Pharm.D is a six-year course for doctorate-level students who wish to complete a doctoral program in professional pharmacy. During the course, candidates go through 5 years of academic study and 1 year of internship.
The eligibility criteria for the course Pharm.D is that students have to clear 10+2 in science subjects from a recognized school as stated by PCI (Pharmacy Council of India). The Pharm.D admissions are done on the basis of a merit list or entrance examination. The popular entrance examinations are BV CET, MET, GPAT, etc. Students have another path of studying PharmD which is through PharmD (Post Baccalaureate).
PharmD (Post Baccalaureate) can be studied by B Pharmacy graduates when they get admitted to PharmD program as lateral entry. Through this method, students will get admitted in the 4th year of the PharmD course and the duration is 2 years of academics and 1 year of internship.
The average fee for the PharmD is INR 6,00,000 lakhs - INR 20,00,000. The different job profiles in which PharmD graduates are absorbed after the completion of the course are Pharmacists, drug experts, retail pharmacists, hospital pharmacy directors, hospital staff pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, etc.
The average annual salary package for freshers is INR 3,00,000 - INR 10,00,000. It depends on the size of the company or organization, and its location. The top recruiting companies are Home health care, community pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, geriatric pharmacy, managed care, governmental agencies, etc
2.2 Who should do Pharm.D Course
3.2 Pharm.D Admission Process 2023
3.3 Entrance Exam
5.1 PharmD Subjects
5.2 PharmD Books
6.1 Bangalore
6.2 Hyderabad
6.3 Coimbatore
6.4 Chennai
8.1 USA
8.2 UK
8.3 Canada
8.4 Australia
PharmD Course Highlights
The course highlight includes the duration, eligibility, admission process, colleges, top recruiters, job profiles, fee and salary.
Course type | Doctorate |
Duration | 6 years |
Examination Type | Semester wise |
Eligibility | 10+2 with minimum 50% marks with science stream |
Admission process | Entrance exam |
Course Fee | INR 6,00,000 - INR 20,00,000 |
Average Salary (per month) | INR 3,00,000 – INR 10,00,000 |
Top Recruiting companies | Home health care, community pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, geriatric pharmacy, managed care, governmental agencies, etc. |
Job Position | Pharmacists, drug experts, retail pharmacists, hospital pharmacy director, hospital staff pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, etc. |
Pharm.D: What is it about?
Pharm.D is an important course that deals with the study of pharmaceuticals, medicine and drug-related practice.
- The course is divided into two stages. The first stage includes academic study. The total duration of this stage is for a period of 5 years. The second stage is the internship and residency training that involves pharmacy practice or clinical pharmacy service.
- The course was launched in India in 2008 and is regulated by the Pharmacy Council of India.
- Doctor of Pharmacy is a combination of science and the art of dispensing medicines.
- Students are acknowledged as practical in clinical pharmacy, and medical pharmacy.
- After completing the course, students are gained with the skills in diagnosis, therapeutics usage of drugs, treatment and selection of diseases, etc.
- They perform tasks like monitoring patients, diagnosing the disease, etc.
Why Study PharmD?
The PharmD course has its own set of advantages but it also gives an edge in the competitive world. The demand for PharmD graduates is high.
- Involvement in the community: Pharmacists are an important part of the community because they contribute to the health and welfare of the patients and residents. Also they served minorities.
- Many career options: There are a variety of career options in this field. Pharmacists can work in organizations, nursing homes, hospitals, colleges, and the medical industry.
- Part of the Healthcare Team: They work with the other professionals to ensure the continuity of care. They are playing an important role in decreasing chronic disease management. They are also a part of clinics, counseling patients.
- Growth: The growing rate of the Pharmacy industry is very fast these days. According to a report by IBEF, the Pharmacy Industry in India is expected to grow upto USD 65 Billion by 2024 and would double its size by 2030 to USD 130 Billion. Hence creating more employment opportunities.
