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Master’s Degree in Medical Physiology and Pharmacology

What Is This Program?

The online master’s degree in medical physiology and pharmacology* is offered through the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. This program was developed as a collaboration between UF’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Department of Medical Physiology and Functional Genomics. The resulting master’s degree is a unique joint offering consisting of 30 credits, offered entirely online. The GRE is not required for admission.

Up to 15 credits may be transferred from UF’s online graduate certificates in medical physiology, medical physiology with a specialization in cardiovascular/renal physiology or medical pharmacology and therapeutics as long as you are admitted to the master’s degree program and you received a “B” or higher in the coursework you wish to transfer.

Students can complete this master’s degree in as little as two semesters. Courses are offered in the spring, fall and summer semesters and students are accepted year-round. Upon completion of this program, students will receive a Master of Science in Medical Sciences with a concentration in Medical Physiology and Pharmacology.

Why a Master’s Degree in Medical Physiology and Pharmacology?

Our master’s degree is a convenient, affordable way to gain practical knowledge in preparation for careers in the medical field. This online degree program also prepares students for the MCAT and other similar exams, as well as National Board examinations.

The curriculum requires 15 credits focused on medical physiology and 15 credits focused on medical pharmacology, ensuring students gain an advanced scientific understanding of major human body systems, the impact of drugs on living organisms at the cellular and molecular levels and normal and abnormal conditions within human body systems.

What Students Can Expect From the Program

     

Student Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, students should be able to pass a comprehensive exam that evaluates their knowledge and understanding of the student learning outcomes listed below.

  1. Develop an in-depth comprehension of the nomenclature of drugs and biologics
  2. Understand and define the principles of pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and neuropharmacology
  3. Explore and identify the stages of drug discovery, principles of drug-target interactions and pharmacogenetics as it relates to the individual responses to drugs
  4. Gain working knowledge of human systems of the body as they relate to physiology and pharmacology
  5. Analyze and discuss the physiology and pharmacology of hypertension and the quantitative measurements involved in pulmonary physiology
  6. Discover pharmacology as it relates to cancer, integument, antimicrobials and antiparasitics

Who Is This Program For?

This master’s degree can benefit:

  • Students preparing to take or retake the MCAT or other standardized tests
  • Physician assistant school applicants
  • Nursing school applicants
  • Students looking to pursue a career in medicine, pharmacy or research
  • Professionals in pharmacy, drug development, biotechnology or pharmacology
  • Nurses
  • Physicians
  • Clinical Scientists
  • Professors
  • Researchers

How This Program Prepares Students for the MCAT

*The diploma and transcript will read: Master of Science, Major Medical Sciences, Concentration Medical Physiology and Pharmacology.

Degree Plan

To graduate from the program, students must complete 30 credit hours: 15 credit hours in medical pharmacology and 15 credits in medical physiology. There are 24 credits of required coursework and 6 credits of coursework that must be selected from the list of electives. In order to graduate, students will be required to pass a comprehensive exam during their final semester and obtain a 3.0 or higher GPA.

Required and elective courses are listed below.

Required Courses

Course # Course Title Credits Spring Summer Fall
GMS 6551 Fundamentals of Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1
GMS 6520 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics I:
The Nervous System
2
GMS 6530 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics II:
Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Systems
2
GMS 6531 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics III:
Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, GI and Integumentary Systems
2
GMS 6540 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics IV:
Cancer, Antimicrobial and Antiparasitic Agents
2
GMS 6504 Advanced Medical Pharmacology (not recommended for first semester) 2
GMS 6552 Cell Signaling &Therapeutics (not recommended for first semester) 2
GMS 6510 Pharmacology of Cannabis, Tobacco and Vaping 2
GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical Physiology 1
GMS 6401 Medical Renal Physiology 2
GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology 3
GMS 6474 Medical Cardiovascular and Muscle Physiology 3

Elective Courses (Choose 6 Credits)

Course # Course Title Credits Spring Summer Fall
GMS 6419 Medical Endocrinology and Reproduction 3
GMS 6479 Medical Gastrointestinal Physiology 2
GMS 6410 Physiology of Circulation of Blood 2
GMS 6413 Advances in Hypertension Research 2
GMS 6414 Advanced Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology 2
GMS 6470 Advanced Respiration Physiology 1 3

Course Path Examples

The curricula presented below are examples only. The examples provided assume the program will take you three semesters to complete. They may be adjusted to accommodate more or fewer semesters. You may take courses in any order you wish. Approximately 10 credits per semester will require you to spend 30 hours per week on coursework. If you adjust your credits, your time commitment with change proportionally.

