Nova Southeastern University (NSU) offers an innovative program of graduate study and research leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.). Students can choose to pursue the Ph.D. degree in one of three distinct sequences: Molecular Medicine and Pharmacogenomics (Drug Discovery), Drug Development (Pharmaceutics), or Social and Administrative Pharmacy (Determinants of Drug Use). Also available is the dual degree, Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration (Pharm.D./M.B.A.).

At the completion of the Ph.D. sequences, students are able to demonstrate the knowledge base expected at the Ph.D. level in a pharmacy specialty; design and conduct independent research that adds to the understanding of their pharmacy specialty; prepare and defend rational and structured proposals seeking support for research efforts; and prepare and present lucid reports on their own research, as well as the research of others.

Programs in the College of Pharmacy (COP) are taught primarily by multilingual, multicultural, full-time faculty members. Clinical and applied research is delivered at sites in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Both live and online lectures are used.

NSU is one of the few colleges of pharmacy in the United States with a full-service community pharmacy (on the main campus) and a full-service hospital pharmacy.

The research laboratories in the COP occupy approximately 3,000 square feet of the Library/Research Building in the Health Professions Division (HPD). Each individual laboratory space ranges from 300 to 750 square feet and is equipped with general biochemistry and/or tissue culture equipment. Some laboratories include specialized equipment for pharmaceutical preparations, radioligand binding assays, molecular biological applications, and proteomics applications. There are also common laboratory facilities for shared equipment. Two FluorChem E digital darkroom systems are available for use, along with a fully equipped darkroom and a fully equipped laboratory designed for studies using radioactive chemicals. All common use laboratories are located in close proximity to the College of Pharmacy laboratories and are fully accessible to all HPD researchers.

The animal facility is also located within the research area of the Library/Laboratory Building, and it complies with the minimum standards for use of rats and mice. The College of Pharmacy also has access to an OLAW approved animal facility at the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research (RGICR), located near the main campus. This facility has two holding rooms to house rodents and separate cage wash and storage areas. The RGICR animal facility is maintained by a full-time caretaker who also oversees the animal rooms in the HPD Library and Research Building. Both facilities are governed by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The RGICR facility is fully compliant with OLAW standards and is available for use by all NSU researchers. A consulting veterinarian is responsible for oversight of the health of animals in both facilities.

NSU maintains an extensive information technology network for teaching, learning, research, and administrative computing. Comprehensive fiber-optic and wireless networks provide connectivity for user access. A dedicated wide area network (WAN) supports high-speed connections from all campuses. The research facility has computers for data collection, data processing, and analysis. The COP researchers all have access to modern computers in their offices as well as in their laboratories, equipped with the necessary software for word processing, routine data analysis, and photo processing. Researchers also have easy access to NSU’s four computer labs that house more than 200 Pentium 200 MHz PCs with ready access to the Internet and Ovid online database.

Top candidates are eligible for scholarships, which consist of a tuition waiver and teaching assistantships. Non-scholarship students can apply for a variety of loans.

Tuition for 2014–15 is $26,265 (subject to change by the board of trustees without notice). An HPD general access fee of $145 is required each year. An NSU student services fee of $1,050 is also required annually.

Rolling Hills Graduate Apartments, which opened in 2008, are approximately 1 mile west of the NSU main campus and offer housing for approximately 373 students. Each single and quad room is fully furnished and features a kitchen, bathroom, and living room. Married housing is also available. Costs range between $2,641 and $6,513 per semester or between $1,165 and $15,691 for a twelve-month contract. All rates include unlimited laundry, NSU-secured wireless Internet, furnishings, utilities, air conditioning, cable TV, and local telephone service. More information about student housing is available at http://www.nova.edu/housing/.

NSU’s College of Pharmacy has consistently led the nation in the level of enrollment of Hispanic doctoral pharmacy students. Students are actively involved in local, national, and international community-based health clinics; the legislative processes; and humanitarian missions in countries abroad.

Graduate passing rates for NSU students on pharmacy licensing exams are at rates near or above 93 percent, consistent with national pass rates.

Davie, a city of more than 80,000, maintains a sense of small-town intimacy while its location between major highways is near both an international airport and a seaport, which offers access to the state’s metropolitan centers. The area is famous for its wide expanses of sandy beaches and its tropical climate. Nearby Fort Lauderdale is home to numerous museums, art galleries, and a performing arts center.

NSU’s main campus consists of 300 acres with general-purpose athletic fields and NCAA-qualifying soccer and baseball fields. The residence halls on the main campus serve undergraduate, graduate, health professions, and law students. The College of Pharmacy also has branch campuses in Palm Beach, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Students are recruited for the Ph.D. program from the NSU College of Pharmacy; other U.S. schools/colleges of pharmacy; and graduates with degrees in fields related to social, economic, behavioral, and administrative pharmacy, as well as chemistry, biology, and other related scientific fields. Students are also recruited from international institutions, especially pharmacy graduates from India, Saudi Arabia, China, Europe, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Successful applicants, whether foreign or domestic, are required to comply with the following guidelines. All applicants must have an earned baccalaureate degree, with a GPA equivalent to a B or better, from an accredited institution of higher education in pharmacy or a related scientific area or in a discipline related to social, economic, behavioral, or administrative pharmacy. Application materials must include GRE results, proof of proficiency in English, a formal application form, three letters of reference, transcripts received directly from the degree granting institution, and a brief written essay on the goals of the applicant.

Applicants may apply for matriculation into the fall semester. The Office of Admissions processes applications on a rolling admissions basis; therefore, it is in the best interest of the applicant to apply as early as possible. To be considered for admission, students must complete the application form and submit supporting documents and a nonrefundable fee of $50 by March 1. Official transcripts of all work attempted at all colleges and universities must be forwarded by the institutions attended to Enrollment Processing Services (EPS), College of Pharmacy, Office of Admissions, 3301 College Ave, P.O. Box 299000, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33329-9905. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that arrangements are made for these transcripts to be sent. A final transcript covering all of the applicant’s work must be forwarded to EPS prior to matriculation. Three individual letters of evaluation from professors or supervisors in the applicant’s major field of study are required. All applicants are required to submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. The NSU code is 5522. GRE scores must be less than five years old prior to the candidate’s matriculation. Undergraduate course work taken at an international institution must be evaluated for U.S. institution equivalence. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have the course work evaluated by either World Education Services, Josef Silney & Associates, or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. A complete course-by-course evaluation must be sent to the Office of Admissions.

Upon receipt of the completed application and required credentials, the Ph.D. Committee on Admissions selects those applicants to receive personal interviews on the NSU Fort Lauderdale campus or via telephone. The Office of Admissions notifies those who are selected of the interview date and time. Being granted an interview does not guarantee admission.

Applications forms are available and can be submitted online at http://www.nova.edu/apply/index.html. Applicants may also have an application mailed to them by request.