Are you confused in choosing between top pharmacy courses B.Pharma Vs D.Pharma? Get deeper insights on the course structure, scope, salary and key differences between B.Pharmacy and D.Pharmacy.
Medical sciences is one of the most important sectors across various nations. It is indeed a crucial job line that consists of several domains like healthcare, nursing, and pharmaceutical studies. While there are plenty of courses for healthcare and nursing, questions are raised about courses on pharmaceutical science. There are plenty of pharma science courses, and amongst the rest, B Pharma vs D Pharma is one of the most popular and debated courses among aspirants.
B.Pharm or B.Pharma is one of the most popular undergraduate pharmacy degrees that provides students with essential knowledge of medicine manufacturing and biochemistry. On the other hand, D.Pharma is a short-term diploma course on pharmaceutical science that offers basic knowledge on medicine and pharmacy management.
In the current job market trends, both sets of courses have good job scopes and opportunities in both public and the private sector. G However, the real question is, which is better than the other? Let us understand more about B Pharm v D Pharm and which course is beneficial for students to lead successful careers.
Table of Content
- Key Insights
- Overview
- Eligibility
- Benefits of Pursuing
- Syllabus Structure
- Scope
- Salary
- Top Colleges in India
- Which One to Choose?
B.Pharm v D.Pharm - Key Insights
To understand all about what the course offers, we need to understand the basic difference between B. Pharm and D.Pharm course. A B.Pharm degree offers a variety of job opportunities in biomedical research, pharmaceutical science, and biochemistry. Similarly, D. Pharm opens up multiple job avenues, both in the biochemical and pharmacy studies stream. Both these courses are highly popular and reputed pharmacy courses in India. Some of the significant differences between the courses are given below.
Criteria |
B.Pharm |
D.Pharm |
Full-Form |
Bachelor in Pharmacy |
Diploma in Pharmacy |
Duration |
4 Years |
2 Years |
Eligibility Criteria |
50% in 10+2 with biology and chemistry as mandatory subjects |
50% in 10+2 with PCB or PCM as mandatory subjects. |
Fees |
INR 40,000 - 1 LPA |
INR 10,000 - 1 LPA |
Entrance Exams |
WBJEE, Odisha JEE, GCET, HPCET, NEET |
GPAT, UPSEE, AU AIMEE Pharmacy |
Average Salary |
4 LPA |
2.6 LPA |
B.Pharma Vs D.Pharma - Overview
Pharmacy courses offered in the medical sciences field enhance graduates' knowledge of drugs, biochemical receptors, and pharmacy management. Among list of pharmacy courses, B.Pharm and D.Pharm are some of the popular courses taken up by aspirants. Before studying the major differences between these courses, let us first understand what the courses offer in general.
B.Pharma is a four-year undergraduate pharmacy degree that has more weightage on pharmaceutical chemistry and basic biology studies. The coursework offers subjects like pharmaceutical analysis, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutical chemistry, etc., that offer more depth in technical studies. The intensive program has been successful at employing in prescription, manufacture, and provision of medicines.
Read More on B.Pharm
Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm or D Pharm) is a foundation course in pharmacy, with two years divided into four semesters. The course deals with the fundamentals of pharmaceutical studies and provides a basic understanding of common medicines. The course is designed in such a way to prepare the students to work under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist in hospitals and other related pharmaceutical fields.
Read More on D.Pharm
Compared to D.Pharm, B.Pharm has better scopes and opportunities in diverse fields of study and specialization. There are plenty of differences between B. Pharm and D.Pharm, let us understand more about the courses.
B.Pharm vs D.Pharm - Eligibility Criteria
Every course has some eligibility criteria. The basic criteria require aspirants to have at least 50% in their 10+2 studies from any stream. Some of the other eligibility criteria for the courses are as follows:
- B.Pharm admission criteria require students to satisfy the minimum eligibility criteria of 50% in 10+2 with biology and chemistry as mandatory subjects.
- Apart from basic eligibility criteria, students need to clear the prescribed entrance exam by the university or the college. Apart from state-level entrance exams, graduates should also clear university-level entrance examinations.
- D.Pharm eligibility criteria is very much similar to B.Pharm. It requires graduates to pass their 12th grade with a minimum of 50% aggregate from PCM or PCB stream.
- Pharm also requires students to clear specific entrance examinations both state-level and university level.
