Masters in Pharmacology in Canada: Top Universities, Cost, Scholarships, Admission Eligibility & Requirements, Job Prospects

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada is both course and thesis-based full-time degree program. This is offered to only those students who prove to have a strong background in either pharmacology, pharmacy, or pure sciences including Mathematics. This is a 2-year degree program which is offered in well-known top Canadian universities. Dual degrees include Therapeutics or Toxicology along with Pharmacology that is offered in some universities.

The tuition for 2 years varies between 14,000 USD to 39,000 USD (approximately), depending upon the choice of university. For Indian students the cost of pursuing masters in pharmacology in Canada estimates to ~10 Lakhs to 29 Lakhs. You can get scholarships of an average amount of12,000 USD.

Students must also have an education of 16 years with a 4 years bachelor's degree to be eligible for admission to the Pharmacology graduate program. Applications for admission are accepted online by the respective universities. The average starting salary for a Pharmacologist is around 59,530 USD. 

Top Universities Offering Masters in Pharmacology in Canada

Around 6 universities in Canada offer a master's degree in Pharmacology. They are mostly dual degrees with Toxicology or Therapeutics. The following table shows some of the leading Canadian universities offering Masters in Pharmacology along with their global and national subject rankings:

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada Course Outline

Students admitted to Masters in Pharmacology are usually supposed to submit a thesis at the end of the second year. This thesis-based course includes the following subjects that are mandatory to study before choosing a subject for specialization:

What is the difference between Pharmacy and Pharmacology?

Masters in Pharmacology and Masters in Pharmacy in Canada are two different disciplines of the medical field. While Pharmacology deals with studying the effects of medication on living beings, Pharmacy, on the other hand, is the scientific study of the chemicals involved in designing a medication or dose.

The following section gives a broader idea about other differences between the 2 disciplines:

Cost of Studying Masters in Pharmacology in Canada

The total cost of tuition for pursuing MS in Pharmacology in Canada varies from 13,720 USD to 38,940 USD for 2 years. To get a complete estimate, including costs of living costs, books, one-time expenses, and personal expenses while calculating. Read on to get an understanding of the approximate price to be paid.

One-Time Expenses

When applying for a Masters in Pharmacology in Canada, the international applicants will have to pay various types of fees like application fees, the fee for standardized and/or English language tests and other additional fees required that may be required after landing in Canada.

Following table shows the estimated one-time costs to be incurred by applicants pursuing a Masters in Pharmacology:

* Varies with each university.

Annual Expenses

The total cost of attending Masters in Pharmacology for one year includes tuition fees, living costs in Toronto and the cost of books.Total amount varies from 15,188 USD to 25,934 USD (excluding one-time payments) in Canada for international students. The following table shows the university wise fee to be paid on a yearly basis:

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada with Scholarships

Some of the university-wise and other government-funded scholarships offered to students pursuing Masters in Pharmacology in Canada are as follows:

University Funded Scholarships

• Eldon Boyd Fellowship and the Pharmacology and Toxicology Alumni Graduate Fellowship: At Queen’s University minimum funding of 16,164 USD is offered to graduates opting for this dual course.
• University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (UMGF): Valued for one year, valuing 10,775 USD for Master's students.
• At the University of Toronto, 2 types of scholarships are offered commonly for graduate students. They are:
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship: Worth 11,280 USD per session is offered.
  • Ontario Trillium Scholarship: Around 20,000 USD is offered per session.

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada Admission Process

The admission process for MSc in Pharmacology in Canada includes the fulfillment of basic eligibility and additional requirements from international students. The following section outlines the eligibility criteria and the admission requirements for an international student.

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada: Eligibility

• 4 years bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology or a related Science field, from a recognized university to be eligible for admission.
• GRE scores not older than 5 years are required directly from the conducting authority. It is not a mandatory requirement for some universities.
• Proof of 10+2+4 years of education is mandatory. If the bachelors are of 3 years then applicants may have to enroll in a Certificate/Diploma/undergraduate course to fulfill the eligibility.
• International students would be eligible for admission to MS in Pharmacology only after they submit English Language Proficiency test scores of either TOEFL/IELTS.

MS in Pharmacology in Canada: Admission Requirements

For international students some of the admission requirements for Masters in Pharmacology in Canada are common like submission of the following supporting documents:

• Transcripts: Official mark sheets and transcripts of high school and college.
• CV/Resume: An updated CV or resume is mandatory to prove educational and professional background.
• Statement of Purpose/Intent: Mentioning the applicant’s goals, career expectations and reasons for opting Masters in Pharmacology from Canada.

There are other additional admission requirements, that have been tabulated below, university wise like English Language Proficiency scores, letters of recommendation, GRE and GPA requirements, etc:

Note: All universities mentioned in the above table mandatorily require a thesis or research project, at the end of the degree program.

Masters in Pharmacology in Canada: Jobs

The average starting salary for a Pharmacologist in Canada with a master's degree in Pharmacology is close to 59,530 USD per year. There are various job profiles that students can opt for after completing their Masters in Pharmacology in Canada, that are mentioned in the table below along with the starting salaries:

The admissions in Masters in Pharmacology for international students are challenging. Not many students are selected for enrollment. The only way to get admissions is to have good academic scores in the last two years of bachelor's and overall strong experience professionally or in research in Pharmacology. A lot depends upon the level of inclination and willingness to work in the field which can only be proved through the recommendations and essays. Overall this can prove to be a fruitful option seeing the job opportunities for Pharmacologists in Canada and their beyond national average salaries.

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