- Flexibility: There is flexibility in work hours and it balances the work – personal life. There is day shift, night shift, 7 on shifts or 7 off shifts. You can choose either of the shifts which are comfortable.
- Autonomy: There is autonomy in work as you can choose your workplace and work hours. You can do a job or start your own business.
Who should do Pharm.D Course
- Aspirants who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare can pursue the Pharm.D course
- Candidates who are interested in working with various drugs regulation authorities and preventing medical or drug overdose should pursue this course.
- Candidates who want to pursue a career in pharmaceutical must pursue this course.
Pharm.D Admission Process
The admission to the majority of the Pharm.D courses are done mainly on the basis of entrance examination.However few of the colleges provide admission on the basis of merit list. The merit list is prepared on the basis of the marks obtained in 12th or equivalent exams.
The detail of the PharmD admission process has been described in the following section.
What is Eligibility Criteria for PharmD?
To be apply for PharmD Course candidate but fit in the eligibility criteria:
- Qualify 10+2 with minimum of 60% marks from a recognized board.
- Relaxation of up to 5% marks is considered for reserved categories such as SC/ST/OBC.
- Candidates who have completed their D.Pharm course with 40% in aggregate are also eligible to study for the Pharm.D course.
- Science stream with PCB (Physics, chemistry, Biology) or PCM (Physics, chemistry, Mathematics) as subjects are preferred.
- Some colleges or universities have different eligibility criteria as a common entrance test for admission.
Pharm.D Admission Process 2023
Pharm.D admission to the top colleges are done mainly through the entrance examination. The admission process generally takes place between May and June of each year. However the entrance exam has been postponed due to the second wave of the covd 19 pandemic. However, the entrance examination dates are expected to be released soon.
However, the candidates are required to follow the following steps in case of admission
- The registration form will be released on the official websites of the respective colleges or universities.
- The candidates are required to register themselves and fill in the application details. Then the candidates must fill up their admission form and upload the necessary documents
- Students have to submit the registration/application fee on the online portal before the last date and take out a receipt for further reference.
- The candidates must download the admit card and appear in the entrance exam
- Some colleges conduct counseling or GD/PI for the final selection.
- After final selection the candidates are required to pay the admission fee and confirm their seat.
PharmD Entrance Exam
To secure admission in the program candidates must clear national level or university level entrance exams. Some the entrance exams for PharmD are: Some of the important dates related to these entrance exams are discussed below.
Entrance Exam | Registration Date | Exam Date |
---|---|---|
GPAT | February 2023 | April 2023 |
MHT CET | February 10, 2023 to May 15, 2023 | June 15, 2023 to June 20, 2023 |
PU CET | May - June 2023 | July 2023 |
NMIMS NPAT | December 01 - May 21, 2023 | January 04 – May 31, 2023 |
CUCET | November 28 - May 29, 2023 | Novemeber 28- May 30, 2023 |
DSAT | Started | May 2023 |
How to Prepare for PharmD Entrance Exams?
Some preparation tips to clear entrance exams of respective college and universities:
- Be aware of the subject and entrance exam held in that course.
- Go through the previous year papers to get the knowledge about the exam pattern, sections.
- Be up to date with exam marks, section marks, per question marks, negative marking, etc.
- You should give a weekly test through online mode to save and utilize the time in study.
- One should have strong general awareness and English communication and writing skills.
- Learn from help books with the study material provided by the institute.
How to get Admission in Top PharmD Colleges?
Student can follow these guidelines to get admission in a good college or university:
- Try and score maximum marks in entrance exams to increase your chances of getting into your dream colleges.
- A good academic background is always a bonus.
- Boost your skills with extra co – curricular activities.
- Be aware of your interest area, strengths and weaknesses during your prep.
- Work on your weak areas to get best results and improve your soft skills.
