For graduate students who have an adequate level of general pharmacological knowledge (assessed at the first meeting with the Graduate Advisor), there is considerable flexibility in the choice of graduate courses each student takes. A mixture of courses from within and outside the Department can be selected, with input from the supervisor, the supervisory committee, and the Graduate Advisor. There are two compulsory courses for both M.Sc. and Ph.D. students: PCTH 514 (Graduate Seminar) and PCTH 548F (Research Methods in Pharmacology).
M.Sc. and Ph.D. students without a background in pharmacology must complete a departmental undergraduate course recommended by the Graduate Advisor.
The selection of graduate courses by Master’s students will be guided by the program requirements stipulated by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies as follows: “The minimum course requirements are 30 credits, of which at least 24 must be numbered 500 to 699. A maximum of 6 credits at the undergraduate level in courses numbered 300 to 499 may be counted toward the requirements of a Master’s degree”. The 30 credits include the 12 M.Sc. thesis credits. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies allows M.Sc. students to carry a maximum of 6 credits of undergraduate courses towards the 30-credit requirement.
PCTH 514 – Graduate Seminar
All graduate students are required to participate in this 1 credit graduate program (by attending the weekly sessions and giving one presentation per year) which consists of graduate student presentations, external speakers, and information sessions relevant to graduate studies. Faculty members are expected to attend these sessions to provide constructive feedback to the presenters. For presentations given by first year students, a topic can be assigned by their research supervisor in their area of research or they can present work done previously or present on a topic they reviewed in literature. All students approaching the completion of their graduate program are required to give a full seminar on their work to members of the Department prior to their M.Sc. or Ph.D. thesis defense.
PCTH 548F – Research Methods in Pharmacology
Course Structure: Five discrete modules cover aspects of generic research methods common to Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Note that Modules 1 & 3 and 2 & 4 will run concurrently in the Fall and Winter, respectively, but in alternate weeks so that it is possible for students to take both modules at once, if desired. Module 5 is compulsory for ALL students.
For a list of PCTH graduate and undergraduate courses, please see website below:
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/courses.cfm?page=name&code=PCTH