Ph.D. in Pharmacy Eligibility, Top Colleges, Syllabus, Duration, Salary

Ph.D. in Pharmacy is a 3-year full-time doctoral course divided into 6 semesters. Minimum eligibility for pursuance of the course is the successful completion of post-graduation in Pharmacy, completed from a recognized university.

The course’s curriculum includes both theoretical instruction and practical exposure, such as advanced practical experiences, completion of eight rotations.

Pharmacy is the science and technique of preparing and dispensing drugs. It is a health-based profession that links health sciences with chemical sciences and aims to ensure the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs. This course includes modern services related to health care including reviewing medications for safety and efficacy, clinical services, and providing drug-related information. 

Some of the top institutes that offer the course in India are listed here:

• B.R. Nahata college of pharmacy, Mandsaur
• University of Mumbai, Mumbai
• Yash institute of pharmacy, Aurangabad
• Vinayaka mission university, Salem
• CT Group of Institutions, Jalandhar
• Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar
• SRM University, Chennai
• Integral University, Lucknow
• M.S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bangalore
• Jaipur National University, Jaipur.

The average tuition fee charged for the course in India ranges between INR 30,000 to 15,00,000 for a span of 4 years.

Successful graduates of the course can expect anything between INR 2 to 20,00,000 as annual salary in the industry, increasing with experience and skillset.

Admission to the course is based on the round of counselling conducted after the candidate’s qualification of a relevant entrance test, such as CSIR- UGC NET.

Ph.D. in Pharmacy: Course Highlights

Tabulated below are some of the major highlights of the course.

Ph.D. in Pharmacy: What is it all About?

The falls within the discipline of Pharmaceutics. The program is of relevance with respect to current research activities in the area, basic, applied and clinical investigations in the areas of Bio pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Drug Delivery, and Drug Discovery.

Specifically, Bio pharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics encompass the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs in animals and humans, and the relationship between drug concentration and effect.

Pharmaceutical Biotechnology includes molecular biology, immunology, and aspects of the delivery of peptide and protein drugs. Pharmaceutical Analysis involves the application of spectroscopy, chromatography, extraction, electrophoresis, immunoassays, and radioisotope assays to drug determination.

Drug Delivery includes physical, biological and chemical approaches to drug delivery, formulation and evaluation of dosage forms. Drug Discovery is associated with receptor-oriented/ retro metabolic drug design, computer assisted drug design, chemical/ physical approaches to controlled drug delivery, and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamics correlational approach to improved therapeutic index.

Such professionals professionally sterile products for patients and also invent other medications given intravenously. This is a complex process that requires adequate training of personnel, quality assurance of products, and adequate facilities.

The high cost of medications and drug-related technology, combined with the potential impact of medications and pharmacy services on patient-care outcomes and patient safety, make the presence of skilled Pharmacists imperative.

Top Institutes offering Ph.D. in Pharmacy

Listed below are some of the top institutes in India that offer the course.

Eligibility for Ph.D. in Pharmacy

Listed below are the minimum criteria which candidates interested in pursuing the course are required to fulfil, in order to be eligible to apply for the course.

• Post-graduation in Pharmacy from a recognized institute.

                  OR

          M.Sc. in disciplines consistent with the research areas of the department.

• M.Tech. or equivalent degree in Pharmacy or other interdisciplinary areas.
• A minimum aggregate score of 55% (50% for SC/ST/OBC candidates) at the level of post-graduation.

Ph.D. in Pharmacy: Admission Process

In India universities have rights to set their own procedure and standards for admission to Ph.D. programs. But the set of requirements for the application are similar. These include a compulsory research proposal, detailing the proposed outline of the candidate’s Ph.D. project, and explaining the methodology one plans to employ.

Most institutes offering the course admit students based on their performance in a relevant entrance test followed by a round of Personal Interview. Admission process generally varies across institutes.

However, candidates are mostly selected based on performance in the CSIR-UGC/ CSIR (JRF)/ NET, etc. examinations, and subsequent rounds of Personal Interview.

Listed here are the top institute- specific entrance tests.

• GPAT
• LPU NEST
• KCET
• JNU Entrance Exam
• NMIMS Entrance Exam.

Ph.D. in Pharmacy: Syllabus and Course Description

A year - wise breakup of the course’s syllabus is given below.

Ph.D. in Pharmacy: Career Prospects

The majority of community pharmacists work in large retail chains or independent pharmacies of various sizes. Others are employed by small or medium-sized chain stores, GP surgeries, or health centres. The majority of hospital pharmacists work for hospitals within the NHS. It's also possible for such professionals to work for private hospitals.

Qualified pharmacists can work as locum pharmacists, either on a self-employed basis or through an agency. Pharmacy graduates are also employed by private sector organisations, e.g. pharmacy companies to work in areas such as research and development, marketing, quality assurance, sales and management.

Pharmacists are directly involved in patient care and work with existing drugs; while Pharmaceutical Scientists create new drugs and therapies. The training follows a wide range of disciplines to test, discover, and manufacture new drugs and therapies and they also evaluate their effectiveness and safety.

Pharmaceutical Scientists can find employment at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration, and national laboratories such as the National Institute of Health.

Some of the top professional avenues open to such professionals are listed below with the corresponding salaries offered for the respective positions.

A pass in Master’s Degree in Pharmacy/Pharm.D./ any other degree consider as equivalent to Mater’s degree in Pharmacy with a minimum of 55% marks or equivalent Grade Point Average (GPA) or in an examination recognised as equivalent thereto.