer Pharmaceutics and Drug Design?
8 colleges offered this major in the most recent IPEDS year, graduating about 180 students a year combined.