Suggestions:

  • GMS 6440 should be the first physiology course you take.
  • GMS 6551 should be the first pharmacology course you take.
  • GMS 6504 and GMS 6552 should be the last pharmacology courses you take.
  • The graduation exam you take in your final semester includes material from GMS6551, 6520, 6530, 6531, 6540, 6440, 6401, 6402, and 6474. You should plan to take these prior to your final semester if your timeline allows.

Professor and Program Director, Dr. Sayeski, Discusses Course Paths

     

Course Path Example 1: Physiology Courses First

 
Course Content Credits
Semester 1
GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical Physiology 1
GMS 6474 Medical Cardiovascular and Muscle Physiology 3
GMS 6410 Physiology of Circulation of Blood 2
GMS 6413 Advances in Hypertension Research 2
GMS 6401 Medical Renal Physiology 2
Semester 2
GMS 6414 Advanced Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology 2
GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology 3
GMS 6551 Fundamentals of Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1
GMS 6520 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics I:
The Nervous System
2
GMS 6530 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics II:
Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Systems
2
Semester 3
GMS 6531 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics III:
Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, GI and Integumentary Systems
2
GMS 6540 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics IV:
Cancer, Antimicrobial and Antiparasitic Agents
2
GMS 6510 Pharmacology of Cannabis, Tobacco and Vaping 2
GMS 6504 Advanced Medical Pharmacology 2
GMS 6552 Cell Signaling &Therapeutics 2

Course Path Example 2: Pharmacology Courses First

Course Content Credits
Semester 1
GMS 6551 Fundamentals of Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1
GMS 6520 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics I:
The Nervous System
2
GMS 6531 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics III:
Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, GI and Integumentary Systems
2
GMS 6540 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics IV:
Cancer, Antimicrobial and Antiparasitic Agents
2
GMS 6510 Pharmacology of Cannabis, Tobacco and Vaping 2
GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical Physiology 1
Semester 2
GMS 6530 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics II:
Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Systems
2
GMS 6504 Advanced Medical Pharmacology 2
GMS 6552 Cell Signaling &Therapeutics 2
GMS 6401 Medical Renal Physiology 2
GMS 6414 Advanced Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology 2
Semester 3
GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology 3
GMS 6474 Medical Cardiovascular and Muscle Physiology 3
GMS 6410 Physiology of Circulation of Blood 2
GMS 6413 Advances in Hypertension Research 2

Course Path Example 3: Courses By Topic

Course Content Credits
Semester 1
GMS 6440 Fundamentals of Medical Physiology 1
GMS 6402 Medical Respiration Physiology 3
GMS 6474 Medical Cardiovascular and Muscle Physiology 3
GMS 6551 Fundamentals of Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1
GMS 6530 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics II:
Cardiovascular, Renal and Respiratory Systems
2
Semester 2
GMS 6401 Medical Renal Physiology 2
GMS 6520 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics I:
The Nervous System
2
GMS 6540 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics IV:
Cancer, Antimicrobial and Antiparasitic Agents
2
GMS 6531 Medical Pharmacology & Therapeutics III:
Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, GI and Integumentary Systems
2
GMS 6410 Physiology of Circulation of Blood 2
Semester 3
GMS 6504 Advanced Medical Pharmacology 2
GMS 6552 Cell Signaling &Therapeutics 2
GMS 6510 Pharmacology of Cannabis, Tobacco and Vaping 2
GMS 6413 Advances in Hypertension Research 2
GMS 6414 Advanced Renal Physiology and Pathophysiology 2

Application Information