Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR) Course, Eligibility, Syllabus, Fees, Scope

PGDCR full form is Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research, which is a part-time course offered in the field of medicine. It focuses on the essential principles of Clinical Research and standard regulatory control necessary to study the safety and efficacy of a drug or any other regimen.

Apart from focusing on clinical trial conduct, but also works on enhancing the required soft skills and organisational skills of the enrolled candidates. Students must hold a degree in one of the following disciplines to be eligible for a PG Diploma in Clinical Research: Life Science or Bio-sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nursing or Allied Health.

Students must pass a bachelor's degree in the field of biological sciences or psychology with a minimum percentage of 55 per cent. Some universities conduct entrance tests on the basis of which a merit list is released. Top colleges that offer PGDCR are Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Institute of Clinical Research of India, Bombay College of Pharmacy, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences and James Lind Institute.

Students can opt for careers in Clinical Research, Clinical Data Management and Clinical Trial Management. Top recruiters include Pfizer India Ltd., Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, GlaxosmithKline Pharmaceuticals ltd. and Cognizant Technologies.

Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research Course Details- Highlightd

PG Diploma in Clinical Research Eligibility Details

Once candidates have met the eligibility criteria for a PG Diploma in Clinical Research, they can apply to different colleges and universities. While, majority of the universities accept students based on the entrance examination scores, others provide admissions based on merit scores. Shortlisted candidates can apply for admission to the PG Diploma in Clinical Research.

Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research Admission

While the standard admission procedure remains similar for all the colleges, individual institutes may have their own admission procedure. Students are advised to carefully follow the admission procedure. Discussed below is the PG Diploma in Clinical Research admission procedure.

• Candidates are required to fill out the registration form on the aspiring college’s website.
• The second step in the process is appearing for the interview. The interview can either be telephonic or in person.
• The final step, after clearing the interview, is to pay the fees.
• The candidate must go through the eligibility criteria and the instructions provided by the respective colleges before applying.

Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research Syllabus

The entire diploma is divided into 6 Modules, which are designed to provide basic and practical knowledge on clinical research, clinical trial conduct, the regulations governing it, and the required communication and organisational skills.

Module 1-

• Introduction to Clinical Research, Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Action
• Bioavailability and Bioequivalence Studies
• Regulatory Affairs
• Global Drug Regulations
• Ethics in Clinical Research

Module 2-

• Clinical Trial Design

Module 3-

• Clinical Trial Conduct
• Compliance and Quality Assurance

Module 4-

• Pharmacovigilance

Module 5-

• Clinical Data Management and Biostatistics
• Project Management and Clinical Trial Documents

Module 6-

• Clinical Research Management
• Quality Audits and SOPs

PG Diploma in Clinical Research Fees

The fee structure of the PG Diploma in Clinical Research differs depending on college to college. Most colleges require students to pay the fees in instalments. The fee usually ranges between Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 Lakh.

Scope of PG Diploma in Clinical Research

There is a lot of scope after the completion of the PGDCR course. Students can get jobs relating to Clinical Research, Clinical Data Management and Clinical Trial Management. Students can also pursue higher studies, such as an MA in Psychology.

Career Opportunities after PGDCR

Several career opportunities are available after completing a postgraduate programme in Clinical Research. Some of the popular career options are Clinical Research Associate, Clinical Research Coordinator, Biostatistician, and Regulatory Affairs Manager. The foundation of clinical research is the determination of the safety and effectiveness of medications, devices, diagnostic products and treatment regimens intended for human use that may be used for prevention, treatment, diagnosis or relief of symptoms in any disease.

Clinical Research Associate: Clinical Research Associates are healthcare professionals who are responsible for performing activities related to clinical trials. They are very important in clinical research. Some of the areas they can work in are pharmaceutical companies, medical research institutes and government agencies.

Clinical Data Manager: Clinical Data Managers are professionals responsible for the generation of superior quality, reliable, and statistically well-informed data from clinical trials. The major responsibility of a Clinical Data Manager is to ensure well-maintained data support conclusions drawn from research, and thus, achieving this goal protects public health and creates confidence in the world of therapeutics.

Top Recruiters:

• Novartis India Limited
• Pfizer India Limited
• Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development
• GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Ltd.
• OncoRx Pharma Pvt. Ltd.
• Quintiles India
• Cognizant Technologies

Benefits of Pursuing a PG Diploma in Clinical Research

There are various benefits of pursuing a PG Diploma in Clinical Research, including carrying out clinical trials and research studies is provided by clinical research programme. The curriculum is designed to make students well-varsed in the analytics of data, ethics, and legal regulations. Students successfully completing a PG Diploma in Clinical Research have the necessary skills and abilities to make valuable contributions to the research projects.

PG Diploma in Clinical Research Salary

Candidates, after the completion of the PG Diploma course, earn varied salaries according to different profiles. The Clinical Research salary offered at entry-level positions ranges between Rs. 2.5 - 5 LPA, for mid-level profiles Rs. 5 - 10 LPA and for senior-level profiles Rs. 10 - 20 LPA.

Source: Glassdoor

Top Private Colleges in India offering PG Diploma in Clinical Research with Fees

PG Diploma in Clinical Research courses are offered by a number of private Indian institutes. The private institutes are slightly more expensive than a government institute. Mentioned below are the top colleges offering the PG Diploma course along with their respective fees:

Top Government PG Diploma in Clinical Research with fees

It is less expensive to attend a government-run college than it is to attend a private college. Some of the top government colleges that offer a PG Diploma in Clinical Research with their respective fees are mentioned in the following table:

Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research (PGDCR) is a part-time course offered in the field of medicine. It focuses on the essential principles of Clinical Research and standard regulatory controls necessary to study the safety and efficacy of a drug or any other treatment regimen. Students can get jobs relating to Clinical Research, Clinical Data Management and Clinical Trial Management after graduating.