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Pharmaceutics & Drug Design

A program that focuses on the scientific study of the formulation of medicinal substances into product vehicles capable of being stored, transported, and then introduced into the patient and behaving in ways optimal to therapeutic interaction. Includes instruction in statistics, biopharmaceutics, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, physical pharmacy, pharmacological analysis, drug design and development, pharmacological biotechnology, chemical separations, spectroscopy, drug-host interactions, immunology, quantitative drug measurement, enzymatic transformations, and metabolic excretion. Examples: [Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (MS)], [Pharmaceutics and Drug Design (PhD)]

Types of Degrees Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	180
Master’s Degree	248
Doctor’s Degree	175

What Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Majors Need to Know

Studies in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Pharmaceutics & Drug Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Pharmaceutics & Drug Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pharmaceutics & Drug Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Material safety data sheet MSDS software	Compliance software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates include:

• Therapy Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Occupational Therapy Professor
• Gastroenterology Professor
• Otolaryngology Teacher
• Clinical Professor
• Pathology Teacher
• Professor
• Dentistry Teacher
• College Faculty Member
• Gericare Aide Teacher
• Occupational Therapy Teacher
• Activity Therapy Teacher
• Gastroenterology Teacher
• Prosthetic Aides Teacher

What Can You Do With a Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	8.9%	$111,314	$90,148–$132,479

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.7%
Doctoral degree	25.8%
Post-doctoral training	21.0%
Bachelor’s degree	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.5%
First professional degree	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61% of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	368	61.0%
Men	235	39.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	238	39.5%
Asian	78	12.9%
Hispanic or Latino	45	7.5%
Black or African American	35	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.5%
Two or More Races	17	2.8%
Race Unknown	11	1.8%
International Students	176	29.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Pharmaceutics & Drug Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	18,055
Pharmacy	12,167
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	1,079
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	1,000
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	244
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	185
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	181
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	150
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	150
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	84
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	20
Pharmaceutical Sciences	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.