The Program

The Pharmaceutical Program at BUSPH is a unique educational experience designed to help public health students become more fluent in their understanding of the important role pharmaceuticals play in public health. The program is designed to help prepare students who may be interested in working in pharmaceutical related positions post-BU. Whether you see yourself working at an NGO managing an antiretroviral program in Uganda, running clinical trials for a pharmaceutical company, or engaged in policy work at WHO, we are committed to helping you reach your goals.

Curriculum

The Pharmaceuticals Program gives students a solid foundation in pharmaceuticals while providing flexibility to tailor their coursework toward a specific career path in policy, industry, or in health programs and non-governmental organizations.

Throughout the program, students complete a coursework totaling a minimum 12 credits. Specific course and certificate requirements vary based upon your semester of matriculation. In addition to coursework, students will have the opportunity to participate in the Pharmaceuticals Program Seminar Series and complete a practicum that includes activities relevant to both pharmaceuticals and their other MPH programmatic interests.

More about the Program

• Opportunity to ‘go deep’ through coursework. PH740: Pharmaceuticals in Public Health Course is the core foundational requirement for the Program. Every lecture in this full semester, 14 session, 4 credit course, links to additional courses elsewhere in the BU community curriculum. For example, students interested in policy work who enjoyed the lecture on Cost Effectiveness will be directed towards several additional courses that they could enroll in in order to convert ‘interest in the topic’ into mastery. The foundational course is become the backbone of the program in addition to providing a road map to the curriculum, with instructions for how to get to where you want to be.

• Expanded seminar series: We have updated the content, scope and goals of the Seminar series. In addition to being a forum for ad hoc lectures of topical relevance with guest speakers, the seminar series will host writing workshops, resume building/interview etiquette workshops, and will serve as a forum for students to present works in progress.

• Annual Pharmaceutical Policy Symposium. Each year, the Program will host a policy exchange symposium between academia and industry or other related groups. Pharm Program students will be responsible for identifying an annual theme for the event, identifying speakers, inviting speakers, developing an agenda, organizing the event itself, and – significantly – participating in the event as panel discussants.

• Join Pharm Program Leadership Council (PPLC). The mission of the council is to provide feedback and guidance to the Program as well as improve the Pharm Program’s connections amongs Pharm Program students, the BU community, & the greater Boston Pharma community and beyond.