What are the goals of the graduate program in Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy?

The focus of the PhD program in Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy is to prepare highly qualified graduate students for careers in academia, industry, government, and institutional settings through training in health outcomes and policy research.

What is health outcomes research?

With health care costs increasing five folds in the last two decades and expecting to double from now until the year 2010, there has been increasingly greater accountability demanded of health care systems and providers. There has been growing recognition that resources are limited, and health care interventions have to be cost-effective, and not just efficacious in clinical trials. Three particular factors have contributed to growing interest in determining effectiveness of health care interventions: (1) unexplained differences in quality of care or effectiveness by region, population, and type of systems; (2) the desire to control rising health care costs and spread the availability of services to those who do not currently have access; and (3) concern that cost-containment strategies and improving quality of health care are two competing goals.

Outcomes research refers to the scientific design, data collection, and analysis of the end results of medical care. It focuses on quality, cost-effectiveness and the effect of treatment on quality of life in patients. Outcomes research evaluates the effectiveness of health interventions through changes in outcomes such as improvements in patient functional status, satisfaction with care, and mortality. Apart from traditional experimental and quasi-experimental designs, outcomes research methodology embraces epidemiological research designs (such as retrospective or prospective, longitudinal or cross-sectional, case-control or cohort study designs), or econometric modeling (such as decision-tree analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis), and survey research methods (such as quality of life measurements, satisfaction with care). 

How is Outcomes Research Used?

Data collected from outcomes research provide patients, physicians, and providers information about what does and does not work in real life settings. It provides other measures of effectiveness such as what treatment provides the best return on investment, and from a patient perspective, what is the most preferred or satisfying treatment option. Overall, outcomes research will lead to better use of limited resources, informed decision-making by patients, providers, and payers, development of guidelines for better disease management - especially for chronic diseases, and better health policy decisions.

What are the job opportunities for graduates of the program?

Job opportunities for those with PhDs in this field are excellent and will continue to be so in the near future. Our students are trained to take jobs in Universities, the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies, clinical research organizations, and the managed care industry. Please visit Recent Graduates - Where are they now? to see where recent graduates of our program are employed.

Does this program offer a Master's degree?

This program does not have a terminal Master's degree. Students are admitted into the Ph.D. program only. Students with a Bachelor degree and those without a research Masters degree who are admitted to the program are required to complete a MS en route to a PhD. Individuals with previous research experience may request to opt out of completing a MS by successfully completing a pre-qualifying exam. Students who already have a research (with thesis) Masters degree, are admitted into the direct PhD program.

How long does it take to finish a PhD degree in this field?

Typically, a student starting without a research Masters degree could take anywhere from 4 to 5 years to complete all of the degree requirements. Students who already have a research Masters degree take less time, about 3 to 4 years.

Is financial assistance available?

A limited number of Teaching Assistantships, Fellowships, and Collaborative Research Assistantships are available within the department. These include an annual stipend and full tuition waiver with the student being required to perform 20 hours/week of assistantship duties. They are available to students throughout the duration of their studies (typically 4 years) as long as they are performing well in their duties and making satisfactory progress toward their degree objective.

The awards are sufficient for graduate students to live comfortably and devote sufficient time to their educational program and research training. These awards are distributed on a competitive basis each year with the highest ranked applicants given the first right of waiver of financial assistantships. Qualified students are also offered admission without an assistantship. These students are provided guidance to seeking other campus employment opportunities, INS regulations permitting in case of foreign students.

Is BS in Pharmacy or Pharm.D. degree (or a pharmacy background) required for admission?

No. Generally, a professional degree in pharmacy, medicine, or a health-related discipline is preferred. Students with Masters Degrees in related fields such as epidemiology, economics, public health are also encouraged to apply. Students with Master’s degree in marketing management, economics, psychology, or sociology with a demonstrated interest or experience in health care may also apply.

What is the entry date into the program?

Because of the scheduling of core courses, students are accepted each year for Fall semester only, which typically begins in the middle or last week of August every year. In very rare instances, a student may be admitted in the Spring semester if they already have a research Masters degree and if the PSP faculty agree that the circumstances of admission warrant such consideration.

What is the application deadline?

All application materials, transcripts, test scores, recommendation letters, and statement of purpose must be received by March 1 of the year for consideration of admission in the Fall semester of that year. It is best to start the admission process by November of the year before the Fall semester that you want to be considered to give yourself sufficient time to complete the process and not be affected by unexpected delays. Reviews are completed soon after March 1 and applicants notified of acceptance or rejection between March 15 and April 15.

How many applications do you receive each year?

The number of applications we receive vary from year to year but has shown a dramatic increase in the last few years. In recent years the numbers have ranged between 30 to 40.

How many students are accepted each year?

The number of students accepted each year vary depending on the number of students who have graduated in the preceding year. Typically, 2-4 students have been admitted per year in the recent past. A total number of 11-12 students are maintained in the program to enable close mentoring and training relationships with faculty advisors.

How is an application to the graduate program evaluated?

