Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D] Course Details - Admissions, Eligibility, Duration and Course Fees

About Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• Pharm. D full form, Doctor of Pharmacy is a Professional Pharmacy Doctoral Programme.

• The degree awarded for this course is known as Pharm.D or Pharma.D which is an abbreviated form of the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

• Pharmacy Council of India introduced the Pharm.D 6 years course in India from the academic year 2008.

• The Pharm.D course syllabus is designed to give due emphasis on:

  • Pharmaceutics

  • Medicinal Biochemistry

  • Pharmaceutical Microbiology

  • Pharmacognosy & Phytopharmaceuticals

  • Pharmaceutical Analysis

  • Clinical Research, etc is some of the D Pharmacy subjects.

• Mentioned below are the colleges that offer the Doctor of Pharmacy course:

  • JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysore

  • Sri Ramachandra University, Chennai

  • SRM University Kattankulathur Campus, Kanchipuram

  • Acharya Institute of Technology, Bangalore

  • Jaipur National University, Jaipur

  • VELS University, Chennai

  • Smt. Sarojini Ramulamma College of Pharmacy, Mahbubnagar, etc are among the top Pharm.D colleges in India.

•  The basic eligibility criteria for pursuing Pharm.D course in India is Physics and Chemistry as compulsory subjects along with one of the following subjects: Mathematics or Biology with minimum 50% marks.

• The number of D Pharm course admissions is prescribed by the Pharmacy Council of India from time to time and presently it is restricted to 30 students intake for Pharm.D course per academic year.

• The D Pharm course job scope and employment are very wide and secure.

What is Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]?

• Doctor of Pharmacy is a Doctorate Degree Course.

• 'Pharm.D' is a Latin term which stands for 'Pharmacia Doctor' which means 'Doctor of Pharmacy'.

• Pharm.D course is a registrable qualification under the Pharmacy Act, 1948.

• Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) is the regulatory body of Pharmacy education in India.

• The D Pharm course is designed to make the students competent as per the global demand in the management of patient medication therapy and improve patient outcomes.

• The students acquire their clinical knowledge and skills to manage patients with chronic or acute illness, to collaborate with other health care in the Pharm.D course.

• Upon successful completion of the course, students gain skills in diagnosis and treatment of diseases, selection and therapeutic usage of drugs, monitoring of patients, etc.

• Doctor of Pharmacy Programs is focused on classroom theory, penetrative laboratory experiments, and motivated research projects.

• Only PCI approved Colleges can offer Pharm.D courses in India.

• There is only a limited number of Pharmacy Schools which provide the Doctor of Pharmacy degree.

Why Choose Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]?

• Pharm.D course enables one to prefix the title of 'Dr.' for the purpose of practicing the Pharmacy Profession.

• D. Pharm course is a registrable qualification for practicing pharmacy profession under the Pharmacy Act.

• Many graduates pursue careers in a hospital pharmacy where they are directly involved in patient care working in partnership with physicians, pharmacists increasingly assume responsibility for medication therapy management.

• Pharm.D course graduates are eligible to be medical writers or medical advisors in pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical device and managed care companies.

• Pharm.D course graduates work in this field of pharmacy provide medications, such as intravenous antibiotics, pain management medication, nutritional supplements, and chemotherapy.

• Pharmacists with expertise in specialized areas such as consulting, legal practice, drug information, poison control, and pharmacy affairs are becoming more in demand as the profession evolves creating more scope for Pharm.D course.

• After completing the D.Pharm course, candidates are also eligible to undertake a Ph.D. programme.

Top Colleges for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

Eligibility Criteria for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• About Pharm.D course eligibility the candidate must have completed 10+2 examination with Physics and Chemistry as compulsory subjects along with one of the following subjects: Mathematics or Biology with 60%.
  

• A Minimum aggregate score of 55% should be maintained at both 10th and 12th from a recognized board to be eligible for applying.

• A pass in Pharm.D course from an institution approved by the Pharmacy Council of India under section 12 of the Pharmacy Act.

• Any other qualification approved by the Pharmacy Council of India as equivalent to any of the above examinations.

• Provided that a student should complete the age of 17 years on or before 31st December of the year of admission to the Pharm.D course.

• Provided that there shall be reservation of seats for the students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other Backwards Classes in accordance with the instructions issued by the Central Government/ State Government/ Union Territory Administration as the case may be from time to time.

Admission Procedure for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• The D.Pharm course admission procedure may vary from institute to institute.

• Most of the colleges intake students on the basis of marks scored in GPAT.

• After that, they have to undergo counseling and personal interview.

• Some of the colleges select students on the basis of merit i.e, the marks obtained in one's bachelor's degree in the same field for the Pharm.D course.

• Colleges also conduct their own entrance exams for the D Pharm course admissions. 

Entrance Exams for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• GPAT (Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test)

• AIPSSCET (All India PG Super Speciality Common Entrance Test)

• BITS HD Pharmacy

• UP-CPMT (Uttar Pradesh Combined Pre-Medical Test)

• PMET (Punjab Pre-Medical Entrance Test)

• UPSEE Pharmacy (Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Examination)

Entrance Exam Pattern for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• However, candidates are advised to go through the topics in their Bachelor level of education and before for better understanding of the topics and to successfully crack the Entrance Examinations for Pharm.D course.

• Candidates should also refer previous year question paper samples and solve mock question papers for a clear idea of the examination and for better performance during the actual exam.

• Test Syllabus: Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Mathematics, and General English include questions based on the 10+2 Syllabus followed by major 10+2 Boards/Universities.

• Test Pattern: Applicable to B.Pharm course / Pharm.D course:

  • Duration - 2.30 hours, Questions - 200 (MCQ)

  • The approximate distribution of questions is as follows: Physics - 50, Chemistry - 50, Biology - 70, English & General Aptitude – 30.

Syllabus & Subjects Summary for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• Pharmacy is the art and science of making and dispensing medicines and drugs and this study is known as Pharm.D course.

• Pharm.D course in India is for the duration of 6 years introduced by Pharmacy Council of India where 5 years of study and a year of Internship programme or residency

• The course focuses more on clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical care as well as healthcare and way different from the traditional B.Pharm course which concentrates on Pharma industry and research.

• Pharm.D course duration is longer than a B.Pharm course. The Pharm.D course subjects include Human Anatomy & Physiology, Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry, Pharmacognosy & Phytopharmaceuticals, Medicinal Chemistry, Clinical Research etc.

• Pharm course duration also includes a year on internship or residency which should be:

  • Six months in General Medicine department.

  • Two months each in three other specialty departments.

Jobs, Scope, Salary, and Placements Summary for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• Pharm.D course enables the graduate to prefix the title 'Dr' to practice Pharmacy as a profession.

• Upon the successful completion of the Pharm.D course, the candidates are lucratively employed in both Government and Private Hospitals, or they can even start their own pharmacy.

• After Pharm.D course one can take up MBA course for 2 years to acquire management skills which in turn will help them get administrative jobs in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

• With the completion of Pharm.D course, the candidate will get the license to practice as Pharmacist in India or abroad.

• Some of the popular job profiles offered to Pharm.D course graduates are Clinical Pharmacist, Drug Inspector, Analytical Chemist, Nutritionists and many other.