The Graduate School

• Introduction
• Research
  • Pharmaceutics
  • Medicinal chemistry
  • Pharmaceutical biology and pharmacology
• Flexible learning arrangements

Introduction

The Graduate School was founded in 1970 to develop and direct all graduate studies in the college.
Graduate matters are now administered by a graduate studies committee with elected members from each department. The committee is chaired by the associate dean (Graduate Studies) who represents the college on the PhD and Scholarships Committee of the university.

Research

Research facilities are available within all departments for students to undertake graduate work in experimental and theoretical areas of the pharmaceutical sciences.
Students may apply for entry to graduate study courses by arrangement with the associate dean (Graduate Studies). The following fields of research are available for graduate studies.

Pharmaceutics

• topical drug delivery
• transdermal drug delivery
• lipid-based formulation design
• intestinal lymphatic transport of drugs
• factors affecting oral drug absorption
• stability and characterisation of protein drugs
• absorption of protein drugs after subcutaneous administration
• intestinal and hepatic metabolism of drugs
• formulation of solid and dry powder dosage forms
• analytical and physicochemical characterisation of drug candidates

Medicinal chemistry

• synthesis and characterisation of bioactive molecules, such as enzyme inhibitors, peptides, CNS-active drugs and carbohydrate-based drugs
• NMR spectroscopic and computer-graphic studies of drug-receptor interactions
• protein chemistry and molecular biology
• lead compounds from natural products

Pharmaceutical biology and pharmacology

• pharmacological investigations on nicotine, antipsychotics, opioids, cannabis and other drugs of abuse
• the pharmacology of gut secretion and antidiarrhoeal drugs
• neurotransmitter mechanisms, pre and postjunctional agonists and antagonists, receptor differentiation, receptor and signal transduction mechanisms
• adenosine and its receptors, tachykinin receptors
• the pathology and pharmacology of skin disease
• pharmacy practice
• quality usage of medicines, drug usage in the elderly, attitudes of patients to their medications and health professionals
• continuing pharmacy education
• attitudes of pharmacists to their professional roles
• pharmacist intervention in the prescribing cycle
• dose optimisation in oncology, spinal and infectious disease
• drug-related problems and rates of hospital admissions
• wound care and management

Flexible learning arrangements

The university is proud of its flexible learning arrangements. Students with family and/or work commitments can access honours and higher degree research programs on a part-time basis. Part-time scholarships are also available.
For more information on all these issues, contact the college's associate dean (Graduate Studies) or the Research Training and Support Branch of the university on (03) 9905 2059.

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