An application to the graduate program along with all supporting materials is reviewed by all members of the department graduate faculty. Each application is reviewed first in terms of meeting the minimum academic (a ‘B’ average or a 3.0 GPA on 4.0 scale) and TOEFL (550 on the paper-based exam and 213 on the computer-based exam) criteria. Applications not meeting these criteria are immediately rejected. The subsequent reviews take place in a committee meeting in which all applications are discussed and ranked through a consensus process. While individual faculty may weigh each criteria slightly different, sustained academic excellence, good to outstanding GRE scores, past work or research experience in areas of interest, well written statement of purpose, leadership and extracurricular activities are all considered important. In certain situations, a telephone or personal interview may be deemed necessary by the graduate faculty. Students ranked according to merit are offered admission with an assistantship in the order of listing until no more assistantships are available. A few additional students may be offered admission without assistantship. A verbal offer by telephone is made to students who are offered admission with assistantships, and upon verbal acceptance of the offer, are sent formal letters of acceptance.

How are grades, GRE/GMAT and TOEFL scores considered in the overall admissions evaluation?

While sustained academic excellence is considered to be among the best predictors of academic performance, GRE scores are also important to compare students from different domestic and international education systems. For students from English speaking parts of the world, quantitative and analytical scores are given more weight than the verbal scores. Faculty participating in application reviews typically look for overall educational achievements, competitive GRE scores, extracurricular and leadership activities, and demonstrated interest in research in the chosen area of study.

What are acceptable GRE (or GMAT) scores?

Scores on the GRE (or GMAT) are reported in terms of percentiles. So, for example, if a student scores at the 65th percentile, this means that he or she scored at or better than 65 percent of the students who took that test. We obviously want the best students who apply.

If my GRE (or GMAT) or TOEFL scores are not good, should I retake these exams?

These tests are standardized tests, and typically, student scores do not change much on retaking of these exams. Make sure that you are familiar with the format of these tests and the time constraints for their completion. Practice books are available to familiarize yourself with the exam. If you take these exams and are not satisfied with your scores, you should retake them only if you feel certain that retaking them will help you improve your test scores. If you do retake them, Educational Testing Service will report the results of all attempts within the previous three years.

Are applicants interviewed?

Whenever necessary, applicants in the U.S. are interviewed either by phone or in person in Morgantown. International students may also be interviewed by phone if the admissions committee feels it is necessary.

What role does TOEFL play in the admission process?

Since all of the education process and research training is in English, students from non-English speaking parts of the world are required to provide TOEFL scores by the University with a score of 550 on the paper-based exam and 213 on the computer-based exam considered to be minimum University requirement. Once admitted, and if awarded a Teaching Assistantship, students are also required to pass a test of spoken English before they are allowed to teach in classes or labs.

Students who have received a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree in the United States need not submit TOEFL scores.

What is it like to study at West Virginia University (WVU) and live Morgantown?

West Virginia University, founded in 1867, is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, is one of only 46 public universities that serve their state as research and land-grant institutions. Through 13 colleges and schools, WVU offers 168 bachelors, master's, doctoral and professional degree programs.

WVU is a Doctoral/ Research University - Extensive as classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions Of Higher Education -- based on the complexity and breadth of the institution's mission. As West Virginia's major research and development center and only comprehensive doctoral-granting institution, WVU faculty conducts over $130 million in sponsored contracts and grants per year.

The University's total operating budget is approximately $565 million. WVU's student body is comprised of over 24,000 students. These students hail from all West Virginia counties, nearly all 50 states, and close to 100 foreign nations.

For more information about West Virginia University and a virtual tour of the campus,visit: http://www.wvu.edu/

Morgantown is a community of about 80,000 people in the Appalachian Mountains on West Virginia's northern border. While the state is rural and the community quiet, Morgantown is within easy traveling distance from Pittsburgh, which is 75 miles (115 kilometers) north, and Baltimore and Washington, both of which are 200 miles (325 kilometers) east. Two major four-lane highways, Interstate 79 and Interstate 68, pass through Morgantown. U.S. 19 and U.S. 119 also pass through Morgantown.

Morgantown, recently named the #1 small city in the east, has plenty of shopping, international restaurants, and recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, skiing, biking, boating, white water rafting, canoeing, and state parks. Downtown Morgantown has numerous clothing stores, sports outfitters, restaurants, banks, and boutiques. For information about the Morgantown area, students can visit the Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau homepage at www.tourmorgantown.com/homepage.html or the City of Morgantown homepage at www.morgantown.com.

Can I transfer graduate coursework from my current institution if I have not completed a Masters degree?

Yes, on admission to the graduate program and upon forming a PhD committee with an advisor, the committee will take into consideration whatever recent graduate coursework you have completed that can contribute to your plan of study given your educational goals and program needs. WVU allows up to 18 credit hours of coursework to be transferred that are not part of a degree program.

Are there examples of Masters thesis and PhD dissertations completed by recent graduates to get a flavor of the type of research projects that graduate students do at WVU?

Yes, please visit Recent MS thesis and PhD dissertation for titles completed by recent graduates.

What if I have more questions or concerns?

If your question is not addressed anywhere in the list of frequently asked questions…

For questions about other programs, life at WVU, and other information for prospective students please visit page: "Welcome Future Students".

For questions about University policies on graduate programs at West Virginia University, please visit: 
"Undergraduate, Graduate, and Health Sciences Center Catalogs".