Contact Information
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Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSBPS)

Institution Address:
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Address 1: 309 E. Second Street
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City: Pomona
State: California
Zip/Postal Code: 91766
Country: United States

Program Location:: California
Admissions Office Contact(s)::
- Name: Daniell Mendoza
  Title: Associate Director of Admissions
  Office: Office of Admissions
  Phone (Work): 909-469-5541
  Extension: 5541
  Email: dwitsoe@westernu.edu

Institutional Website::
- https://www.westernu.edu/
- https://prospective.westernu.edu/pharmacy/msps/

Contact Information Video::
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I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Program Application Deadline
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Application Deadline
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What is your application deadline for the upcoming academic year?: March 01, 2026
Does this program use rolling admissions?: {Empty}

Participation
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Is your program participating in PharmGrad?: No
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Application Fee:: $40
Application Deadline Description::
Applications must be received (including all supporting application materials) no later than March 1st for the subsequent Fall admission.

I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Program Description
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Program Description:
Recent advances in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences make pharmaceutical research a rewarding career for people interested in discovering new scientific knowledge with the goal of advancing human health.  

Emphasizing interdisciplinary study, WesternU’s two-year Master of Science in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences (MSBPS) is a thesis-based research-intensive program that will expose you to cutting-edge areas of research and study.  The program has a diverse group of faculty with scientific expertise in pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, neuropharmacology, cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology, pharmacogenomics, computational biology, microbiology, virology, and molecular immunology.

A unique advantage of the MSBPS program is the generous financial aid package that it provides to admitted students.  Students receive a tuition waiver and a stipend in the form of a teaching assistantship.  In essence, students earn their degrees at no cost.

With a strong series of courses and hands-on research training, students graduate from our program and transition to advancing their careers.  We have a strong track record of student placement into positions in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, and into further graduate training such as Ph.D. or professional programs.  



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Institution Information
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Is your institution public or private?: Private
Is your program accepting applications for this program?: Yes
Program Start Term:: Fall
Satellite/Branch campuses::
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I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Degree Requirements
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Credits Required for Degree: : 36
Required Rotations:: Not Required
Seminars:: Required
College-based Qualifying/Comprehensive Exam:: Not Required
Other Qualifying Exams or Certifications:: Not Required
Thesis/Dissertation:: Required
Additional Information about Degree Requirements::
A minimum of 36 semester credit hours is required for completion of the MSBPS program. This includes 17 hours of didactic study and 19 hours of research credits, leading to a thesis. Students are required to submit a written thesis to the Thesis Advisory Committee for approval at the end of their two years. In addition, students will be required to defend their thesis via an oral presentation of the thesis content at the end of the program.

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Degree Information
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Delivery Method: On Campus
Curricular Focus or Concentration::
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Area(s) of Study:: Biological Science, Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Cancer, Cellular Biology, Cosmetic Science, Drug Delivery, Drug Development, Drug Discovery, Drug Metabolism, Immunology, Infectious Disease, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology, Neuroscience, Pharmaceutical Science, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Physiological Science, Structural Biology
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I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Program Statistics
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Have you previously enrolled students in this program?: Yes
Last academic year-number of accepted students for your program:: 15
Last academic year-country of origin of the accepted students:
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Have you graduated your first class for this program?: Yes
Last academic year-graduates job placement:
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Last 5 academic years-estimated average years of study to graduation:: 2
I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

GRE and Other Tests
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GRE Section
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 Is the GRE required?: Yes
Is a GRE Subject Test Required or Recommended?:     Not Required or Recommended 
Oldest GRE considered:: Taken within the last 5 years
Recommended GRE Score:
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Verbal Reasoning:: See below
Quantitative Reasoning:: See below
Analytical Writing:: See below


Enter any additional information regarding the GRE: :
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five (5) years, with a combined verbal and quantitative score of greater than or equal to 300 is recommended and a minimum of 10% for the analytical writing section.

The program also accepts the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and the Dental Admission Test (DAT).  The minimum for the MCAT is total score of 497.  The minimum for the DAT is an academic average of 15.

Are any of the following tests required for international applicants?: TOEFL or IELTS
Other tests or credentials::
All applicants submitting course work from foreign universities are required to pass English language requirements before they are eligible for financial assistance. A minimum score of 89 on the Internal Based TOEFL (iBT) or 6.5 on the IELTS is recommended. Only scores less than 2 years old from the application deadline will be considered. 

All coursework taken from non-US institutions must be submitted to an approved service for evaluation, such as the World Education Services (WES).
 

I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Letters of Recommendation
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Letters of Recommendation:
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Are letters of recommendations required by your program?: Yes
 If yes, how many letters of recommendation are required?: 3

Enter any additional information regarding recommendations: :
Three letters of reference are required from individuals who are familiar with the applicant’s scholarship and research potential. 

I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Other Admission Requirements
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Minimum overall GPA considered:: 2.50
Recommended overall GPA considered:: 3.0
Enter any additional information regarding application or admission requirements: :
Applicants are also required to submit a Personal Statement (500 words or less) describing (1) their educational background, (2) their areas of interest in biotechnology and pharmaceutical sciences, and (3) additional information that would strengthen the application, such as achievements or overcoming adversity.

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Financial Support
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Percentage of students receiving financial support:: 90
Type of financial support available:: Tuition Waiver, Stipend, Teaching Assistantship
What is the minimum financial support for eligible students apart from tuition remission?: $30,000
Enter any additional information regarding financial support: :
Financial support, which includes a stipend and full payment of tuition, is available to qualified applicants on a limited, competitive basis in the form of teaching assistantships. Support is for 12 months (including summers) and is limited to two consecutive years for any student. Students may also receive a travel stipend, which allows for travel to a national meeting. 

I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes

Background Checks and Drug Screenings
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Is your institution participating in the PharmGrad-facilitated Criminal Background Check (CBC) Service?: We are not a participating PharmGrad program
Is your institution participating in the PharmGrad-facilitated Drug Screening Service?: We are not a participating PharmGrad program
I would like to mark this section as done.: Yes