Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy is hosting an open house for all students interested in its new degree program, the bachelor of science in the pharmaceutical sciences. The event will take place on Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in room 101 of the Pharmacy South building. Applications are being accepted now for classes starting in fall 2013.
The new program is among only 18 such programs in the country and only the second in the Southeast.
“This program responds to the growing need for highly skilled life sciences professionals to support research, development and manufacturing operations in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Michael Bartlett, a professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and director of the new program. “Biosciences is the fourth largest employer in Georgia and the only segment of the Georgia economy that has seen economic growth and salary increases in recent years.”
The pharmaceutical sciences represent the collective basic sciences that underlie the field of pharmacy and are rooted in the discovery and development of therapeutics. The program will blend the fundamentals of basic sciences with the increasing complexity of the interactions of therapeutic agents with living systems, he added.
The program’s four-year curriculum begins with a foundation in mathematics and the basic sciences of chemistry, biology and physics through the university’s existing undergraduate offerings. Advanced coursework in pharmaceutical sciences will include aspects of drug design, mechanisms of action, drug targeting and delivery, pharmacology, toxicology, drug development, manufacturing, quality assurance and regulatory compliance. Laboratory work will be dedicated to pharmaceutical manufacturing and to basic biological testing and quality assurance/quality control testing of pharmaceutical products. Undergraduate research to enhance students’ laboratory research skills will complete the degree requirements.
For more information about the program, contact Bartlett at mgbart@uga.edu or see http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/index.php/degrees_programs/undergraduate_program/.