Graduate courses

Minimum course requirements for the graduate programs are noted in the academic calendar. Students should refer to their respective academic calendar for details. 

The core required course for MSc and PhD students in Pharmacy, PHARM 610, is typically offered in the winter term and should be taken by students within the first year of their program.

The required thesis proposal courses (PHARM 601, PHARM 616 A/B) are offered each term. Students should sign up in the appropriate term as noted in the academic calendar (term two for MSc students; term three* for PhD students).

*Students who transfer from MSc to PhD will complete PHARM 616B after the transfer is approved. More information can be found on the Thesis Proposal page of the MSc and PhD student handbook.

• Students are permitted to count only one special topics course (e.g., PHARM 608A, PHARM 611) toward their degree requirements.
• In addition to elective graduate courses offered within the School Pharmacy, students may also take courses in other departments within the university, or at other Ontario or Canadian institutions via the Ontario Visiting Graduate Students (OVGS) plan or the Canadian Universities Graduate Transfer Agreement (CUGTA). 
• Students are encouraged to consult with their supervisor and advisory committee members to identify appropriate elective course options.

Courses are typically taken "for credit," contributing to degree requirements and being included in the calculation of the student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA). However, students may occasionally wish to take additional courses without counting them toward their degree. In such cases, students may choose to audit a course or take it as "extra" to their degree.

Auditing a course

When a student audits a course, the course will appear on their transcript. If the student fulfills all course requirements as specified by the instructor, the designation 'AUD' will be noted on the transcript.

Taking a course as "extra" to the degree

If a student takes a course outside their degree requirements, it will appear on their transcript with a grade, but it will not affect their CGPA or count toward degree requirements. If the student later pursues an additional degree at Waterloo or elsewhere, the course may be eligible for transfer credit.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that their student record is up to date and to follow up with the course instructor, department, or institution if any grade is missing from their record. 

Students interested in taking courses outside of their department should consult the course description to determine whether instructor or department consent is required for enrollment. If consent is necessary, students must contact the course instructor or the department coordinator to obtain a permission number for course registration through Quest. A list of department/program Graduate Coordinators can be found on the Graduate Studies website, where the appropriate contact information is provided.