Georgetown University Medical Center
Department of Pharmacology & Physiology
Department of Pharmacology & Physiology

Master’s in Pharmacology




Georgetown University’s M.S. in Pharmacology program is a one-year, non-thesis degree that offers rigorous coursework alongside the option to conduct research or customize the curriculum with elective courses from various biomedical departments.

This program prepares students for further advanced study and for pharmacology-related careers in both the private and public sector.


10 Months

Full-Time

30 Credits

Non-Thesis Program

Two Tracks

Choose the Didactic or Laboratory Research track to focus your studies

Our Program / What You’ll Learn / What Is Pharmacology? / Career Advancement

Our Program

Our typical cohort of 15-20 students benefit from small class sizes in core pharmacology courses and receive personalized attention from faculty, both in the classroom and the laboratory. Departmental faculty and researchers, many of whom also teach at the medical school, teach the core courses. Program Director Dr. John Partridge also oversees the Medical Pharmacology curriculum for first- and second-year medical students at Georgetown.

Our alumni pursue further education (Ph.D., medical, and other health sciences) or take positions in the public and private sectors, such as at the NIH, FDA, pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and university laboratories. Among students pursuing further education, 65% gain acceptance either during the program or within one year of graduation, and 85% achieve acceptance within three years.

What You’ll Learn

The curriculum consists of two components: core courses focused on pharmacology, biochemistry, and physiology, and elective credits for each student to tailor the program to their interests.

Students have two tracks for completing their elective credits: the Didactic Track and the Laboratory Research Track.

Didactic Track

The Didactic Track allows students to tailor the degree to their interests through elective courses to take alongside the core courses of the curriculum. Students will take 9 credits of elective coursework (generally 2 credits in the fall semester and 7 credits in the spring semester). A range of courses fulfill the elective credits, both from our department and other biomedical departments at Georgetown. Georgetown’s course schedule will have the full listing of all available courses for each semester; below are course areas where electives relevant to the M.S. in Pharmacology can be found. We also provide a list of recommended electives.

Laboratory Research Track

The Laboratory Research Track allows students to engage in a research project for the academic year and work under expert faculty mentors. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. program or laboratory-based career are strongly encouraged to choose the Laboratory Research Track. In addition to their PI, students receive mentorship in the lab from individuals with advanced laboratory skills, such as Ph.D. students, postdocs, and research professors. Near the end of the academic year, students in the laboratory research track prepare and present a poster about their research project. This is an excellent way to learn about scientific poster presentations and brings everything together at the end. Learn more about the Laboratory Research Track

What is Pharmacology?

Pharmacology is the study of substances that affect living systems.  It is an integrated science that applies the principles of physiology, biochemistry, chemistry, anatomy, neuroscience and genetics to understand drug actions.  The principles of pharmacology are illustrated in the two main subdivisions of the discipline: pharmacokinetics, the study of the variables that determine the concentration of the drug at its site of action, and pharmacodynamics, the study of the mechanisms by which drugs yield their biological effects.

Pharmacology is often serves as a bridge between the basic sciences and clinical medicine.  Thus, in addition to the basic principles, the Pharmacology MS program provides an understanding of pharmaco-therapeutics, the use of drugs in the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of disease; toxicology, the study of the adverse effects of drugs; and an introduction to the field of pharmacogenomics, the study of the genetic factors that affect an individual’s or a population’s response to a drug.

Pharmacology differs from Pharmacy. Pharmacy schools train students to prepare medicines and formulate medication dosages that help patients recover from illness or remain healthy. Pharmacology establishes the basic principles and science behind the practice of pharmacists.

Opportunities for master’s-level pharmacologists exist in the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, and laboratories, as well as at biotechnology companies. Masters students may also decide to apply for Ph.D. or M.D. programs, where the coursework completed in this master’s program proves beneficial.

Career Advancement

Our students benefit from the services of the Biomedical Graduate Education career office, including one-on-one advising, skills workshops, leadership programs and more to help them take the next step in their professions.