Know more about: PharmD Cutoffs
Course Comparison: PharmD vs BPharm
Here is the comparison with parameters like course, eligibility, duration, admission process, colleges, top recruiters, job profiles, fee and salary, etc. between PharmD and B.Pharmacy Course are mentioned below:
Parameters | Doctor of Pharmacy | Bachelor of Pharmacy |
---|---|---|
Overview | Doctor of Pharmacy is a combination of science and art of dispensing medicines. Students are acknowledged as practical in clinical pharmacy, medical pharmacy. | This course aims at the candidates who want to open their own pharmacy store or join the research industry. Also, it teaches about medicines, drugs, formulations, etc. |
Duration | 6 years | 4 years |
Eligibility | 10+2 with minimum 60% marks in science stream | 10+2 with minimum 50% marks in science stream |
Admission process | Entrance exam | Entrance exam |
Top colleges | Chandigarh university, NIMS university, Manipal college of pharmaceutical sciences, Etc. | Jamia Hamdard, panjab university, BITS Pilani, etc. |
Job roles | Pharmacists, drug experts, retail pharmacists, hospital pharmacy director, hospital staff pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, etc. | Drug inspector, medical writer, pharmaceutical scientist, pharmacy business, etc. |
Average fees | INR 6,00,000 – INR 20,00,000 | INR 4,00,000 – INR 5,00,000 |
Average salary | INR 3,00,000 – INR 10,00,000 | INR 2,50,000 – 6,00,000 |
Top recruiting organization | Home health care, community pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, geriatric pharmacy, managed care, governmental agencies, etc. | Hospitals, government drug research institutes, medical clinics, etc. |
PharmD Syllabus
Syllabus for Pharm.D is semester wise. The syllabus is given for five academic years and each year contains two semesters.
PharmD Subjects
SEMESTER 1 | SEMESTER 2 |
---|---|
Pharmaceutics | Pharmaceutical organic chemistry |
Human anatomy & physiology | Pharmaceutical inorganic chemistry |
Medical biochemistry | Remedial mathematics / biology |
SEMESTER 3 | SEMESTER 4 |
Pharmaceutical microbiology | Community pharmacy |
Pathophysiology | Pharmacology 1 |
Pharmacognosy & Phytopharmaceuticals | Pharmacotherapeutics 1 |
SEMESTER 5 | SEMESTER 6 |
Pharmaceutical Analysis | Medical chemistry |
Pharmacology 2 | Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence |
Pharmacotherapeutics 2 | Pharmaceutical formulations |
SEMESTER 7 | SEMESTER 8 |
Hospital pharmacy | Clinical toxicology |
Clinical pharmacy | Biostatistics & research methodology |
Pharmacotherapeutics 3 | Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics |
SEMESTER 9 | SEMESTER 10 |
Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacoeconomic | Clerkship project work (6 months) |
Clinical research | Project work (6 months) |
Clinical Pharmacokinetics & pharmacotherapeutic drug monitoring | Year 6 |
- | Internship or residency training which includes posting in special units |
PharmD Important Books
These top books will help while pursuing PharmD. These books will give a better understanding of the topics.
