Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)

Overview

You're ready to work at the forefront of pharmaceutical sciences advancement. Take your education to the next level with a PhD at UBC Pharm Sci. It's where you'll work shoulder to shoulder with other leading experts in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, contributing knowledge, developing solutions, and shaping the future of health care. Come to work every day at one of the world's most inspiring campuses, where you will find exceptional mentors and supervisors, and state-of-the-art facilities.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

$40,000

Minimum funding per year^*

Average years to completion

What makes the program unique?

At UBC Pharm Sci, our research has shaped our outstanding international reputation. This is the place to collaborate with some of the world's foremost pharmaceutical experts, generating relevant, evidence-based and industry-focused research that makes a positive impact on broader society.

As a PhD student, you will embark upon a journey of academic discovery by working alongside renowned researchers who are at the top of their fields. Right from the onset of the program, you will be welcomed by a vibrant collegial community, receive individualized guidance to shape your customized study plan, and receive mentorship from senior researchers. During the program, you will enrich your knowledge and build your skills set to prepare for careers in academia or industry, while exploring research frontiers in world-class facilities. Our graduates are often highly sought after by the pharmaceutical industry for their expertise in drug discovery and development.

Our PhD program attracts some of the brightest and most curious scientific minds, so you can expect to work alongside some of the best scholars to inspire you. Our student body is diverse both in terms of educational backgrounds and global talent. More than half of our graduate students join us from countries outside of Canada, bringing various perspectives to share. We offer orientation events to help new students integrate into life here in Vancouver, at UBC and within the Faculty. And our Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Student Society (PharGS) will help support you through your educational journey and make you feel right at home.

UBC has the top Pharmaceutical Sciences program in Canada, which was a major draw for me to choose UBC. Also, the campus is beautiful and Vancouver is a great city!

Danielle Hanke

Quick Facts

Faculty Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Academic Unit Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Specialization Pharmaceutical Sciences

Mode of delivery In person at UBC Vancouver

Program Components Dissertation

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: 5,738.52 | International: 10,081.65

Median Funding 50% of students receive $45,175 or more funding in each of the first four years, before tuition and fees

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$118.50	$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year	3	3
Tuition per installment	$1,912.84	$3,360.55
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)	$5,738.52	$10,081.65
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (for eligible individuals)		$3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,169.35 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
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.

Financial Support

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.

Program Funding Packages

Funding Statistics

Please note that effective September 2026, UBC’s guaranteed funding for full-time PhD students in years 1-4 was raised significantly, to a minimum of $40,000 per year. These historical statistics do not account for this change, i.e., the funding landscape for incoming students is not necessarily comparable to the historical values.

Based on the criteria outlined below, 33 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $45,635 and a median of $45,175.

This results in a net balance (any funding provided to the student minus tuition and fees) mean of $38,344 and median of $38,962.

18 students received Teaching Assistantships. Median TA funding based on 18 students was $14,843.
29 students received Research Assistantships. Median RA funding based on 29 students was $13,207.
2 students received Academic Assistantships. Median AA funding based on 2 students was $6,577.
33 students received internal awards. Median internal award funding based on 33 students was $3,816.
17 students received external awards. Median external award funding based on 17 students was $35,000.

Study Period: Sep 2024 to Aug 2025 - funding for full-time PhD students enrolled in three terms per academic year in this program across years 1-4, the period covered by UBC's Minimum Funding Guarantee. Mean and median values might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
Review methodology

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their 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.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

UBC has working agreements with MPower Financing - an organization providing international students with no-cosigner, no-collateral education loans to study in Canada - and Windmill Microlending - an organization providing loans to skilled immigrants.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
Applications	29	46	76	49	56
Offers	7	7	10	9	8
New Registrations	5	4	7	7	5
Total Enrolment	43	46	44	40	42

Completion Rates and Times

This program has a graduation rate of 85.7% based on 31 students admitted between 2012 - 2015. Based on 24 graduating students from the 2012 - 2015 admissions cohort the minimum time to completion is 3.7 years and the maximum time is 8 years with an average of 5.6 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Disclaimer

Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.

