M.S. Program Outline

2018 Research Showcase poster presentation

Successful graduation requires a minimum of 36 hours didactic course work and a manuscript summarizing the M.S. thesis accepted by UF graduate faculty and submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal.

Please download and refer to the Residential M.S. Program Milestones and Deliverables. (Updated June 2021)

The residential M.S. program is designed over a two-year period, but individual student progress may vary.

Students complete a set of core courses that are shared among all POP specialties as well as courses specific to their chosen specialty. Core courses in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs are identical to allow M.S. students easy transition into the Ph.D. program if they choose to continue their training. Students who know that they would like to pursue a Ph.D. degree can enter the Ph.D. program directly.

Successful completion of the M.S. program is documented by passing the preliminary exam and by completion of a thesis.

Students attend the weekly departmental seminar, a weekly journal club and join faculty on ongoing research projects. Research experience is valued as highly as didactic course work and course schedules are designed to allow independent research work. The summer semester between the first and second year can be devoted to an internship in government or industry, reflecting students’ career interests.The internship can be dedicated to the development of an M.S. study proposal based on a research question proposed by the internship mentor (e.g., staff member at FDA or a mentor in the pharmaceutical or health service industry) and jointly supervised by UF faculty.

Core Curriculum

The University of Florida is home to six health science colleges which creates a rich research enterprise. This unique structure permits specializations in pharmaceutical outcomes research at a depth and breadth that would not be feasible within a single department. Our graduate students have exposure to departments in Statistics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Economics, Law and Ethics, Marketing, Educational Psychology, Health Policy, Health Service Administration and many others.The core courses for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are selected to establish a common backbone in the training of our students, yet to allow flexibility to pursue the various specialties our department offers. The following core courses are mandatory and should be completed within the first two years of training. M.S. and Ph.D. students share the same core curriculum.

Core Curriculum Classes:

  • Introduction to Pharmacoepidemiology (PHA 6891)
  • Principles of Evidence‐based Pharmacy (PHA 5933)
  • Principles of Pharmacoeconomics (PHA 6935)
  • Public Health Computing (PHC 6937)
  • Introduction to POP Research (PHA 6265)
  • Pharmacoepidemiology and Patient Safety (Intermediate Pharmacoepidemiology) (PHA 6268)
  • Data Analysis and Interpretation (PHA 6805)
  • Measurement in POP Research (PHA 6717)
  • Introduction to Biostatistical Methods (PHC 6052)
  • Regression Methods for Health and Life Sciences (PHC 6053)
  • Applied Survival Analysis (PHC 6937)
  • Introduction to US Health Care System (HSA 6114) (required for students with little to no exposure)
  • College Professional Development Series
  • POP Weekend Seminar

Specialty Courses:

Typically, between four to eight courses* specific to the chosen specialty are added to the core curriculum. For specialty-specific course work, please visit the website of each specialty. In addition, students take credit for independent studies with faculty starting in the second semester of their training for their dissertation research, seminar, and journal club.

*The exact amount of courses will rely on which program is being pursued.