D.Pharm vs B.Pharm - Benefits of Pursuing
One of the most asked questions among pharmacy aspiring students is which course is better to pursue? When it comes to B.Pharma vs D.Pharma, we can understand the answer to this question by analyzing the benefits of the course. Both B.Pharm and D.Pharm are equally reputed but have a major difference when it comes to career streams. Before understanding its job scopes, let us get an understanding of the prospects of the course.
D.Pharm
- The D Pharm course offers more specialization studies in basic pharmacy and more on pharmaceutical management, which offers potential for students interested in setting up pharma centres.
- Graduates of this course can apply for pharma licensing and drug store sales with the help of this degree. D.Pharm can be pursued at any stage, so it isn't necessary for students to mandatorily pursue this after 10+2.
- Pharm attracts a lot of job opportunities in public pharmacy and also opens up avenues for entrepreneurship.
B.Pharm
- B Pharm course offers intense coursework, focussing more on biological study of the human body combined with biochemistry for pharma science. The course offers knowledge on drug manufacturing, chemical process, bio-receptors, and pharmacognosy that offers plenty of job scopes in various sectors.
- Graduates of this course can apply for research studies in virology and pathology centres as research scholars and work on vaccine development and biochemists.
- Job scopes are available in plenty for graduates of this course in top medical research organizations such as IMA, NIV etc. Just like medical graduates, there is an ever-growing demand for pharmacists and pharmacologists in the medical sector.
B.Pharm vs D.Pharm - Syllabus Structure
B.Pharma is a four-year specialized undergraduate program offered in the field of pharmacology sciences. The four-year course is equally split into eight semesters of study consisting of both theory subjects and practical subjects. B.Pharm syllabus inculcates basic sciences subjects like basic biology and chemistry, which is 10+2 PCB or PCM.
The coursework also includes biological mathematics subjects that offer a basic understanding of statistics and data representation and not much depth in mathematics. The 2nd and 3rd-year syllabus offers more specialized and applied subjects like organic chemistry for pharmaceutical studies, inorganic chemistry, pharmaceutical analysis, human anatomy and physiology, and much more that offers more understanding of the needs and necessities of drugs and corresponding ailments. At the end of the coursework, students are required to submit a dissertation on any research topic.
Read More on B.Pharmacy Syllabus and Subjects
D.Pharma is a short-term diploma program that is offered for two years. The course structure is split into two terms of study that incorporates basic sciences and pharmacy management subjects. Upon completing D.Pharm, graduates can take up B.Pharm for three years duration and have more depth of understanding than regular B.Pharm graduates.
D.Pharm coursework consists of subjects like pharmaceutics, biology and clinical pathology, and toxicology in the first year syllabus, laying the foundation for advanced pharmaceutical sciences studies. The second-year coursework consists of applied pharmacology subjects like Health Education pharmacy, community pharmacy, etc. Unlike B.Pharm, there are no mandatory projects that are required to be completed.
Read More on D.Pharmacy Syllabus and Subjects
B.Pharma vs D.Pharma - Scope
The job scope and opportunities for pharma graduates are high in India. A B.Pharma degree allows graduates to work as pharmacists, pharmacy experts, drug experts, biochemists, and other research-based roles in the public and private sector. B.Pharma graduates plenty of openings as India is one of the largest exporters of generic drugs globally, with over 50% of supply.
D.Pharma also has similar scopes as B.Pharma graduates but at a level below. D.Pharma graduates have plenty of job scope in pure pharmacy management and the drugs production domain. Graduates are hired in roles such as a pharmacist, store manager, drug therapist, medication consultant, etc., in private firms and government-aided organizations.
Both B.Pharma and D.Pharma graduates are mainly employed in the medical sciences field and medication drug manufacturing firms. The pay grade of B.Pharma graduates are generally higher than D.Pharma graduates in the current job market owing to their depth of knowledge and understanding of the pharmaceutical process.
Some of the key employment areas and job roles for B.Pharma and D.Pharma are given below :
|
B.Pharma |
D.Pharma |
Employment Areas |
Drugs Manufacturing, Pathology Research, Medical Research, Pharmacology, Chemicals Manufacturing, etc. |
Pharmaceutical Firms, Sales, Logistics Management, Medical Consultation, Clinical Pharmacy, etc. |
Job Designations |
Pharmacist, Biochemist, Research scientist, Clinical Pharmacy, Medication Consultation, Pharmacotherapy, etc. |
Pharmacist, Sales Manager, Retail Drugs Manager, Logistics Manager, Medication Consultation, etc. |
B.Pharma vs D.Pharma - Salary
The average pay scale for both B.Pharma and D.Pharma graduates vary based on several factors such as job role, job sector, work experience, and work ethics. Salary for D.Pharma freshers is comparatively lesser than B.Pharma freshers, but both offer competitive salary satisfying the current job market requirements. Some of the common job designation and average pay for B.Pharma graduates are mentioned below.