Year	Citation
2012	Dr. Pak investigated a family of human enzymes, present throughout our bodies, that transfers chemical groups onto proteins, in order to regulate cell growth and proliferation. Her research has shown how these enzymes can work together in cells, and has provided new therapeutic avenues for breast and prostate cancers.
2012	Dr. Kharmate discovered a new role for somatostatin receptors to attenuate by epidermal growth factor (EGFR) tumor promotion. This study emphasizes that activation of somatostatin receptors along with inhibition of EGFR will serve novel therapeutic approach in the treatment of EGFR positive tumors.
2012	Dr. Rajput's research provided new insight for the role of somatostatin receptors in neurological disorders. He demonstrated that lack of somatostatin receptors mimic neurochemical changes observed in Huntington's disease models. Activation of somatostatin receptors dissociates NMDARs complex formation and modulates downstream signaling pathways involved in excitotoxicity.
2012	Dr. Woolcott's research was in the area of falls in the elderly. He assessed the care provided to elderly fallers while patients of the Emergency Department compared to current recommendations. His work also estimated the costs of a fall and simulatied hypothetical changes to the care delivered.
2012	Dr. Sadatsafavi developed and tested new methods for the analysis of uncertainty in medical decision making and estimating the benefit of future research and the optimal design of randomized controlled trials.
2012	Recent advances in genetic sciences offer access to tests that can improve prediction, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Dr. Najaf-zadeh evaluated the clinical benefits and costs of using several genetic tests in medical practice. His research will contribute to the selection of genetic tests that are most valuable for patients, physicians and society.
2011	Dr. Wang revealed high blood glucose releases endothelial heparanase, while high fatty acids induces heparanase nuclear translocation during diabetes. These studies assist us in understanding the metabolism of heart, and may serve to reduce the cardiovascular complications associated with diabetes.
2011	Dr. Mugabe has developed novel formulations of anticancer drugs, known as paclitaxel and docetaxel. These novel formulations are based on small and adhesive nanoparticles and are used in the treatment of bladder cancer. Furthermore, these treatments have shown increased bladder tissue drug levels and efficacy in a mouse model of bladder cancer.
2011	Dr. Misri developed an imaging agent comprised of magnetic nanoparticles and radioactive antibodies for imaging cancers with SPECT and MRI. Such an imaging agent has application in the early detection and monitoring of mesotheliomas, pancreatic and ovarian cancers.
2011	Dr. Hakim demonstrated that jaw injections of the protein Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha induced muscle pain through peripheral mechanisms without causing muscle damage. It was also found that this muscle sensitisation is mediated, in part, by increased levels of prostaglandin E2. These findings could be used to develop models of human jaw muscle pain.

Person with long blonde hair outside on a sunny day

Tiffany Price

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)

Examining anticholinergic effects on disease progression and survival outcomes in patients diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Person in a dark shirt standing near a light wall

Vanessa Chan

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)

Targeted Delivery of TLR7/8 Agonists for the Enhancement of Cancer Immunotherapy

Tamara Mihic

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD)

Opioid Agonist Treatment Initiation and Continuation in a Hospital Setting

Program Website

Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
Contact the program

Supervisor Search

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.

Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Overview

What makes the program unique?

Quick Facts

Admission Information & Requirements

Program Instructions

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

English Language Test

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Other Test Scores

2) Meet Deadlines

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

Letters of reference

Statement of Interest

Supervision

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program

Citizenship Verification

4) Apply Online

Research Information

Research Highlights

Research Focus

Facilities

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Financial Support

Program Funding Packages

Funding Statistics

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Foreign government scholarships

Working while studying

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Cost Estimator

Career Outcomes

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample Employers Outside Higher Education

Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education

PhD Career Outcome Survey

Disclaimer

Career Options

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates and Times

Disclaimer

Doctoral Exams Upcoming

Monday, June 8, 2026 - 09:00 - 3335, Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, 2405 Wesbrook Mall

Research Supervisors

Supervision

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

Sample Thesis Submissions

Doctoral Citations

Related Programs

Same specialization

Further Information

Specialization

UBC Calendar

Program Website

Faculty

Academic Unit

Program Identifier

Classification

Tiffany Price

Vanessa Chan

Tamara Mihic

Program Enquiries

Social Media Channels

Supervisor Search

Curious about life in Vancouver?