UGA’s College of Pharmacy will offer a new degree program this fall, a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences. The new degree is among 18 similar programs in the country.

The program’s four-year curriculum begins with courses in mathematics and chemistry, biology and physics.

Students also study drug design, mechanisms of action, drug targeting and delivery, pharmacology, toxicology, drug development, manufacturing, quality assurance and regulatory compliance.

Laboratory work will be dedicated to pharmaceutical manufacturing, basic biological testing and quality assurance/quality control testing of pharmaceutical products.

 “This program responds to the growing need for highly skilled life sciences professionals to support research, development and manufacturing operations in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Michael Bartlett, a professor of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. He chaired the committee that designed the curriculum for the pharmaceutical sciences degree.

The field of life sciences is the fifth largest employer in the state of Georgia and is its fastest growing segment—at a rate of more than 20 percent per year.

Many employers in this industry must train staff after they’ve been hired, Barlett said. He believes employes would support potential employees receiving specialized education in advance for work. And the degree could easily integrate with the college’s master of science program in regulatory affairs already in place.

The new program will blend basic science fundamentals with the increasing complexity of interactions between therapeutic agents and living systems, Bartlett added.