USC Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
MS in Management of Drug Development
Los Angeles, USA
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 66,640 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus, Distance Learning
* Flat-Rate Graduate: estimated tuition for 2 semesters
Key Summary
About: The MS in Management of Drug Development lets you design, evaluate, and optimize drug development strategies from discovery to patents and marketing. Focus on strategic, policy, and regulatory aspects. Courses run weekends and online; you set your pace and course load. The school, founded in 1905, launched the first PharmD, regulatory science doctorate, and healthcare decision analysis programmes. Has ties to industry.
Career Outcomes: It offers career support including recruitment events, career fairs, and job postings. Graduates pursue roles in regulatory affairs, clinical development, drug safety, product strategy, intellectual property, and biopharma project management; recruiters value the alumni network.
The STEM-designated Management of Drug Development program is designed for students with a background in preclinical biological and pharmaceutical science. It aims at producing entry- and mid-level scientists with the knowledge and skills appropriate for professional practice in translational research, with particular emphasis on the area of transition between early-stage preclinical drug discovery and clinical drug development. This area, commonly referred to as the “valley of death,” represents one of the most challenging and important areas in translational research, yet programs designed to train and educate future translational science leaders are lacking.
This program will allow you to design, critically evaluate, and optimize broad drug development strategies from the earliest stages of drug design and discovery to their application in patents and marketing. Depending on your interest, additional courses could focus on strategic, policy, and regulatory aspects of drug development.
Courses are offered on weekends to accommodate working professionals and can be attended online for those looking to complete their studies from outside of the Los Angeles area. Students set their own pace, taking as many courses as they wish to take each semester.
The USC MS in Management of Drug Development degree requires satisfactory completion of 32 units beyond the baccalaureate degree. The core curriculum includes courses that focus on basic regulatory frameworks, translational science, quality assurance, clinical research, statistics, and business, as well as elective options. Hands-on experience is encouraged through participation in academic and industry internships, or the TRAQS program.
Required Courses
All the courses offered by the Department of Regulatory and Quality Science can be taken either in-person or online (within the United States). Upon admission, we will work with you to develop a course plan that fits your needs.
Introductory Regulatory (Choose at least 1)
- MPTX 511: Introduction to Medical Product Regulation
- MPTX 512: Regulation of Drugs and Biological Products
Advanced Translation (Choose at least 2)
- RSCI 531: Industrial Approaches to Drug Discovery (Required)
- RSCI 532: Early Stage Drug Development
- RSCI 533: Safety Evaluation During Drug Development
Quality Assurance (Choose at least 1)
- RSCI 508: Quality Assurance for Drugs and Biologics
- MPTX 515: Quality Systems & Standards
- RSCI 525: Introduction to Drug & Food Toxicology
- MPTX 526: Chemistry Manufacturing and Control
Clinical Research
- MPTX 517: Structure & Management of Clinical Trials
Statistics (Choose at least 1)
- RSCI 507: Quality Systems & Statistical Process Control
- MPTX 522: Introduction to Clinical Trial Design & Statistics
Business
- RSCI 601: Biomedical Commerce
Electives
- Any remaining units can be filled with elective coursework chosen from the courses offered by the Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate with a Master of Science degree in Management of Drug Development you must have completed:
- At least 32 units of required and elective courses
- Obtained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
- Maintain continuous enrollment during all fall and spring semesters
- Complete the degree within five years
This program will allow you to design, critically evaluate, and optimize broad drug development strategies from the earliest stages of drug design and discovery to their application in patents and marketing. Depending on your interest, additional courses could focus on strategic, policy and regulatory aspects of drug development.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and Dean Papadopoulos, the Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences offers multiple scholarships based on financial need, scholastic achievement, and leadership qualities.
Scholarships do not have to be repaid and are awarded in varying amounts to students who meet special criteria and qualifications outlined by a selection committee or donor. Unless otherwise indicated, all scholarships and merit awards can only be used toward tuition expenses.
If you are receiving financial aid, due to federal financial aid guidelines your award package may be affected through a reduction in your overall award amount. If you have any questions about the impact on your financial aid, please contact the School of Pharmacy Financial Aid Office.
Eligibility and Application Process
All students will be offered the opportunity to apply for all available scholarships once specific eligibility requirements are met. International students are eligible for all departmental scholarships and are strongly encouraged to apply.
Scholarship applications will open June 15, 2023, and are due by June 29, 2023, at 11:30 pm PST.
- Recipients are selected by a committee of reviewers comprised of faculty and staff.
- Candidates may submit one (1) essay application per scholarship demonstrating how they meet that specific criterion.
- Candidates that do not fulfill the following criteria will be disqualified:
- An up-to-date Resume/CV must be provided in addition to the essay.
- Essay must include the candidate’s program/major and why the program is relevant to the chosen scholarship.
- Essay must be no more than one (1) page in length.
- Essay must follow the formatting guidelines typical to Regulatory Science (i.e.: 12pt font in Times New Roman or Arial, 1.5 spacings, 1-inch margins).
Notification of Scholarship Award
Final decisions on awards are contingent upon acceptance into the program. We do not send notifications to those applicants not selected.
Please note, scholarship awards may be impacted due to a change in program length or a leave of absence. We encourage you to submit a scholarship web contact form to confirm how your award may be impacted.
Not all scholarships may be awarded during the academic year.
Career support is offered to all students and alumni, including recruitment events, career fairs, and regular distribution of job postings from companies nationally and internationally. Recruiters are aware of the reputation of our alumni and are eager to hire our graduates.