Master of Science in Pharmacology (MSc)
Overview
Major areas of research in the department include neural, cardiovascular, respiratory and clinical pharmacology as well as drug development. Students with excellent performance in their undergraduate study are admitted into the M.Sc. program. Students with outstanding performance in their first year in M.Sc. can transfer their program to Ph.D. with departmental permission.
What makes the program unique?
The shared research interests in anesthesiology, pharmacology and therapeutics allow students to gain broad-based exposure to fundamental as well as medically-related aspects of drug research. Faculty members receive operating grants from CIHR, NSERC, The Heart Foundation, etc. Many of our students receive CIHR and NSRC studentship awards.
Quick Facts
Program Enquiries
Admission Information & Requirements
In order to apply to this program, the following components may be required.
Online Application
All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.
Transcripts
All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.
Minimum Academic Requirements
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitve process.
Letters of Reference
A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.
Statement of Interest
Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
English Language Proficiency
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their supervisor. Depending on program, applicants either reach out to faculty members directly or the program supports this process in different ways.
This program has not specified whether applicants should reach out to faculty members. Please review the program website for additional details.
Test Scores (GRE / GMAT or similar)
Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:
Citizenship Verification
Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.
Deadline Details
Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.
Transcript DeadlineDeadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.
Referee DeadlineDeadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.
July 2020 Intake
Application Open Date
09 July 2019Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
September 2020 Intake
Application Open Date
26 October 2019Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
January 2021 Intake
Application Open Date
26 October 2019Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
May 2021 Intake
Application Open Date
31 December 2019Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
July 2021 Intake
Application Open Date
08 January 2020Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
Funding Sources
Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
We encourage all applicants to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund your graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.
In addition to scholarships and awards, applicants may be eligible to apply for financial aid or other benefits in the form of loans, bursaries, tax credits, or similar.
Career Options
Tuition / Program Costs
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $106.00 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,698.56 | $2,984.09 |
| Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,095.68 | $8,952.27 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $944.51 (approx.) | |
| Costs of living (yearly) | starting at $16,954.00 (check cost calculator) | |
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Statistical Data
Enrolment Data
| 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 37 | 41 | 25 | 23 | 21 |
| Offers | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| New registrations | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Total enrolment | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Completion Rates & Times
Disclaimer
Research Supervisors
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
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Ansermino, John Mark (Global Health, Physiological Monitoring, Precision Health, Mobile Health, Outcome prediction, Sepsis in children, Artificial Intellegence, Automation in healthcare)
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Barr, Alasdair (Mental health and addictions, with a particular emphasis on psychosis and the medications used in its treatment, Anesthesiology )
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Bassett, Ken (Gender and Blindness: testing gender specific community interventions in Upper Egypt, an assessment of community ophthalmology projects in Central India, as well as community ophthalmology projects in Nepal and Tanzania.)
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Bernatchez, Pascal (angiogenesis, endothelium, nitric oxide, muscular dystrophy, atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction, lipoproteins, Marfan syndrome, vascular disease, inflammation)
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Bhagavatula, Sastry (Age-related research, Anesthesiology, plasticity of synaptic transmission, mammalian central nervous system)
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Choi, Peter Tsz Lung (Anesthesiology, peroperative medicine, randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, research education)
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Dormuth, Colin (Clinical Outcomes and Patient Safety)
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Fedida, David (How the heart generates, maintains and regulates electrical activity, Anesthesiology)
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Goerges, Matthias (Human Computer Interaction and Design, Medical informatics, Decision support systems, Predictive analytics, Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine)
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Griesdale, Donald E (Neurocritical care, traumatic brain injury, invasive neuromonitoring, airway management)
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Hackett, Tillie-Louise (Molecular determinants of COPD, small airway obstruction, angiotensin signalling, defective airway epithelial differentiation in asthma, human lung cell repository)
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Laher, Ismail (regulation of small artery tone, mechanisms of pressuce-induced vasomotor responses, exercise, sleep, animal models of sleep apnea, oxidative stress, exercise, diabetes)
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Maclure, K Malcolm (Epidemiology, patient safety, quality control, pharmaceutical sciences, health services research)
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Musini, Vijaya (Systematic review and meta analysis , Critical aapraisal of randomized clinical trials)
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Pang, Catherine C (Cardiovascular pharmacology, education, hypertension)
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Preston, Roanne (obstetric anesthesia)
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Schwarz, Stephan (Analgesia, Pain, Pharmacology, Pain management, Anesthesiology, cardiovascular, medical imaging, nerve, artery, valve)
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Program Information
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Program Identifier
July 2020 Intake
September 2020 Intake
January 2021 Intake
May 2021 Intake
July 2021 Intake
Program Enquiries
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update the application inquiries contact details please use this form.