Division of Pharmacology Frequently Asked Questions
Application:
How do I apply?
All applications for admission to the graduate program in pharmacology must be sent to Rush Graduate College. Please see the options for application.
What are the Admission requirements?
The Graduate College sets admission requirements for all graduate programs and they can be found here. The Division of Pharmacology requirements include the graduate college requirements and suggest undergraduate course work as preparation for the degree. The requirements for Pharmacology can be seen here.
What are the GRE requirements?
Applicants are required to take the GRE tests. There is no specific requirement for scores. All admission decisions are made upon a combination of factors, including academic preformances, GRE scores, research interest and letters of recommendation. Medical students enrolling in the Graduate College can substitute MCAT scores for the GRE. The MCAT must have been taken within five years of the planned quarter of enrollment with a minimum score of the 50th percentile for the year in which the exam was taken. In most cases, students with advanced degrees (e.g., MD or PhD) are not required to take the GRE exam.
Am I required to take the TOEFL?
All applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Is there an application deadline?
The application deadline is March 1. This is a firm deadline for international students as visa processing may take several months.
Please note: we do not see applications and cannot consider them unless the Graduate College has deemed them complete and forwarded them to us.
When the Division receives the completed applications, they are shared with the Graduate Advisory Board of the Division of Pharmacology and are shared with interested faculty. This committee evaluates the applications and we try to complete this work by May.
Is there an advantage to early application?
Yes, completed applications received during January and February are shared with perspective faculty and allow us to make early decisions. It is particularly important for international students to apply in a timely fashion, as visa processing is an issue.
Can new students enter throughout the year or only in the Fall?
Because the Graduate Core Curriculum begins in the Fall, and each class builds on the previous class, we are limited to selecting students who enter in the Fall.
Do you accept transfer students?
Yes, but the students prior course work must be evaluated. If the student has not completed an advanced degree, only a limited amount of graduate credit can be accepted by Rush University. Also, We are reluctant to accept transfer students at any time other than the start of the Fall Quarter due to the constraints of the Graduate Core Curriculum.
If the student has a Masters degree or other advanced degree (e.g. M.D.) from another university and is entering the Ph.D. program, an evaluation of their transcript will be made in order to assure the proper training in Pharmacology. For example, students may be required to take the Medical Pharmacology courses and a Kinetics course. However, requirements for the initial core curriculum may be waved if the student’s previous degree gave them a solid background in Cell and Molecular biology. Likewise, the time required to complete the program may be less for advanced students if they have well-developed laboratory skills and can make rapid progress on their dissertation research.
If I get a Masters Degree in Pharmacology from Rush, can I continue on to a Ph.D.?
You must apply and be accepted into the Ph.D. program as any other applicant. Because the course work is the same for Masters and Ph.D. program for the first two years, the first two years of courses will count towards the Ph.D. Over the summer, you must pass comprehensive exams and in the Fall You will begin the Ph.D. program as a 3rd year student.
How Many Students do you accept a year?
Typically we accept 2-3 Ph.D. students per year and this number is tied to both the availability of scholarships and the number of active research faculty who can support such students. Even though MS students do not receive scholarships, the availability of faculty who can commit to developing the laboratory skills of the MS students limits our ability to accept MS students. We have accepted an average of 3 MS students per year over the last 4 years.
Financial Aid:
How do I apply for Financial Aid?
There are no financial aid forms. We have limited scholarships (2-3 per year) for the Ph.D. program only. These are departmental and research funds available to a specific faculty member. International students are eligible for scholarships. We do not accept PhD students unless we have a scholarship. All Ph.D. students are given tuition waivers as part of their scholarship.
The two-year master’s research program is self-pay. Graduate tuition is currently (academic year 2008-2009) $4212 per quarter, full-time.
For questions not answered here, please contact:
Bill Hendey Ph.D.