Master of Science in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences

Specialize in one of four industry-aligned concentrations:

Immunotherapy and precision medicine
Specialize in applying biologics, biosimilars, antibody engineering, CAR-T, gene-editing technologies, and precision medicine to challenges in fields including oncology, rare diseases, and immunotherapy.

Advanced drug delivery and formulation sciences
Focus on pharmaceutical innovation through a deep understanding of nanomedicine, targeted delivery, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, controlled-release systems, formulation technology, and regulatory science.

Translational pharmacology and drug discovery
Specialize in advancing pharmaceutical options with expertise in medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cheminformatics, in silico screening, molecular design, and bioactivity profiling.

Biomedical sciences
Build a broad understanding of biomedical sciences by combining a selection of one advanced course from each of the concentrations above.

• Gain experience: Northeastern has the only U.S. school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences with a co-op and internship program that allows you to gain real-world experience with up to two full-time, six-month paid work experiences.
• Study in a leading biomedical ecosystem: Boston is the world’s most concentrated pharma–biotech hub. You’ll collaborate with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical schools, world-renowned hospitals, and research facilities.
• Participate in R1-level research: Northeastern is ranked #1 in the nation among private schools of pharmacy in NIH funding, and it is a leader in world-class research.
• Study with expert faculty: Learn from founders of biotech startups and leaders in drug discovery innovation.

• About 97% of our students are employed or pursuing another degree within months of graduation (March 2026).
• Employment of medical scientists is projected to grow 9% from 2024 to 2034, with 9,600 new job openings each year on average (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025).

• Application

• Application fee

• Two letters of recommendation

• Transcripts from all institutions attended

• Statement of purpose

• Resumé

• TOEFL or IELTS for applicants who do not hold a degree from a U.S. institution and whose native language is not English

  • TOEFL: A 1–6 banded score scale was introduced in January 2026 for the iBT TOEFL test. Please see the score breakdowns below for test takers before and after the updated score scale took effect:

    • For exams taken before January 21, 2026: We prefer a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 100.

    • For exams taken on or after January 21, 2026: We prefer a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 5.

• GRE scores are optional

• At least one semester of undergraduate courses (or their equivalent) in each of the following:

  • Biochemistry/cellular biology/molecular biology

  • Biology

  • Organic chemistry

    • Within the translational pharmacology and drug discovery concentration, students who wish to focus more on medicinal chemistry are required to have completed two semesters of organic chemistry, while those who wish to focus more on pharmacology are required to have completed one semester. This requirement will be determined upon review of applications for this concentration.

  • Physics

  • Calculus

• Please note: All international applicants will need to provide a transcript equivalency evaluation from one of the organizations below:

  • Educational Credential Evaluators

  • World Education Services, Inc.

    • If you choose to provide an evaluation through WES, we require the iCAP WES package that evaluates your transcripts course by course.

  • The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran)—TEC Evaluation Request

  • Scholaro