Books | Authors |
---|---|
Handbook of drug information | Lacy Armstrong |
Hospital & clinical pharmacy | Paradkar, Siddique, Yadav |
Pharmacy practice | Harikishan Singh, |
Basic physiology | Sreekumar |
Clinical pharmacology | Roger walker |
Medical physiology | Guyton |
Pharmacotherapeutics | Dipiro |
Drug design | A.V.Kulkarni |
Anatomy & physiology | Toro – Toro |
Microbiology | Pelzer |
Pharmaceutics | Aulton |
Mathematics | S.S. Rangi |
Pharmacognosy | Kokate |
Organic chemistry | Morrison |
Immunology | Kuby |
PharmD Colleges in India
There are over 250 Pharm.D colleges in India. Admission to most of the Pharm.D colleges are done on the basis of entrance tests. The following are the list of top Pharm.D colleges in India
College Name | City | Average annual fees | Average annual salary |
---|---|---|---|
Chandigarh university | Chandigarh | INR 2,00,000 | INR 7,10,000 |
NIMS university | Jaipur | INR 1,50,000 | INR 4,00,000 |
Manipal college of pharmaceutical sciences | Manipal | INR 4,30,000 | INR 4,50,000 |
JSS college of pharmacy | Udhagamandalam | INR 2,84,000 | INR 3,20,000 |
LM college of pharmacy | Ahmedabad | INR 1,75,000 | INR 3,00,000 |
Goa college of pharmacy | Panji | INR 2,90,000 | INR 4,50,000 |
Poona college of pharmacy | Pune | INR 1,75,000 | INR 1,20,000 |
MM college of pharmacy | Ambala | INR 1,36,000 | INR 1,40,000 |
SRM University of technology | Kanchipuram | INR 5,10,000 | INR 8,32,000 |
Bharti Vidyapeeth Deemed university | Pune | INR 1,42,000 | INR 7,00,000 |
The following are the list of Pharm.D colleges in various major cities in India
Pharm.D colleges in Bangalore
The following are the list of top Pharm.D colleges in Bangalore with average fees
College Names | Average Fees |
---|---|
Dayananda Sagar University | INR 377,700 |
MS Ramaiah University | INR 1,979,500 |
Krupanidhi College of Pharmacy | INR 17,50,000 |
Karnataka College of Pharmacy | INR 1,060,000 |
T John College of Pharmacy | INR 1325,000 |
Pharm.D colleges in Hyderabad
The following are the list of some of the Pharm.D colleges in Hyderabad with fee detail
College Names | Average Fees |
---|---|
Sultan Ul Uloom College of Pharmacy | INR 480,000 |
Sri Venkateshwara College of Pharmacy | INR 410,000 |
Anurag Group of Institutions | INR 620,400 |
RBVRR Women’s College of Pharmacy | INR 426,000 |
Malla Reddy College of Pharmacy | INR 5,40,000 |
Pharm.D colleges in Coimbatore
The following are the list of some of the Pharm.D colleges in Coimbatore with fee detail.
College Names | Average Fees |
---|---|
Sri Ramakrishna Institute of Paramedical Sciences, Coimbatore | INR 960,000 |
Karpagam University | INR 15,00,000 |
RVS College of Pharmaceutical Science, Coimbatore | INR 408,000 |
Karpagam College of Pharmacy | INR 18,00,000 |
Nehru Group of Institutions, [NGI] Coimbatore | - |
Pharm.D colleges in Chennai
The following are the list of colleges in Chennai that offers Pharm.D Course
College Names | Average Fees |
---|---|
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai | INR 750,000 |
Vels University - Vel's Institute of Science Technology and Advanced Studies | INR 2,053,800 |
Jaya College of Paramedical Sciences College of Pharmacy | INR 2,70,000 |
CL Baid Metha College of Pharmacy, Chennai | - |
PharmD College Comparison
Here is a college comparison of the best colleges offering PharmD on different parameters:
Parameters | Chandigarh university | NIMS university |
---|---|---|
Overview | Chandigarh University is situated in Chandigarh. It is a private university with A+ grade by NAAC. | NIMS university is situated in Jaipur. According to ASSOCHAM, It is the best private university in 2018. |
Location | Chandigarh | Jaipur |
Eligibility | 10+2 with minimum 50% marks | 10+2 with minimum 50% marks |
Admission process | Entrance exam | Entrance exam |
Average fees | INR 2,00,000 | INR 1,50,000 |
Top recruiting organizations | Microsoft, Samsung, Google, Amazon, Dell, IBM, Sapient, Oracle, Flipkart, etc. | Dell, Cisco, CNBC, IBM, Adobe, Cairn, Wipro, VIVO, Intex, HDFC Bank, etc. |
Average salary | INR 7,10,000 lakhs | INR 4,00,000 |
Study Pharm.D Abroad
Candidates often prefer to study Pharm.D courses in the foreign universities because they offer the best of infrastructure, research facilities, experienced faculties and strong placements.
