2025–2026 curriculum
| Term | Required Courses | Other Requirements** |
|---|---|---|
| Late Summer | PSPG Primer - Led by current students Statistics - Workshops will occur before the start of the quarter during PSPG Primer. | |
| Fall Term | REQUIRED: PSPG 245A (Zhou) Principles of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Pharmacokinetics, Drug Metabolism and Transport (5 units) AND Biostat 272 (Philips/Dufault) or BMI 206 (Pollard) Foundations in Biostatistical Principles and Methods (4 units) | Complete 1st rotation Racism in Science (GRAD 202) QBC Journal Club (PSPG 297) PSPG Student Research Talks (PSPG 220) Graduate Research Opportunities Pizza Talks PSPG Seminars (PSPG 223) |
| Winter Term | REQUIRED: PSPG 245B (Chun) Systems Pharmacology AND SELECT ONE CORE ELECTIVE: BMI 203 (Capra) Biocomputing Algorithms (3 units) Requires preapproval from instructor determined by computations skills. CHEM 244 (Seiple) Reaction Mechanism (3 units) BMS 255 (Nussbaum/Sil) Principles of Genetics (4 units) Requires early registration, please ask PSPG program manager PSPG 274 (Guo) Pharmacology | Complete 2nd rotation QBC Journal Club PSPG Student Research Talks Seminars Pizza Talks |
| Spring Term | REQUIRED: PSPG 245C (Ahituv) Pharmacogenomics mini course (3 units) AND SELECT TWO MINI COURSES (course list will be available in Winter) | Complete 3rd Rotation Journal Club Student Research Talks Seminars PSPG Retreat/Alumni Event Ethics |
| End of Spring | Advising |
Additional year one requirements
| Course | Course Information | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical Conduct of Science | Grad 214 Spring 1 unit | Ethical Conduct of Science Course |
| Lab Rotations | PSPG 206 Fall, Winter, Spring 2 Units each, 3 rotations | Three 10 week rotations. A minimum of two rotations must be in current PSPG faculty laboratory, unless approval is granted by the program director. |
| QBC Journal Club | PSPG 297 Fall, Winter, Spring 1 unit | Journal club presentations by first and second year students in the BP, BMI, CCB and PSPG graduate programs. |
| Graduate Research Opportunities | PSPG 225A Fall, Winter (pending faculty sign ups) (no units) | Faculty-Student Talks |
- Mini-Courses: Three-week elective courses that allow for diversification of curriculum. Each student will take 3 minicourses in their first spring quarter, including the required PSPG 245C.
- Advising: Rotations and Coursework must be approved by your assigned Academic Advisor.
- Additional electives can be taken in the second year once the core requirements are met.
- Other elective courses may be offered but require approval from an academic advisor. If interested please inquire for information on additional electives offered through other graduate programs.
Additional requirements for the duration of your time in the program
| PSPG Research Talks | PSPG 220, 1 unit Fall, Winter, Spring | PSPG student research talks |
| PSPG-Research Seminars | PSPG 223 (zero credits) Fall, Winter, Spring | Research seminars presented by visiting scientists: All students attend. Students attend lunch with seminar speakers whose research or career are of interest. |
| QBC Retreat | Fall | Attend the annual QBC Retreat and present a poster or talk (advanced students may be nominated by their PI to speak). Goals: Improve presentation skills and facilitate collaborations with labs outside your main field. |
| PSPG Annual Event | Spring | Typically in the spring, student leaders will plan a PSPG specific event that typically includes a mix of science, career development and alumni interactions. All students are required to attend. |
Year two requirements
| Requirement | Timing | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Qualifying Exam | Must complete by end of second year | All core course work and elective credits must be completed prior to taking the qualifying examination |
Research (every quarter, year 2 and forward) | Fall, Winter, Spring 1-8 units | |
| Teaching Assistantship | Summer, Fall or Winter | One quarter TA position in PSPG or School of Pharmacy; most students will TA in the Foundations course for the PharmD program which requires you are in town and available between July 20-Sept 8 |
| QBC Journal Club | PSPG 297 (sign up as BMI 223) Fall, Winter, Spring 1 unit | Journal club presentations by first and second year students in the BP, BMI, CCB and PSPG graduate programs. |
| Grant Writing Workshop | BP 297 Fall 1 unit | Support for fellowship applications |
Year three requirements and beyond
| Requirement | Timing | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Advance to Candidacy and submit first IDP | Within 6 months following Qualifying Exam | Individual Development Plan (IDP) must be submitted at time of advancement. Refer to: |
| Annual Thesis Meetings, yr 3 and forward | On or around the anniversary of your Qualifying Exam | Thesis meetings are to be held at least once every 6-9 months following completion of oral exam. Must include discussion of updated IDP and planned career development activities. |
| Those who have not graduated by Winter of 6th year must retake Ethical Conduct of Science | Winter Year 6 | Ethical Conduct of Science must be taken once every 4 years. Students in year 6 will take the Postdoc version of the Ethical Conduct of Research Course. |
The expected time to graduation is five years. In order to graduate you must submit your thesis to the Graduate Division and give a Thesis Seminar. Extending time in the program beyond six years is subject to the approval of the PSPG Executive Committee.