About the School of Pharmacy

The School of Pharmacy is the anchor institution for the Health Sciences Campus of the University of Waterloo. The campus is also home to the regional program of McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Medicine as well as a family health team. 

Student pharmacists have the opportunity to care for patients as part of an interdisciplinary team of physicians, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals.

An innovative professional school

We offer an undergraduate pharmacy curriculum that is one of the most innovative in North America. Our program emphasizes communication skills, problem-solving ability, and a collaborative approach to providing patient-focused health care.

The innovative curriculum integrates foundational knowledge in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences with information and skills in the clinical, behavioural and social sciences.

View our PharmD Curricular Grid (PDF) to learn more.

The only co-op pharmacy program in Canada

The program features an extensive pharmacy business curriculum and provides students with over 1,650 hours of practical experience in three co-op terms, followed by three clinical rotations, each lasting eight weeks.

More than 900 employers have participated in the co-op program to date and offer students exposure to a wide range of practice experiences including community pharmacy (independent and chain pharmacy), hospital pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry, long-term care and government.

Research generating new knowledge

The School of Pharmacy is also committed to generating new knowledge through our research activities in the pharmaceutical, social, administrative and clinical sciences.

Research into the cellular basis of diabetes, nanotechnology for delivery of gene therapy, better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and new roles for pharmacists in health care delivery are just a few examples of the wide range of research activities at the School.

Graduate students have the opportunity to learn the latest research methods in our state-of-the-art facilities and contribute to our goal of improving health by preventing and optimizing the treatment of disease.

Accreditation

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 2021-2026.