King Saud University's College of Pharmacy is the third oldest college in the university and the first college to offer a Bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences in Saudi Arabia. It is among the best pharmacy colleges in the region. The Clinical Pharmacy Department is one of five departments in the College of Pharmacy, established in 1959. Over the past 30 years, the Clinical Pharmacy Department has provided a Master's program in Clinical Pharmacy, with hundreds of pharmacists graduating and successfully working in various fields of pharmacy, including hospitals, primary care centers, governmental and private sectors, and more. Following the continued success of Master's program graduates, establishing a new PhD program in "Pharmacy Practice" is the next step for the Clinical Pharmacy Department. The term pharmacy practice encompasses clinical pharmacy as well as other aspects of pharmacy, such as community and administrative pharmacy. Pharmacy practice is widely used to describe all aspects of pharmacist professional activities today. The Clinical Pharmacy Department has 60 faculty members (Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Professors) across male and female divisions, responsible for teaching and research across a wide range of specialties, including all aspects of pharmacy practice such as pharmacy economics, translational research, health policy, pharmacovigilance, data analysis, biostatistics, and clinical research. The National Transformation Program has identified three strategic goals to transform healthcare: facilitating access to healthcare, improving quality and efficiency, and enhancing health risk prevention. Accordingly, the Saudi healthcare system is undergoing reforms in many areas, including governance, efficiency discussions, value for money, safety and insurance, and privatization. All these desired reforms are closely related to the content of the PhD program, as it aims to develop many skills necessary for graduates to participate in achieving these strategic goals.

Degree Name:

• PhD in Pharmacy Practice / Pharmaceutical Services and Outcomes and Policy
• PhD in Pharmacy Practice / Precision Pharmacotherapy

Program Objectives:

• Prepare highly skilled independent researchers to conduct high-quality research in pharmacy practice.
• Produce original high-quality research to foster the research and scientific publication movement at both local and regional levels in the field of pharmacy practice.
• Provide the necessary expertise for designing studies and research methodologies in pharmacy practice, data collection and analysis, and presenting and interpreting results.
• Produce scientific evidence that will enhance community health, patient care, and ensure the efficient use of financial resources within the Saudi healthcare sectors.

Admission Requirements for the Program:

• General requirements in the unified regulations governing graduate studies at Saudi universities.
• The applicant must hold a Master's degree in regular study in pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, or any of the following specialties: (public health, health economics, health outcomes, health administration) from an accredited university with a grade of no less than Very Good with a cumulative average of (3.75 out of 5) or its equivalent.
• The applicant must hold a Bachelor's degree in pharmacy or pharmaceutical sciences or a Doctor of Pharmacy from an accredited university with a grade of no less than Very Good with a cumulative average of (3.75 out of 5) or its equivalent.
• The applicant must achieve a minimum score of (5) in the IELTS test or its equivalent.
• The applicant must pass the written exam conducted by the department with a score of no less than 50%.
• A minimum score of (65) in the General Aptitude Test for University Graduates is required.
• Equivalence of degrees obtained from non-Saudi universities.

Program Tracks: 

• Pharmaceutical Services and Outcomes and Policy.
• Precision Pharmacotherapy.

General Structure of the Program:

• Coursework and Thesis Option

Required Units: (36) credit hours plus (12) credit hours for the thesis as follows:

Curriculum Plan for the Program:

Level One (All Tracks)

Level Two (All Tracks)

Third level (Precision Drug Therapy track)

Third level (Precision Drug Therapy track)

Fourth level (all tracks)

Note: The student chooses (4) courses from the elective courses offered in the private track in the third and fourth levels

Fifth level (all tracks)

Sixth level and subsequent levels (all tracks)

For more details about the program, please contact the coordinator of postgraduate programs in the department, Dr. Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, via email aanahi@ksu.edu.sa