School of Pharmacy
The University of Mississippi

Academic Departments

 

BioMolecular Sciences

In 2012, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy completed a research visioning process to drive research collaboration and focus. The process identified four target areas of research: cancer, cardiometabolic disorders, neuroscience/drugs of abuse and infectious diseases.

Following input from consultants and faculty members, a need was identified for departments that better support those research areas. A School of Pharmacy Reorganization Committee was appointed to recommend reorganization models. The committee was comprised of pharmacy faculty members and administrators.

Acting on the recommendations of the Reorganization Committee, the school moved from six departments to four. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning approved the restructure in April of 2014.

The departments of medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy and pharmacology, as well as the environmental toxicology research program were combined to form the Department of BioMolecular Sciences.

Within the department, graduate programs are offered from the divisions of medicinal chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology and environmental toxicology.

Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery

Pharmaceutics is the art and science of delivering the right amount of therapeutic agents to the right places at the right times. Faculty conduct research to identify problems related to drug delivery (e.g., biological barriers, physical and chemical characteristics of molecules) and develop solutions to overcome them. Students come to understand the biopharmaceutical principles of drug delivery through course work and research that expose them to all facets of product research and development, including a variety of cutting-edge technologies. In addition to pre-formulation, formulation and novel drug-delivery systems, areas of current faculty interest include product R&D, drug metabolism, drug dependence and tolerance, pharmacodynamics, solid-state characterization and molecular modeling of physical processes.

In addition to offering a M.S. and Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences programs, the department offers a non-thesis track master’s program in Industrial Pharmacy. This program is designed to provide fundamental and applied knowledge of pharmaceutical R&D, manufacturing and regulatory sciences to prepare B.S. level chemical engineers and scientists (pharmacy, biology and chemistry) for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. The pharmaceutical industry critically needs M.S. level pharmaceutical scientists who are prepared to assume positions in formulations, process development, manufacturing and regulatory affairs.

Pharmacy Administration

The Department of Pharmacy Administration is dedicated to quality education, innovative research, and professional service. The department welcomes you to explore the frontiers of health economics and outcomes research, pharmaceutical marketing and management, pharmacoepidemiology, and the evolving role of pharmacists in delivering quality health care. Our goal is to produce scientific evidence to improve medication use and health outcomes for all.

The department offers both Master’s and PhD degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences with an emphasis in Pharmacy Administration. Our graduates are highly recruited with excellent career opportunities in academia, government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, managed care organizations, and health care consulting firms. Furthermore, pharmacy administration’s natural connection with other disciplines leads our faculty and graduate students into collaborations across departments, across campuses, and around the nation. Join us and be a part of this exciting place as you seek opportunities to become an outstanding researcher in pharmacy administration.

Pharmacy Practice

The Department of Pharmacy Practice originated in 1978 and has evolved to become the largest of the four academic departments in the School of Pharmacy. Pharmacy Practice is home to approximately 35 full-time and 30 part-time/adjunct faculty members, located on both the Oxford and University of Mississippi Medical Center (Jackson) campuses. Third-year pharmacy students complete their coursework on the school’s Jackson campus, which also administers the experiential education for fourth-year students. Our School of Pharmacy building on the Medical Center campus opened its doors to our students in 2012. Unique features of this ~30,000 square foot facility include small group classrooms, a 175-seat auditorium, research facilities, conferencing space, administrative/faculty offices and a rich learning environment to gain the knowledge, skills and abilities students need to be practicing pharmacists. Pharmacy Practice administers roughly 60 percent of the classroom-based courses, as well as early and advanced practice experiences, through the Office of Experiential Education. Pharmacy practice faculty direct courses in all years of the curriculum and many are involved in post-graduate residency training programs. We are committed to the education, research and service missions of the institution. A key goal of our coursework is to promote self-directed learning and to develop our students and residents as life-long learners.