UConn Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate students Nathan Jordan and Jackson Lin are just the third and fourth students in the school’s history to pursue both a Pharm.D. and Ph.D. at the same time.  

Lin spent his undergraduate time here at UConn, earning a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies in 2025. Now, he is continuing his Pharm.D. through the honors program, while also pursuing a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the SoPPS.  

Jordan earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy Studies from Western New England University in 2023. He is currently pursuing a Pharm.D., and a Ph.D. in the Mathias Lab in the Department of Nutritional Science. Alongside his academics, he recently received the Margaret Ware Scholarship and placed second in the Oral Presentation at the 2026 College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Graduate Student Research Forum.  

While Lin and Jordan are on two different tracks when it comes to their Ph.D., they both are completing the same 6-year pharmacy program, which allows them to become licensed pharmacists by the end of it.  

Both also have similar career goals for when they earn their degrees. They hope to enter the industry side of pharmacy, which focuses on developing drugs, rather than dispensing drugs through the clinical pharmacy route. 

When first starting out in the program, Jordan originally thought clinical pharmacy would be the path he wanted to pursue, with hopes of working in a hospital. However, after gaining experience in a retail and hospital pharmacy, he quickly realized the clinical pharmacy track was not for him.  

“So, then I figured, what’s the third track I could pursue in pharmacy school, and that was industry,” Jordan said. “For that, I figured I would get into a research lab. Once I started doing immunology research, I just fell in love with it.”  

For Jordan, the ultimate goal in pursuing both degrees is to eliminate the gap between the preclinical side of science and the clinical side of treating patients. In order to do so, it would mean getting more drugs that work in mice into human trials, and ultimately into patients’ hands. This is just a glimpse into the kind of research Jordan is completing for his Ph.D.  

“There are so many drugs that are so promising in mice, but the percentage of those drugs that make it into patients’ hands is minimal,” Jordan said. “And if we can increase that, I think that would benefit a lot of patients that suffer from a lot of diseases that go untreated.” 

Lin’s experience differed, as he entered his first year of undergrad as a biology major. After joining a chemistry research lab in his sophomore year, he took an interest in pharmaceutical research and quickly applied to the Pharm.D. program. The industry-related classes he has since taken have only strengthened his interest in the field.  

“The classes that were industry related in my first two semesters definitely solidified me in being like, ‘I really love these classes, and I want to go into industry,’” Lin said.  

For both Lin and Jordan, it was their love of research that led them to pursue a Ph.D. at the same time as a Pharm.D.  

“I thought that was a really interesting thing to do, combining what I love with research as well as pharmacy,” Jordan said. 

Lin agrees, “I decided I did really want to do a Ph.D., because I liked research a lot.”  

While there is currently no official dual degree program at UConn, the SoPPS has been aiming to make it happen and continues to be very supportive of Lin and Jordan’s journey.  

“I have a lot of support from a lot of professors and faculty,” Jordan said. “It seems like they’re all rooting for both Jackson and I to be the guinea pigs and show that this is a viable tract, and the outcome you get after graduating with both the Pharm.D. and Ph.D. is more valuable than either alone.” 

However, being only the third and fourth students to ever seek both degrees at once comes with doubt about whether this is an attainable goal.  

“It feels good to pioneer something, but also feels intimidating, like, if no one else has done this, is it doable?” Lin said.  

While the workload is rigorous and the schedule demanding, both students say the outcome will be worth the journey and encourage aspiring pharmacists considering this path to take the leap.  

“I think that anyone who is pursuing a Pharm.D. could also be a great Ph.D. student and vice versa,” Jordan said. “It takes a certain kind of person to complete two rigorous programs.”