Ph.D in Pharmacognosy
Pharmacognosy is the science that deals with the study of drugs derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, or marine organisms. The study determines the physical, chemical, and biological properties of these drugs in preparation for their medical use in treating human diseases. The department offers a Master's degree program and a Doctoral degree program in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacognosy).
Program Admission Requirements:
- The student must have obtained a Master's degree in Pharmacognosy or other pharmaceutical specialties from King Saud University or its equivalent. However, students holding a Master's degree in other pharmaceutical specialties may be admitted to the program, provided they complete certain Pharmacognosy Master's program courses specified by the department council before starting their program studies.
- Passing a personal interview conducted by the department.
- Passing the English language proficiency test (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 450 or its equivalent as an admission requirement to the program.
Study System and Degree Requirements:
- The program's study consists of coursework, then a comprehensive exam, followed by a thesis, which must be original and innovative.
- The total number of credit hours is 19, including 12 credit hours of specialization in directed studies or research seminars in pharmacognosy, and 7 credit hours representing collaboration with the Medicinal Chemistry (4 credit hours) and Pharmacology (3 credit hours) departments.
Curriculum
Level (Semester) One
| No. | Course Number and Code | Course Name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 610 Phar | Selected Research Topics in Pharmacognosy | 2 (0+2) |
| 2 | 611 Phar | Pharmacognosy Seminar - 1 | 1 (1+0) |
| 3 | 612 Phar | Marine Pharmacognosy | 3 (3+0) |
Level (Semester) Two
| No. | Course Number and Code | Course Name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 512 MedChem | Modern Synthetic Reactions | 4 (2+2) |
| 2 | 541 Pharm | Quantitative Pharmacometry | 3 (3+0) |
| 3 | 613 Phar | Pharmacognosy Seminar - 2 | 1 (1+0) |
Level (Semester) Three
| No. | Course Number and Code | Course Name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 620 Phar | Modern Trends in Natural Drug Discovery | 4 (3+1) |
| 2 | 614 Phar | Pharmacognosy Seminar - 3 | 1 (1+0) |
Level (Semester) Four
| No. | Course Number and Code | Course Name | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 700 Phar | Dissertation | - |
Course Descriptions:
610 Phar: Selected Research Topics in Pharmacognosy 2 (2+0)
This course aims to hone the student's laboratory skills in preparation for their dissertation research. The student will be assigned one or more research topics in the field of isolation, biotransformation, or chemical synthesis related to medicinal plant products. The student must submit a midterm report on their progress, followed by a final report at the end of the semester containing all their findings.
611 Phar: Pharmacognosy Seminar - 1 1 (1+0)
Students are assigned a recent topic in the field, conduct a comprehensive literature review, and present the topic as a lecture using audio-visual aids to the faculty and graduate students in the department.
612 Phar: Marine Pharmacognosy 3 (3+0)
This course focuses on drugs and drug-like compounds derived from marine organisms, including plants and algae. These organisms are an important source of many types of natural products that may have various pharmaceutical uses.
613 Phar: Pharmacognosy Seminar - 2 1 (1+0)
Students choose a recent topic in the specialization and conduct a comprehensive literature review. They present the topic as a lecture using audio-visual aids to the faculty and graduate students in the department.
614 Phar: Pharmacognosy Seminar - 3 1 (1+0)
Students present some research topics related to their dissertation using audio-visual aids in a lecture format to the faculty and graduate students in the department. The purpose is to prepare students for an appropriate research project.
620 Phar: Modern Trends in Natural Product Processing 4 (3+1)
This course introduces students to various methods of extracting materials from plants and includes the bioprocessing techniques needed to separate these materials. Emphasis is placed on the separation of active compounds from plants.
541 Pharm: Quantitative Pharmacometry 3 (3+0)
This course focuses on the fundamental principles of statistics applied to research and pharmaceutical and toxicology-related fields. The course includes the basics of probability theory, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, linear and nonlinear regression, correlation analysis, and frequency analysis as applied in pharmaceutical and toxicological research and drug assays.
512 MedChem: Modern Synthetic Reactions 4 (2+2)
This course covers the synthetic reactions of organic compounds, their mechanisms, and synthetic reactions related to drug synthesis. The practical part of the course involves the chemical synthesis of some drug-like compounds and their characterization by various physical and chemical methods, such as UV spectroscopy, and NMR.
