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Pharmaceutics & Drug Design

Types of Degrees Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Pharmaceutics & Drug Design have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	180
Master’s Degree	248
Doctor’s Degree	175

What Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Majors Need to Know

Studies in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Pharmaceutics & Drug Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Pharmaceutics & Drug Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Pharmaceutics & Drug Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Presenter	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Articulate Rapid E-Learning Studio	Computer based training software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Therapy Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Dentistry Teacher
• Pharmacy Teacher
• A&P Instructor (Anatomy and Physiology Instructor)
• Health Diagnostics Teacher
• Roentgenology Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Coding Educator
• Clinical Laboratory Science Professor
• Adjunct Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.7%
Doctoral degree	25.8%
Post-doctoral training	21.0%
Bachelor’s degree	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.5%
First professional degree	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61% of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	368	61.0%
Men	235	39.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	238	39.5%
Asian	78	12.9%
Hispanic or Latino	45	7.5%
Black or African American	35	5.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	0.5%
Two or More Races	17	2.8%
Race Unknown	11	1.8%
International Students	176	29.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$100,486
4 years	$129,383
5 years	$140,029

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $140,029 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Pharmaceutics & Drug Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Pharmaceutics & Drug Design Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Pharmaceutics & Drug Design graduates earn a median of $129,383 four years after completion — roughly 240% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration	51.20
Clinical and Industrial Drug Development	51.2006
Clinical, Hospital, and Managed Care Pharmacy	51.2008
Industrial and Physical Pharmacy and Cosmetic Sciences	51.2009
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry	51.2004
Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy	51.2005
Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management	51.2011
Pharmaceutical Sciences	51.2010
Pharmacoeconomics/Pharmaceutical Economics	51.2007
Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacy Policy and Regulatory Affairs	51.2002
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Other	51.2099
Pharmacy	51.2001

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.