A non-thesis, part-time program, the MS in Regulatory Science program requires 30 credits of coursework and is taught exclusively online. The Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Science requires 12 credits of coursework.

Regulatory Science Summary Master of Science (MS) Graduate Certificate
Number of Required Courses 5 2
Number of Total Credits 30 12
Time to Completion < 2 years < 1 year

About the Courses:

Each six-credit course consists of about 70 hours of pre-recorded lectures, seven hours of live web conferencing, and 13 hours of active-learning instruction. In addition, there are individual projects, as well as team presentations and mini-reviews. The fall and spring semesters are approximately 15-16 weeks and typically start towards the end of August and the end of January, respectively. The summer semester is approximately eight weeks, and typically starts at the end of May or beginning of June.

The Graduate Certificate consists of the first two courses of the MS in Regulatory Science program, for a total of 12 credits. The two courses include: Drug, Biologic, and Device Regulation (Fall Semester) and Drug and Biologics Discovery (Spring Semester).

To learn about the faculty members who will be overseeing each course, please explore the Course Managers webpage.

Sequence of Courses:

Course Descriptions:

REGS 603: Drug, Biologic, and Device Regulation
Year 1 - Fall Semester
(6 credits)

This online course is designed to orient students of diverse professional backgrounds to several practical elements that underpin drug, biologic, and device regulation in the US and around the world. It provides the core for the curriculum and is a pre-requisite for all other courses. Elements that are explored are the legal framework for drug regulation, including events that have shaped today's framework; ethical issues in drug/biologic/device development and drug/biologic/device use; global regulatory guidance approaches; types of communications with Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including Investigational New Drug (IND) application, New Drug Application (NDA), and Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) requirements, and 510(k) clearance and Premarket Approvals / Biologics Licensing Applications (PMA/BLA) approval requirements; chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) issues; and post-marketing topics.

REGS 614: Drug and Biologics Discovery
Year 1 - Spring Semester
(6 credits)

Pharmaceutical sciences are fundamental to the discovery of new medicines and impact clinical success. This online course is designed to orient students to the basic concepts in drug chemistry and functional groups, medicinal chemistry approaches to optimizing drug action, principles of pharmacology, biological and target considerations in drug design, and how drugs are metabolized and eliminated from the body.

REGS 631: Drug and Biologics Development
Year 1 - Summer Semester
(6 credits)

Drug candidates and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) need to be successfully delivered and must exhibit acceptable toxicology. This course follows drug discovery and examines key aspects of drug development, including drug formulation and quality, stability testing, pharmacokinetic characterization, bioequivalence, preclinical toxicology, methods of bioanalysis, and non-clinical and clinical Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs). Aspects of biologics will also be discussed.

REGS 621: Clinical Research
Year 2 - Fall Semester
(6 credits)

Well-designed clinical research is essential in the development process of a medication or device and in generation of the knowledge base for evidence-based medicine and health policy. This online course is designed to uncover the ingredients of clinical research and to orient students of several important issues with current clinical studies. The students will learn how to design and implement different clinical studies. The role of each clinical phase in drug/device development and their various study designs and regulatory issues will be explored. The course will also discuss the Principles of International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Good Clinical Practice (GCP) Guidelines and how to successfully manage clinical trials. Additionally, knowledge of personalized medicine and behavioral/social issues in drug use will be taught.

REGS 641: Regulated Products in the Marketplace
Year 2 - Spring Semester
(6 credits)

FDA approval for the marketing of the drug or other regulated product (e.g., biologics, vaccines, medical devices, laboratory tests) is a major milestone in a product's lifecycle. But it doesn't stop there. Once on the market, how a drug is used and by whom, entry of competing products into the marketplace, and changes in medical care can change the benefit-risk balance. This course covers the breadth of clinical research and surveillance activities take place in the post-approval phase of a regulated medical product's lifecycle. This includes pharmacovigilance and risk management activities, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, comparative effectiveness, and drug utilization research. The course is designed to prepare students to communicate across the pre-/post-marketing divide, evaluate the need for post-marketing studies, and to be able to critically interpret and apply the results of such studies.