University of Toronto – Course Description
Ranking
University of Toronto is ranked 1st in the QS Canadian University Rankings 2014 (Pharmacy & Pharmacology)
Years of study
2 years prerequisite undergraduate courses + 4 years pharmacy program. Please click here for more details.
Curriculum
Please click here for the latest academic calendar details.
Fees
The tuition fee is around HKD $200K for international students and HKD $100K for domestic students per annum. The fee increases by 4% roughly every year. In addition, there is a payable fee of non-academic incidental / ancillary fee at around HKD $8,000 per year.
International Students
All qualified applicants from Ontario, other provinces or outside Canada may apply for the admission to the PharmD program.
International applicants should be aware that they may need to travel to Canada or the United States to write the PCAT as this examination may not be offered where they reside. As well, all applicants, even those who are from outside Ontario and Canada, must be prepared to travel to Toronto to participate in the admission interview process. Qualified applicants may be selected to attend an admission interview on any one of the dates given in the interview section. Applicants who are selected for, but do not participate in the interview process at their scheduled date and time, will not be considered for admission.
Applicants whose first language is not English may also be required to provide proof of English facility.
Candidates who are offered admission will be required to provide proof of status in Canada prior to the start of classes in September 2015.
Admissions
Pre-requisites and Typical Grades
Candidates must have obtained a cumulative university average of at least 70% (equivalent to a ‘B-’ at the University of Toronto); however, depending on the applicant pool the minimum for interview eligibility may be higher.
Candidates must have successfully completed all prerequisite courses at the appropriate levels (Grade 12U or University). Please note that applicants in most cases will require at least two years of university study to complete all prerequisite courses.
Interview process
Multiple mini interviews is the admission interview format adopted by the Faculty focuses on non-academic attributes. The interviews intend to explore applicant’s personality, teamwork and communication skills, as well as their abilities to think critically and creatively, to employ ethical reasoning and solve problems.
The following is an example of the type of question opening that may be posed during an interview session:
The parking garage at your place of work has assigned parking spots. On leaving your spot, you are observed by the garage attendant as you back into a neighbouring car, a BMW, knocking out its front left headlight and denting the front left fender. The garage attendant gives you the name and office number of the owner of the neighbouring car, telling you that he is calling ahead to the car owner, Tim. The garage attendant tells you that Tim is expecting your visit. Enter Tim’s office.
There are roughly 10 stations, each allowing 7 minutes for your answer…
This was a much more fun experience than standard interviews with one interviewer or the interview panel! There are no ‘tell me about yourself’ or ‘tell me about a time when you experienced _____” questions, just scenarios like the above.
Other Requirements
PCAT admission test. The minimum PCAT score requirements for the current year and interview notices will be posted on the applicant site early in March.
Internship
During both summers of 1st year and 2nd year, students are required to complete a 160-hour rotation in a community pharmacy or hospital pharmacy direct patient care setting. After completing the rotation at around mid-May, they will have to prepare a provincial qualifying exam towards the end of month. A 6-week internship is optional for students to take for gaining more exposure to the career while they are waiting for the exam results. They will be officially registered as a pharmacist once passed.
Some sharing of my 4th year…
The 4th year is made up of seven 5 week rotations in different pharmacy environments such as a standard pharmacy, a hospital, and several office settings for non-direct patient care rotations. Each student has two mandatory community pharmacy direct patient care rotations, two mandatory hospital pharmacy direct patient care rotations, and the remainder will be based on preferences. Essentially the student is paired with a preceptor pharmacist who coaches them in becoming an independent pharmacist at the particular site.
More articles about the other top canadian pharmacy schools will be coming soon… (e.g. University of British Columbia and University of Waterloo)
Author: a Pharm.D graduate 2014