Pharmacology and Toxicology Students' Association

Our Program

Pharm & Tox at U of T

Pharmacology and Toxicology has in the past been offered only as specialist programs for undergraduate students. This year marks the advent of the major programs in Pharmacology and Toxicology. With the increased number of students, the undergraduate Pharmacology & Toxicology program now boasts the largest enrolment among the Medical Sciences programs and has the second largest enrolment among the Life Sciences programs. The department also offers a double-specialist in Pharmacology and Toxicology and also an integrative Environmental Toxicology program.

If you'd like more information regarding the undergraduate Pharmacology or Toxicology programs click here

If things are unclear, please contact Dr. Woodland our undergraduate coordinator: cindy.woodland@utoronto.ca

Be proud of your program!

Pharmacology & Toxicology have traditionally been considered a graduate field of study. In fact, only two universities in Ontario offers Pharmacology at an undergraduate level. For Toxicology it is even fewer, only two universities in all of Canada provide undergraduate programs.

So you're in Pharmacy eh

When you tell someone you're studying Pharmacology, chances are good that you will be asked this question: "Oh so you're gonna be a pharmacist eh?". I believe every self-respecting Pharmacology student should be able to articulate the difference between Pharmacy and Pharmacology so that in the future, when that person comes across a Pharmacology student they'll say "Hey! I know the difference!".

Pharmacy is a patient-centered profession that entails the preparation and dispensation of drugs and the dissemination information concerning medications. Pharmacology is a core science which Pharmacy and Medicine draws upon in order to understand the basis by which compounds ameliorate ailments. Neither Pharmacy or Pharmacology is better than the other. Pharmacists are expected to be highly knowledgeable with regards to Pharmacology, and often partake in Pharmacological research. The bottom line is Pharmacology and Pharmacy are quite distinct.

Options after undergrad

The beauty of Pharmacology & Toxicology is that it is not a science in itself as much as it is a marriage of other sciences. Classically Pharmacology relied heavily on Physiology and Biochemistry. With the advent of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Pharmacology has expanded its jurisdiction to encompass all areas of medical science and can be integrated with virtually any field, e.g.) neuropsychopharmacology, biochemical toxicology, molecular pharmacology etc. In short, an undergraduate program in pharmacology or toxicology by no means limits one's options in the future. It is an excellent preparatory program for Dentistry, Graduate studies of all kinds, Medicine, and Pharmacy.