PhD Program
DPET’s mission is “to optimize drug therapy through the generation, integration, and translation of scientific information between bench and the bedside, the patient and the population”. Therefore, the goal of the PhD program is to develop clinical scientists who are capable of conducting translational research through the integration of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences and clinical expertise.
The concentration area in Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics was developed with two curricular tracks based on previous experience of the applicant: clinician (PharmD, MD, or equivalent) or non-clinician. We believe that the clinical track of the DPET program provides the optimal training for students who seek to pursue an academic career. However, we also recognize the need to educate highly motivated, exceptionally qualified students lacking previous clinical training. The non-clinician curricular track exists to meet this need. Both tracks play a critical part in our mission to educate and develop clinical scientists, and graduates from both tracks have enjoyed an outstanding employment rate in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Areas of graduate coursework and research include drug metabolism and transport, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics/pharmacometrics, pharmacogenomics, clinical research, experimental therapeutics, and mechanisms of drug toxicity. These are applied to therapeutic areas including cardiovascular disease, hepatology/gastroenterology/transplant, infectious disease/HIV, oncology/hematology, and pulmonary disease. You can review the research interests of DPET faculty and learn more about our curriculum at our division Web page.
All students admitted to the DPET graduate program at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy receive an annual stipend of $23,000, as of 2011, in the form of either a teaching assistantship or research assistantship. Graduate students with a prior clinical degree (PharmD, MD, or equivalent) are expected to complete the program's clinical experience requirement, and are eligible to receive an additional stipend supplement of $5,000 per year. Students do not pay tuition. Approximately $900 in student fees will be covered by the School each semester, pending the availability of funds. Outstanding applicants may be eligible for a wide range of merit-based University fellowships. We strongly encourage applicants to apply by December 15 to be considered for all merit-based UNC Graduate School fellowships. The UNC Graduate School online application for admission is the preferred means of submitting your application. You may complete the online application or download the application forms by visiting gradschool.unc.edu. International applications require a financial certificate to be considered complete.
