Doctor of Pharmacy Top Colleges, Syllabus, Scope and Salary 2023

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Sounak Banerjee

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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

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.
Comparison

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

Pharm.D colleges in Coimbatore

The following are the list of some of the Pharm.D colleges in Coimbatore with fee detail.

Pharm.D colleges in Chennai

The following are the list of colleges in Chennai that offers Pharm.D Course

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
Average Salary

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?

Ans.Yes, the Pharm.D course is a good career because most of the people are still not aware of this course and they pay you a higher amount.

Ques. How do I fill the Pharm.D form?

Ans.You can fill the online form through the college official websites and some colleges have offline form options where you have to visit the college for the application form.

Ques. What are the top recruiting areas of Pharm.D?

Ans. The top recruiting areas of Pharm.D are health centers, drug control administration, and medical dispensing stores.

Ques. What is MPharmacy?

Ans. MSc pharmacy is a 2 year course for postgraduate students. The eligibility criterion is that a student has to clear B pharmacy with minimum 50% marks.

Ques. What are the government jobs for Pharm.D. in India?

Ans. Government jobs for Pharm.D. in India are drug inspector, pharmacists, etc.

Ques. Which is better, PharmD or BPharm.?

Ans. They both are better in their own way. Pharm.d focuses on clinical practise and allows the student to get hands-on experience while B.Pharm focuses on the manufacture of drugs and what new discoveries can be made in this field.

Ques. Is there any fixed working hours for Pharm.D?

Ans. No, there are flexible working hours for Pharm.D.

Ques. Is becoming PharmD worth the cost?

Ans. It is a subjective question but yes, PharmD is worth the cost invested by a student as they will get a high pay salary after the course. 

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