Job Role |
Average Payscale |
Pharmacist |
INR 2.56 LPA |
Senior Pathologist |
INR 10.1 LPA |
Drug Safety Associate |
INR 3.7 LPA |
Clinical Pharmacist |
INR 3.4 LPA |
Biochemist |
INR 3.5 LPA |
Hospital Pharmacist |
INR 4 LPA |
Read More on B.Pharmacy Salary
The average pay grade for D.Pharma graduates is quite lesser than the B.Pharma graduates. The difference in pay is due to less intense coursework for D.Pharma graduates. Salary packages increase by a considerable margin upon completion of B.Pharm along with diploma certification. Some of the popular job designations and the average pay are mentioned below:
Job Role |
Average Payscale |
Retail Pharmacy |
INR 2.56 LPA |
Pharmacotherapy |
INR 3.96 LPA |
Pharmacy Technician |
INR 3.43 LPA |
Pharmacy Sales Representative |
INR 3.12 LPA |
Patient Counselling |
INR 3.3 LPA |
Customer Service Associate |
INR 2.9 LPA |
Read More on D.Pharmacy Salary
B.Pharma vs D.Pharma - Higher Education Scope
Both B.Pharm and D.Pharma career paths have similar destinations for higher studies. For D.Pharm graduates, the B.Pharm course is the optimum higher education choice. Apart from B.Pharm, graduates oriented towards business management can opt for BBA and MBA in healthcare management. Upon completion of coursework, graduates also try for PGDM diploma courses.
B.Pharm graduates can opt for the M.Pharm course after completion of their undergraduate degree. Apart from that, they can also opt for M.Sc in Biochemistry and also management courses like MBA and PGDM. Graduates who are interested in research sciences can opt for PhD in Pharmaceutics after M.Pharm. Some of the courses that graduates can take after B.Pharma and D.Pharma degree are as follows:
B.Pharm vs D.Pharm - Top Colleges in India
Both B.Pharm and D.Pharm are offered by plenty of universities across the country.
Some of the top B.Pharm colleges are listed below:
- University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Bombay College of Pharmacy
- IIT Varanasi
- Jamia Hamdard University
- Bharati Vidyapeeth Poona College of Pharmacy
- IMTS Noida
Some of the top D.Pharm Colleges are listed below:
B.Pharm vs D.Pharm - Which One to Choose?
When we consider the current job market dynamics and India's growth in the healthcare sector, both the courses are worthy of job scopes and salary. B.Pharma is the course go-to course for graduates who are willing to carve out a career based on pharmaceutics science and biochemical drug manufacturing along with research. On the other hand, D.Pharma is the right choice for aspirants willing to know pharmacy science and management for running stores and labs. Both the courses have plenty of specialization studies which offers students the real opportunity to venture into their desired domain. B.Pharma vs D.Pharma is a choice that is difficult to make, and students need to consider all factors before finalizing.
Similar Career Paths: B.Pharma and D.Pharma graduates have quite similar career paths. When we consider higher studies, D.Pharma graduates can opt for B.Pharma and have more in-depth knowledge than regular B.Pharm students along with practical experience. The same applies to B.Pharm graduates, as they can opt for either M.Pharm or MBA after completing B.Pharm. So, it is clear that career paths are more or the less same, but payscale depends upon the qualification levels obtained. It is why B. Pharm graduates earn more than D.Pharm graduates.
Ever Growing Demand: Ever since India opened doors for pharma export, India has established itself as a household name in the pharma market, exporting over 50% of common drugs worldwide. The demand is always high for quality medicine which is proportional to the job scopes for pharma graduates. The recent development of COVID-19 vaccination has even opened up more scopes in testing facilities and production. Graduates of B.Pharma and D.Pharma are in equal demand in these sectors off late and are projected to increase as the research continues for the perfect vaccine against the pandemic.
When we understand the course structure, we can conclude that both the courses crossroads in terms of scopes and opportunities. It is the ultimate responsibility of the aspirant to weigh the pros and cons of the courses along with personal interests and opt for the right career path.
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