<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I'm interested in pursuing a career in pharmaceuticals, hopefully working in drug discovery. </p>
<p>I have no idea what post-grad education is best for this track and can't figure it out on the internet. I'm currently a undergrad chemical engineer. Internship programs are asking me about my educational/post-grad goals and I'm just not sure what I need to do to get into drug discovery. Anyone have thoughts? What kind of degree program would I be looking into, PhD? MD?</p>
<p>hmm i have the same question.</p>
<p>D’s graduating in May with a BS in Chem E. She is also interested in these areas. (she likes medical/pharmaceutical application from the chem, physics, math perspective more than a life science pov) She’s applied to several Ph.D. Programs that are doing research in pharmaceutical engineering. So far she’s been admitted (with funding) to two of her top choices and will be attending recruiting weekends at these schools. Her research background as an undergrad has been in the area of particle research (3 years). She also had a summer internship in industry, unrelated to that research. </p>
<p>Zebes</p>
<p>Okay i just realized the answer to the OP is this. Yes you are on the correct path taking Chemical engineering as your major. You might want to minor in biomedical sciences or engineering.</p>
<p>Honestly, it doesn’t matter. To discover new drugs or treatments depends on YOU more than your diploma. If you have the kind of mind that can think out of the box instead of being “me too”, and you choose to work in a lab that is trying to solve the problems you’re interested in, you’ll be fine regardless of whether you have a Ph.D in engineering, pharmacology, biochemistry, medicinal chemistry, chemistry or biology.</p>
<p>For example, my brother is very well-rounded in the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, and math) and has a Ph.D in molecular biology. Currently, he’s spearheading the development of a drug and has co-founded a biotech company. </p>
<p>Bottom line: Research the work prospective PI’s are doing that you may be interested in, then apply…regardless of the department. You may end up applying to a Ph.D program in medicinal chemistry at one school, a pharmacology program at another, and a molecular biology program at still another.</p>
<p>Good luck</p>