Admission Requirements
Students wishing to enroll in the M.S. or Ph.D. programs in the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy (PEP) track must fulfill the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university or a Doctor of Pharmacy. Preference is given to applicants who hold either a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy and who are licensed to practice pharmacy in the United States or one of its territories. U.S. licensed practitioners of medicine, nursing, public health, or other allied health professions also receive preference as do persons with Master’s degrees.
- Exceptional applicants with academic training in related fields such as psychology, law, biology, economics, finance, political science, or marketing would be considered and are encouraged to apply.
- To be competitive for admission, applicants should have a 3.0 GPA equivalent or higher and GRE score of 155 or higher in verbal and quantitative reasoning with 4.0 or higher in analytical writing.
- Foreign applicants should obtain scores of at least 100 on the Internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a 7.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for competitive admission.
- Applicants with a Master of Science or have one or more years of professional post graduate work experience in a field related to the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy program, or previous research experience that has resulted in conference presentations, or published manuscripts are a plus.
- These factors in addition to an evaluation of the statement of purpose, at least three recommendation forms / letters of recommendation, and a student interview will be used to rank applicants.
Application Deadlines
- Doctor of Philosophy:
Priority Deadline: December 1st, Final Deadline: February 1st - Master of Science:
Priority Deadline: February 1st, Final Deadline: March 1st
Application Process
Online Application Form
The application process is begun by completion of the online Application Form with “(PEP) Pharmaceutical Sciences” designated as the degree program. Please follow the link below to complete the online application process.
In addition, the following required materials listed below should be provided to the Graduate School.
Transcripts
Official transcripts (academic records) for all undergraduate and any graduate institutions of higher education attended – copies are not acceptable. These must be mailed directly to the Graduate School in sealed envelopes directly from the institution:
UAMS Graduate School
4301 W. Markham Slot 601
Little Rock, AR 72205
Official GRE score(s) — copies are not acceptable. For more information on the GRE, go to https://www.ets.org/gre/ The UAMS institutional code is: 6901. GRE scores must be sent directly by ETS.
The following materials may be sent by mail or email (graduateadmissions@uams.edu).
Recommendation Forms
Three recommendation forms (Reference Request Form) and three optional letters of recommendation: The standard recommendation form should be completed by persons whom can evaluate your scholarly potential, professional relationships and work habits, and aptitude for study in this area. The persons completing the form are welcome to include an optional letter of recommendation. The completed forms and optional letters should be sent directly by email to GraduateAdmissions@uams.edu by the persons completing the forms. Be sure that the writer clearly identifies your name and any other identifying information in the letter so that the letter can be correctly placed in your application file and that the form and any recommendation letter is placed in a sealed envelope with the signature across the seal if mailed.
Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Send a resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
Statement of Purpose
Statement of Purpose which must clearly and concisely articulate the candidate’s experiences, rationale and motivation, and career goals for studying Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy. If you are self funding your tuition and living expenses, please indicate that clearly in the statement of purpose. All applicants will automatically be considered for funding. However, we can accept qualified applicants that are able to self finance all their educational expenses to study in the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy program that meet our minimum standards but do not qualify for funding.
Abstracts, Manuscripts, or Other Scholarly Works
Optional: Send copies or reprints of any relevant published abstracts, manuscripts or other scholarly works.
International Applicants
International applicants must also submit the following:
- TOEFL OR IELTS scores. The UAMS institutional code is 6901.
- Application – International (uams.edu)
Personal Interview
An on-site personal student interview is also strongly encouraged, but not required. UAMS may be able to provide hotel accommodations for students traveling from outside the central Arkansas area to attend an interview. Please contact Dr. Jacob T. Painter at JTPainter@uams.edu to arrange an interview with Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy faculty. For the top tier students being considered for admissions, Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy faculty will arrange a video conference interview by contacting applicants by phone or email. Applicants who do not furnish all the required elements of an application cannot be evaluated.
Financial Aid
The Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy division provides Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) to students admitted to Ph.D. program depending on the experience of the candidate and availability of funds. Students are compensated up to $30,000 / year and tuition waivers are typically provided to students offered funding. ALL students applying for admission to the doctoral program will automatically be considered for funding.
Funding is not provided to those applying for Master of Science as a terminal degree. Only applicants that have foreign stipend, are self-funded, are employed by the military, or have any other source of external funding are considered for admission to the Master of Science program. Applicants to the Master of Science program must provide valid proof of funding covering tuition and living expenses for the entire duration of the program before being admitted.
For more information regarding Financial Aid please visit the Student Funding section located in the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy Graduate Students page.
Advanced Standing in Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy (Form)
Applicants may petition the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy Graduate Program Committee to allow transfer credit of up to six credit hours for Master of Science degrees and up to nine credit hours for Doctor of Philosophy degrees of previously completed graduate coursework to be applied toward Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy graduate degrees. Transfer credit approved by the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy Graduate Program Committee may be used to meet the course requirements of the Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy program as well as satisfy the minimum graduate credit hours necessary to earn a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy.
Students without Advanced Standing may request required courses waived from their program of study based on previously completed graduate course work but transfer credit hours will not be applied to their program of study without Advanced Standing.