Physiology For Therapeutic Development Program Curriculum & Guidelines

We are now accepting applications for admission to our Masters of Physiology for Therapeutic Development Program. The application deadline is June 15th (domestic applicants) and April 1st (international applicants) for the 2024-2025 academic year beginning August 26th, 2024. The program format is in person instruction at our UIC campus in Chicago. The application process is described below.

• Masters Program Code: 20FS6130MPTD
• Anticipated length of Program: 1 year

Please do not hesitate to call or email our program advisors with questions specific to the program, the application process, and new student university enrollment. Contact maptd@uic.edu for more information.

Our Program

The Master of Physiology for Therapeutic Development (MaPTD) is a newly developed one-year lecture-based program aimed at building a stronger workforce for the biopharma and healthcare related industries. The MaPTD program focuses on translational physiology and pathophysiology and how it applies to healthcare, the development of therapeutics, diagnostics and treatments aimed at restoring the human physiological state. The program bridges the gaps that exist between academia and employment within the healthcare related industries by providing students with the specialized knowledge and skillsets that are necessary and vital towards understanding the continuum of therapeutic research and development and regulatory processes to commercialization.

Curriculum and Internships

The curriculum is grounded in human physiology and disease by combining molecular mechanisms, state-of-the-art approaches, physiological function to guide therapeutics that treat cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The curriculum also offers courses including therapeutic development, commercialization, clinical trials, regulatory and medical affairs, bioinformatics, and biostatistics that are central to integrating knowledge of physiology into the operations and functions of health science companies. The goal is to introduce students to a broad range of career roles that require knowledge of preclinical and clinical physiology and expose students to the matrix of interactions that occur during therapeutic development within the Biotech/Pharma/Healthcare sector. In addition, students will engage in experiential learning and experience real-world expertise through a 6-week internship or capstone project in Pharma/Biotech/Healthcare companies and organizations within the greater Chicago area. Students will work with academic and industry mentors to implement an individual development program (IDP) for the purpose of identify potential roles and potential employment opportunities within the vast healthcare ecosystem.

Qualifying Job Titles

The goal is to build a better pipeline of educated students for a broad range of operations and career roles within the Biotech/Pharma/Healthcare sector. Students completing the program will be qualified to apply for job openings as clinical trials administrators, clinical research associates, regulatory affairs specialists, medical writers, medical editors, and project managers. The program will also considerably enhance the academic credentials of the students helping them to gain admission into professional schools or obtain work in academia.

Chicago Wide Pharmaceutical Job Market

Currently, there are some 200 pharmaceutical companies in the Chicago area. The “I-294” corridor is home to the nation’s second largest cluster of pharmaceutical and medical device companies (Abbott, AbbVie, Astellas, Baxter, Fresenius Kabi, Horizon Pharma, Lundbeck, Phathom, Novartis and Takeda) and comprises most of the employees in the Illinois life sciences industry. Lake County is also home to several growth-stage biopharma companies, including Assertio, Athenex, and TerSera, whereas Cook, Macon, Kankakee, and Champaign counties are home to small scale bioindicators and large-scale manufacturing facilities.

UIC is the largest University in one of the world’s most vibrant cities

The University has nearly 34,000 students enrolled in its 16 colleges. In the 2022-2023, U.S. News & World Report ranking of colleges and universities, UIC ranked 42nd among public national universities. UIC is the only Illinois university ranked among the 10 best value colleges in the nation by Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education. As one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse universities in the country, UIC’s welcoming environment gives you the chance to study, work and grow with classmates who will broaden your perspectives and worldview.

Program Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree in the chemical/physical/biological sciences or pre-med program (or similar degree)
• GPA: At least 3.0/4.0 cumulative for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate studies and at least 3.0/4.0 in science courses. These are the minimum requirements and in most cases, admitted students will have higher GPAs
• MCAT, GRE or DAT- Competitive scores: MCAT: 55 - 65% (or higher); GRE: 153 Quantitative, 146 Verbal, 3.5 Analytical Writing; DAT: 17

Application and Guidelines

• View Applications Procedures

Course Schedule

Summer Internship

During the nine months of class work, students will be mentored to attain an internship at a local biopharmaceutical company or academic/clinical setting or engage in an appropriate project/immersion program. Students will receive a pass/fail grade based on an internship-specific rubric.

Additional Notes & Requirements

Total of 32 hours of graduate course work required to be completed for the MaPTD program. Tuition waivers are not accepted for the MaPTD program. MaPTD students are not eligible for departmental funding. For more information, or if you have further questions, please contact maptd@uic.edu.