The School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo offers a second-entry four-year professional program leading to an entry-to-practice Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, with the co-operative program designation. The School also provides graduate academic opportunities for students interested in obtaining a Master of Science degree or a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pharmacy. The School anchors the University's Health Sciences campus in downtown Kitchener.
Graduates of the entry-to-practice PharmD program will be well-prepared for all aspects of the expanding scope of practice for pharmacists in Canada and capable of practicing in a broad range of settings, including community pharmacy; hospital pharmacy; long-term care; and primary care entities like family health teams. The curriculum emphasizes breadth and flexibility, providing students the opportunity to pursue areas of specific interest through the selection of elective courses and co-op work experiences in settings that range from traditional areas of pharmacy practice to professional organizations, government, pharmaceutical industry, and academic research. A key component of the program is a focus on inter-professional education, where students learn to work as highly-functioning members of professional health care teams, which may include practitioners from medicine, optometry, social work, nursing, and a variety of health care fields.
Pharmacy is a regulated health-care profession. The requirements to become a registered pharmacist in Canada typically include:
- completion of an undergraduate degree in Pharmacy;
- completion of the national board examination offered by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC);
- practical experience gained through either the experiential curriculum of the degree program or an apprenticeship/internship program following graduation; and
- fluency in English or French.
Each province in Canada has its own regulatory agency, responsible for granting registration certificates, and ensuring competency.
The Doctor of Pharmacy program of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo has been awarded the status of Full Accreditation by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs for the six-year term 2015-2021.