Frequently Asked Questions

Pharmacology is a biological science and academic discipline that deals with the properties, uses and action of drugs and chemicals in living systems. A degree in pharmacology is a science degree that does not enable you to practise as a pharmacist. 

Pharmacy, which does require knowledge of pharmacology, is a profession that requires registration with a provincial regulatory college in order to practice as a pharmacist. Only by obtaining the PharmD degree are you eligible to register and thus practice as a pharmacist. Subjects studied in pharmacy include the pharmaceutical sciences (pharmacology, pharmaceutics, drug metabolism, medicinal chemistry and pharmacokinetics), but also pharmacotherapy, law, communications, pharmacoepidemiology, management, and others focused on the skills you need to provide patient care. The main responsibility of a pharmacist is to ensure safe and effective use of medication for the patient. A pharmacist is also responsible for the legal distribution of scheduled drugs.

We admit between 130 and 140 students each academic year.

If you are a student attending a university or college in Alberta, there is an Alberta Transfer Equivalency Guide available online at Alberta Transfer Guide. If you attend a postsecondary institution outside of Alberta, please compare your course descriptions with those listed in the course catalogue. Our office keeps a small record of transferable courses from other major institutions in Canada, please email phstud@ualberta.ca with specific course questions.

In taking these prerequisites at another post-secondary institution, it is your responsibility as the applicant to make sure they are transferable to the University of Alberta.

Our office does not keep a record of transferable courses from outside Canada.

We do not ask or recommend letters of reference in the application procedure.

Official transcripts are due by June 15 of the year you wish to apply. If you are currently a U of A student, we will automatically pull your transcripts. Transcripts will also be sent on your behalf if you apply through ApplyAlberta. However, out-of-province students must request their transcript be sent directly from the issuing institution to:

University of Alberta
Administration Building
11487 89 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E6

OR to transcripts@ualberta.ca

Prerequisites can be taken in the spring or summer term. However, final transcripts must be in to the University by June 15 of the year you apply, so it is not possible to take spring and summer term courses the year that you are applying. Spring and Summer semester grades will not be used in the most recent two-year GPA calculation or the heaviest credit year GPA calculation.

No. The Faculty of Pharmacy + Pharmaceutical Sciences requires specific pre-professional courses to be taken at the university and/or college level.

It is most common for high school students to apply to a Bachelor of Science to complete their pre-professional courses.

Normally, students who present an overall GPA lower than 3.0 will not be considered for admission.

If you did not do as well as you wanted in a Biological Sciences prerequisite (human physiology, cell biology, biochemistry and microbiology), but still passed, you can explore taking the next level up in that subject area. 

Taking an advanced Biological Sciences class as a prerequisite will be assessed on a case by case basis and students should consult with the Faculty before proceeding.

You cannot retake a course that you did not fail, even if you are taking the equivalent course at another institution. It will be considered a repeat and ignored.

Yes. All highly ranked out of province students are considered for admission.

No.

No. However, it is deemed to be very important and helpful to have an awareness of the pharmacy profession and the responsibilities of being a pharmacist before you apply.

Please see the Residence Services website for information on student housing.

No. To complete the pharmacy prerequisites courses, you will enrol in another faculty wherein you can take the required classes, e.g., Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Agricultural, Life + Environmental Sciences.

If you are applying to the Faculty of Science for your prerequisites, you are not expected to declare a major or minor but may choose to do so.

No. Many students take more time to achieve the minimum number of credits and prerequisites, many even completing a degree, before they apply to Pharmacy. What we want to see is that all the required courses are completed and that, if you choose to meet the requirements in more than the minimum time period, you have maintained a full-time course load of, preferably, *30 credits or five courses in two consecutive terms, at least for one of those years.

This is variable. Please see the Government of Alberta, Wage Information webpage.

No. We do not discriminate based on the school you come from, as long as the courses are approved as university-level courses or equivalent to our prescribed prerequisite courses.

Like domestic applicants, international students need to complete the required pre-pharmacy coursework and also meet the English Language Proficiency and Spoken English Proficiency requirements. These prerequisites can be taken at any accredited university.

Applications must be received by March 1 of the year you wish to apply. Once you have applied, your application will be reviewed by an admissions advisor in the Office of the Registrar and they will let the applicant know what additional documents will be required for submission. Your transcripts and course descriptions will also be assessed for the required prerequisite courses. The Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences cannot pre-assess international coursework and transcripts. This will be done by the Office of the Registrar after your application has been submitted.

Unfortunately, due to differences in pharmacy practice, it is not possible to transfer from a pharmacy program at another university outside of Canada or the United States and receive transfer credit for the Pharmacy program offered by us.

The Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP) is responsible for all requirements, processes and decisions pertaining to the registration of pharmacists in Alberta. Please refer to the ACP website for current information and to obtain support related to applying to ACP.