Candidates who have completed their high school in relevant streams (in this case science with Physics, chemistry and Biology).
The admission process also requires the candidates to pass the english proficiency tests such as IELTS, PTE or TOEFL.
The candidates are required to also submit proof of their Bank statement and letter(s) of recommendation.
The following are some of the institutes that offer Pharm.D course in the following countries
USA
College Name | Average Fees |
---|---|
University of Cincinnati | INR 111,49,460 |
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | INR 237,79,107 |
University of Arizona | INR 66,88,213 |
University of Iowa | INR 128,80,803. |
University of Missouri | INR 166,17,901 |
UK
College Name | Average Fees |
---|---|
University of Liverpool | INR 73,11,346 |
University of Birmingham | INR 72,88,417 |
UK College of Pharmacy, University of Kentucky | INR 40,06,183. |
University of Manchester | INR 75,72,855 |
University of Reading | INR 6,438,521 |
Canada
College Name | Average Fees |
---|---|
University of Toronto | INR 102,59,254 |
McGill University | INR 2,902,428 |
University of British Columbia | INR 16,11,708 |
University of Alberta | INR 10,44,088 |
University of Waterloo | INR 3,765,199 |
Australia
College Name | Average Fees |
---|---|
Flinders University | INR 7,943,638 |
University of Technology Sydney | INR 8,023,485 |
University of Newcastle | INR 9,605,296 |
Curtin University | INR 8,256,208 |
University of Tasmania | INR 8,613,545 |
PharmD Jobs and Salary
The career options after the PharmD are Pharmacists, drug experts, retail pharmacists, hospital pharmacy director, hospital staff pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, etc. The career options are described in detail below with their roles and average annual salary.
Job profiles | Description | Average annual salary |
---|---|---|
Pharmacist | The role of a Pharmacist is to ensure the medicines given to patients are correct and the quality of medicines given to patients. They have to counsel the patients about the medicines, timings to take medicines and how to take them. | INR 2,88,000 |
Hospital pharmacy director | The role of Hospital pharmacy director is to distribute drugs, drug control, ensure medication safety, clinical services as patient care, etc. | INR 3,90,000 |
Retail pharmacist | The role of Retail pharmacist is to dispense and control the prescribed and non-prescribed medicines. They order and sell the medicines and other stocks. | INR 1,97,000 |
Drug expert | The role of a Drug expert is to prepare medication use policies, rules & regulations. They ensure the improvement of the health system. Distributing newsletters containing medication information. | INR 5,80,000 |
Clinical pharmacists | The role of Clinical pharmacists is to take care of patients and be aware of his/ her health. Evaluates the effectiveness of patients' medications. | INR 3,09,000 |
PharmD Future Scope
After completing PharmD there are a plethora of opportunities in the academic field as well as job opportunities. You can explore your path according to your liking:
- For further studies, you can pursue a Bachelor's in pharmacy or 2nd year in B.Pharma if you have completed PharmD.
- You can secure a job at drug stores of private and government hospitals. You can work in health clinics, NGOs, etc. by checking the dispensing medicines and advising them on the directions.
- You can become an entrepreneur by opening your own pharmacy store as retail, wholesale.
- The top recruiting areas of Pharm.D are health centers, drug control administration, and medical dispensing stores.
Pharm.D :FAQs
Ques. Is Pharm.D course a good career?
Ques. How do I fill the Pharm.D form?
Ques. What are the top recruiting areas of Pharm.D?
Ques. What is MPharmacy?
Ques. What are the government jobs for Pharm.D. in India?
Ques. Which is better, PharmD or BPharm.?
Ques. Is there any fixed working hours for Pharm.D?
Ques. Is becoming PharmD worth the cost?