Pharmacy

Problem-based learning that's dynamic and patient focused

Pharmacists take medication histories, identify goals for drug therapy, provide education to patients regarding medications, make recommendations to other health-care providers about drug therapy, and much more. You'll gain the knowledge and skills to provide drug therapy toward improving patient health. The program’s curriculum offers problem-based learning (PBL) and other types of courses, which may include tutorials, lectures, labs, and practical experience in various settings.

The pharmacy program delivers course content primarily through problem-based learning (PBL) modules. In the first year of the program, you’ll take courses in biomedical sciences, covering all essential subjects including anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, and physiology. 

These courses are fully integrated in years two through four, covering not only the scientific side of pharmacy, but also the social. You'll look at such topics as therapeutics, pharmaceutical care, inter-professional relations, law and ethics, social and administrative pharmacy issues, and the role of pharmacy in the health-care system.

Sample courses:

• Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Toxicology
  
  

Visit the Academic Calendar to view degree options and course details.

With a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, you’ll have a wide range of career opportunities. The majority of graduates enter community pharmacy practice. You might also find working in a hospital pharmacy an interesting challenge, particularly in view of pharmacists’ expanding role within the clinical setting. As well, the pharmaceutical industry provides opportunities for pharmacists in the fields of sales and marketing, production, research, and quality control.

The increased role of federal and provincial governments in public health has provided opportunities for pharmacists in analytical laboratories and in administrative positions as consultants, government inspectors, and health officers. Opportunities are also available in universities as teachers and researchers. Careers in the pharmacy field include:

• pharmacist
• drug researcher
• lawyer, journalist or consultant specializing in pharmaceutical issues
   

Future studies could include programs at the graduate level in molecular biology, clinical pharmacy, or pharmacoeconomics.