I. Program Objectives

The program aims to:

1. Provide postgraduate students with high-quality, specialized research training and education to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmaceutics.
2. Prepare students to conduct research in the pharmaceutical industry, academia, government pharmaceutical services, and healthcare institutions.
3. Strengthen students' scientific background in all areas of pharmaceutics.
4. Meet the growing need for postgraduate pharmaceutical studies in Saudi society.
5. Contribute to supporting the national economy by training national competencies and eliminating the high cost of attracting these experts from outside the Kingdom.

II. Admission Requirements

1. General requirements as stated in the unified regulations governing postgraduate studies in Saudi universities.
2. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from a Saudi university or any recognized university.
3. Holding a Master's degree in Pharmaceutics or any related pharmaceutical science; the department may add any necessary supplementary courses.
4. Achieving a score of 500 or higher on the TOEFL English proficiency exam or equivalent.
5. Passing a personal interview in the Pharmaceutics Department.

III. Degree Requirements

The study method in this program is based on a thesis along with some coursework, and includes the following requirements:

1. Studying and passing all doctoral courses (21 credit hours) distributed over two semesters.
2. Successfully passing the comprehensive exam.
3. Successfully completing an original and innovative doctoral thesis.

IV. Program Structure

This program requires the completion of twenty-one credit hours distributed over two semesters, passing the comprehensive exam, and submitting a research thesis.

V. Course Program

First Semester

Second Semester

Third Semester and Subsequent Semesters

VI. Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive exam aims to measure the postgraduate student's preparation and in-depth and comprehensive knowledge in understanding all aspects of the specialty, in addition to measuring their ability to formulate appropriate hypotheses, analyze and discuss results, draw correct conclusions, and propose viable solutions.

The comprehensive exam is conducted according to the rules specified in the unified regulations for postgraduate studies. The comprehensive exam consists of two parts: a written part and an oral part. The student takes the comprehensive exam during the semester following the completion of their coursework. The department council forms a comprehensive exam committee for the student consisting of at least three members holding the rank of Professor or Associate Professor. The committee is responsible for conducting the comprehensive exam, both written and oral, between the fourth and tenth weeks of the semester, with a minimum interval of two weeks between the two parts.

Written Exam

The written exam measures the student's knowledge and ability to think systematically about pharmaceutical research problems in the field of pharmaceutics. This includes the student's ability in evaluating scientific references, formulating scientific hypotheses, designing experiments to verify them, and analyzing laboratory data. While it is assumed that the postgraduate student has a complete understanding of the sciences and concepts presented in all the courses they have passed, the comprehensive exam does not measure the ability to recall specific information given through the courses. The student passes the exam if they achieve the required average according to the unified regulations for postgraduate studies. If the student fails the written part, they are given another opportunity under the supervision of the original exam committee. Failure a second time means that the student is ineligible to become a doctoral candidate, and their registration in the program is canceled.

Oral Exam

After passing the written exam, the student takes the oral exam on a date set by the exam committee. The student must submit a written research proposal to the exam committee according to the doctoral research proposal form of the College of Pharmacy at King Saud University, at least one week before the exam date. At the time of the exam, the student presents the research proposal orally using appropriate modern presentation methods, and then the examination committee asks relevant questions related to aspects of the research.

1. Skills in evaluating scientific references.
2. Writing skills.
3. Scientific background.
4. Study design.
5. The use of animal models and their relation to the disease state.
6. Analytical methods.
7. Clinical measurement methods.
8. Skills in presenting and statistically analyzing results.
9. Distinguishing and prioritizing clinical and statistical significance.

If the student does not pass the oral exam, they may be given another opportunity during the following semester. Failure a second time disqualifies the student from obtaining a doctorate, and their registration in the program is canceled.

VII. Thesis Research

Doctoral students must conduct innovative research according to the guidelines of higher education. The doctoral program is designed as a research program to meet the requirements of pharmaceutical research in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at both the academic and pharmaceutical industry levels.

VIII. Choosing the Main Supervisor for the Doctoral Thesis

The department assigns an academic advisor to each doctoral student upon their enrollment in the program. It also assists the student in choosing a main supervisor for their doctoral thesis. The main supervisor assists the student in choosing a research topic and identifies related scientific topics to be included in the coursework.