Our MPD program provides real-world skills in multiple concentration areas: pharmaceutical and chemical. The Pharmaceutical and Chemical concentration classes are centered on pharmacology, formulations and process development. In both concentrations, you may have the opportunity to partner with industry leaders on product development projects and to utilize state-of-the-art labs that are cGMP, Cleanroom 100, ISO 5, and USP 797 compliant.

Of course, a program like this would not be complete if we did not teach you the entrepreneurial skills you will need to start your own company or innovate within a company. You will learn to build critical-thinking and teamwork skills through case-based teaching and labs, blending technical skills with business, legal, regulatory, and compliance knowledge. You will learn how to use analytics and demand projections to make management decisions, while using concepts—like Lean Six Sigma and sensitivity analysis—to solve operations and process-optimization challenges. Finally, you will learn about the Triple Bottom Line throughout the course of this program: people, profit, and planet, with a focus not only on sustainability, but on how to boost it.

You will learn a lot in this program—from conceptualization and design to development and marketing. Professionally, you will be prepared to fill an unmet need in the industry. That is, after all, what launching a new product is all about. Students typically take 24 credits per year for a total of 48-50 credits to graduate. This is a rigorous program where students also write, present and defend a Product Development Project based on research performed over the two year period. This research project is co-mentored by one CUW faculty member and an industry mentor who is actively involved in chemical and pharmaceutical product development. Projects can also be based on work that is relevant to where students are currently working, if they are currently employed in the industry.