Medicinal Chemistry (Non-Thesis)

Earn your Master of Science in Medicinal Chemistry via the non-thesis track at the Duquesne University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Application Checklist

Before starting your online application, please gather the following:

  • Official Transcripts (Credential Evaluations Required for International Students)
  • Résumé
  • Essay
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • GMAT/GRE Scores (Optional)
  • TOEFL/IELTS Scores (International Students Only)

International Students

If your undergraduate and/or graduate degrees are from an institution located outside of the United States, you must use a transcript credential evaluation service to obtain a course-by-course report. The official reports must be sent directly to Duquesne University from the organization you order through and will qualify as official transcripts. Please review our Transcript Credential Evaluation Instructions.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program. Many programs allow students to apply for the fall or spring semester. Some programs also allow for a summer start term.

Tuition Information

Tuition for the Master of Science in Medicinal Chemistry is $1,973 per credit. More information on tuition rates can be found here.

Program Information

Earn your Master of Science in Medicinal Chemistry degree via the non-thesis track at the Duquesne University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Program Type

Major

Degree

Master's

School

School of Pharmacy

Duration

4-year

Required Credit Hours

56

Course Descriptions

This first year graduate student or advanced undergraduate student course focuses on a disconnection approach to learning the organic chemistry and synthesis of small molecules to be used as drugs or drug candidates. Mechanisms of chemical reactions will be discussed concomitant to this approach. Offered fall only. Lecture. Offered fall only.
This first year graduate student or advanced undergraduate student course focuses on a disconnection approach to learning the organic chemistry and synthesis of small molecules to be used as drugs or drug candidates. Mechanisms of chemical reactions will be discussed concomitant to this approach. Offered spring only. Lecture. Offered spring only.
This course supplements GPSC 589: Research Methods in Pharmacy Administration by providing a deeper understanding and application of research methodology in databases as they relate to healthcare. Topics covered will include structure and composition of administrative and electronic medical record (EMR) databases, available public databases, platforms for analyzing this data, and a specific introduction to structured query language (SQL). Offered fall only. Lecture. Offered fall only.
A course concerned with interpretation of ultraviolet, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectra. Discussions and correlation of spectra with structure of organic molecules are included. Demonstration and laboratory practice of ultraviolet, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry application. Class, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Offered fall only. Lecture. Offered spring only.
This lecture course is designed to teach the basic principles of drug design and drug action. An initial discussion of drug-target interactions is followed by basic concepts in drug design towards optimizing target interactions (i.e. pharmacodynamics). Subsequently, stereochemical issues in medicinal chemistry will be discussed followed by the structure/function of receptors, enzymes and molecules that perturb these major drug targets. Offered fall only. Lecture. Offered fall only.
This course builds upon the concepts discussed in GPSC 523, Advanced Medicinal Chemistry I. Students entering this course are assumed to be knowledgeable in the following areas and are expected to be able to apply these concepts to a variety of situations: receptors as drug targets, concepts of molecular modification, enzymes as drug targets, mechanistic organic chemistry, pharmacology. This course will discuss advanced concepts including: Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships, prodrugs and drug delivery systems, bioinformatics, combinatorial/Parallel Synthesis, HTS, DNA interacting agents, RNA interacting agents, analog design, molecular modeling, and discussion of recent advances in medicinal chemistry. Offered spring only. Lecture. Offered fall only.
Advanced Biochemistry II. A continuation of CHEM 419/519, the course focuses in its first part on the metabolic transformations of amino acids, fatty acids, lipids, and nucleotides, culminating with an in-depth integration of mammalian metabolism. The second part of the course will focus on nucleic acids, the molecular basis of genetics, DNA and RNA metabolism, protein biosynthesis, and recombinant DNA methodology. Students will learn how the chemistry of molecular interactions translates structure into function in the context of nucleic acids and their interactions with proteins. Students enrolled in CHEM 536 will be responsible for leading class discussions based upon the primary research literature in course-related topics. Pre-requisites: CHEM 419/519. Lecture. Offered spring only.
The goal is to prepare students to present highly technical information in a lucid engaging manner. As such, here are some guidelines for topics, level of technical detail, manner of presentation and general preparedness approaches. Offered fall only. Seminar. Offered fall only.
The goal is to prepare students to present highly technical information in a lucid engaging manner. As such, here are some guidelines for topics, level of technical detail, manner of presentation and general preparedness approaches. Offered spring only. Seminar. Offered spring only.
This course is designed to introduce students to the foundational ethical principles and practices related to pharmaceutical research. Lecture. Offered fall only.
Choose from a variety of electives offered through the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.