Medicinal Chemistry

If you want a career at the forefront of new drug development, there's nowhere better to study in Ohio than The University of Toledo.  

UToledo’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has been ranked first in Ohio and eighth in the U.S. for teaching and value. UToledo also is ranked among the nation's best pharmacy schools by U.S. News & World Report. 

Our master’s and doctoral programs in Medicinal Chemistry focus on the theory and practice of drug design. Our strength — and what sets us apart from other programs — is our focus on chemistry and advanced biology. Not many universities emphasize both.

Graduate students learn biological techniques to identify targets. They use chemistry to design drugs to affect those targets. This holistic, interdisciplinary approach makes our graduates more marketable.  

Employers also love that our Medicinal Chemistry students are prepared for hands-on research. UToledo graduates of the Medicinal Chemistry Ph.D. program go on to prestigious post-doctoral appointments and high-level jobs in the pharmaceutical industry or academia. M.S. graduates go on to Ph.D. programs at UToledo or other universities or directly into industry.

Top Reasons to Study Medicinal Chemistry at UToledo

Small classes.

Our classes are offered in a small-group tutorial format. You have extensive, direct access to faculty mentors. 

Intensive research.

Begin your doctoral program rotating through at least two faculty laboratories, where you will conduct small research projects. These rotations will inform and inspire your future dissertation work. M.S. students enter a lab during their second semesters. 

Internships.

Participate in an optional internship with a Toledo, Ohio-based company or one of our international partners. These experiences have turned into career-track jobs for many Medicinal Chemistry graduates.  

Health Science Campus.

Our college's location on UToledo's Health Science Campus allows graduate students to collaborate with students in other healthcare professions and access research labs, pharmacies and more. All students also have access to the chemical instrumentation on Main Campus. 

Cutting-edge facilities.

• The Shimadzu Laboratory for Pharmaceutical Research Excellence has the latest advanced instruments, including a triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer. The instruments allow M.S. and Ph.D. students to research metabolism, disease biomarkers, DNA damage and other areas. 
• The Center for Drug Design and Development is a university-based hub for collaborative research with the pharmaceutical industry. The UToledo Department of Medicinal and Biological Chemistry works closely with the center. 

Financial support.

Students in the Ph.D. program are often supported throughout the program as teaching assistants or research assistants with funding from research grants. Assistantships generally require teaching and research.