PhD in Medicinal Chemistry
Leaders in the Discovery of Therapeutic Targets and Drug Molecules
5.3
to Defense
97%
Accepted or Published
59%
Postdoc/Fellowship
60
in FY25
2
in FY24
A Snapshot of the PhD Student
Experience
Take a series of core courses and choose from electives to help determine your specialty for the first two years before solely focusing on research.
Learn how to be an effective researcher, write to be published and present your research to anyone.
Be welcomed into a cohort of students as you transition from student to researcher who share the same vision, to challenge the unknown.
Complete research rotations throughout your first year to identify your research mentor.
Celebrate your successes from advancing to candidacy, to being published and your final dissertation.
Discovering at Pharmacy’s Unknown
We are out-of-the-box thinkers whose comfort zone is in pushing the boundaries of discovery for new therapeutic targets and drug molecules to improve human health. An inherently interdisciplinary science, our research scope is broad and includes the fields of synthetic chemistry, chemical biology, computational chemistry, structural biology and molecular pharmacology.
The Department of Medicinal Chemistry is housed within the College of Pharmacy and offers a Medicinal Chemistry PhD degree through the Rackham Graduate School.
Why Choose our Medicinal Chemistry PhD Program?
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You want to be educated in a place that is well-funded. We rank #1 in the BIG10 Conference and #4 Nationally for Pharmacy Research Funding.
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You are looking for a program focused on the early-stage drug discovery pipeline.
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You want work with leaders in their fields of chemical and structural biology, synthetic and computational chemistry and molecular pharmacology.
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You can afford to get your PhD here because accepted students receive an annual stipend, benefits, fees and paid tuition.
Hear What Our Medicinal Chemistry PhD Students
Have to Say!
Meet Gina Kaup, PhD Candidate
Medicinal Chemistry
"The students at the college have been the best part of my experience here so far. Everyone is so welcoming, and the mentoring here is very strong. I chose U-M to pursue my PhD because of this feeling of community amongst the students and the reputation of the Med Chem department."
Katelyn Brown, PhD Candidate
Medicinal Chemistry
"I’m extremely grateful to be a part of the Medicinal Chemistry program at the College of Pharmacy. It’s small and close-knit, and people have really supported me in this program. The administration and support staff don’t make you feel like a number."
Meet the
Drug DiscoveryResearchers
Our faculty research everything from mRNA and medicinal plants to infectious, rare, and chronic diseases using the latest technologies like AI and robotics to advance science.
Medicinal Chemistry Curriculum at a Glance
Get exposure to the breadth and depth of the medicinal chemistry field, learn to think critically to solve complex problems and acquire the skills to effectively communicate your science.
First Year
Medicinal Chemistry Core Coursework
Research Rotations
Electives
Research Ethics
Medicinal Chemistry Seminars
Candidacy Exam
Second Year
PhD Research
Medicinal Chemistry Seminars
Third Year
PhD Research
Medicinal Chemistry Seminars
Third-Year Departmental Seminar
Fourth Year
PhD Research
Medicinal Chemistry Seminars
Dissertation and Defense
Graduation
Ready to Apply?
Learn about admission requirements and view next steps toward earning a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Michigan.
