Accelerated Master's Program - Department of Pharmacology | College of Medicine

Accelerated Master's Degree in Pharmacology (AMP) Program

The Accelerated Master’s Degree Program (AMP) in Pharmacology is designed to offer select UVM undergraduate science majors the opportunity to obtain both their Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in Pharmacology in a total of five years of study. Students may choose to complete either a thesis-based or non-thesis AMP. The objective of this program is to provide a broad knowledge base of pharmacological concepts, preparing students for careers in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and related industries; or to increase their competitiveness to pursue additional graduate degrees.

Students enrolled in this program can have up to nine credits of graduate-level courses taken during their senior undergraduate year count towards both a Bachelor’s degree and the Master’s in pharmacology degree. Students would then be expected to complete remaining Master’s degree requirements during a fifth year of study. Full-time graduate student status will start the summer after their undergraduate graduation and will be expected to be maintained until completion of their Master’s degree in pharmacology.

For More Information

If you are interested in the Pharmacology AMP, please contact the Program Coordinator, Dr. Anthony Morielli.

Application Process

Completion of the Graduate College Application Form. Instructions
Include at least three letters of recommendation, including at least one from a UVM faculty member.
Include the "Accelerated Masters" form, which can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/AMP_Permission_Form.docx. This document must be signed by the indicated parties before being uploaded to your application. Please consult with Dr. Morielliprior to submitting this form.

Requirements for Admission

Students should apply for admission into the accelerated master’s in pharmacology program in the beginning of spring semester their junior year. Admission into this program requires the following:

A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 is recommended.
Enrollment in an undergraduate Bachelor’s Degree program with a course background in the sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) is recommended.
GRE/GMAT scores are NOT an admission requirement for the Accelerated Master’s Degree in Pharmacology program.

Students MUST be admitted through the Graduate College before taking any courses that will be applied to the Master’s Degree requirements. Students will continue Master’s Degree coursework in the summer following their undergraduate graduation.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 30 credits and successful completion of a written comprehensive exam are required for completion of the Accelerated Master's Degree in Pharmacology. Students must also meet the Graduate College requirements for the Master's Degree. Courses should be selected from the following list.

Comprehensive Examination

Students are required to pass a written comprehensive exam that will be taken on or around March 15 of the second year (last semester). The format is a take-home written exam. The questions will be on the core-curriculum Pharmacology focused on courses common to the thesis and non-thesis based tracks. Grading is on a 1-10 scale for each question. An average score of 7 or better is required to pass. If a passing grade is not obtained, one re-take is permitted.

Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Science

Advancement to candidacy requires satisfactory completion of the comprehensive exam.