Dear candidate,

Pharm. D. is a 6- year doctorate level course, including five years of academic study and a year of internship or residency. The course aims to prepare eligible candidates students in the management of patient medication therapy and improving patient outcomes.    Pharm. D. is the art and science of preparing and dispensing medicines. The course has been designed to train eligible candidates in clinical pharmacy, pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical care. 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.

The basic eligibility criterion to apply for the course is a 10 + 2 or equivalent qualification from a recognized board and a qualified diploma in Pharmacy from any Pharm. D. College recognized by Pharmacy Council of India (PCI). The average fee charged for the course in India ranges between INR 6 and 20 Lacs, varying across Institutes. Various institutes accept score GPAT for the admission.

Upon completing the course successfully, postgraduates are lucratively employed in both private and government hospitals, or run open their own pharmacy. The average initial annual salary offered to such postgraduates ranges between INR 3 and 10 Lacs, depending upon the candidate’s skillsets.

After completing the Pharm.D course, graduates can take up a Ph.D. programme.

Work abroad scope is very promising in the Pharm.D course. Working together with physicians, pharmacists increases responsibility for medication therapy management. 

Some of the major key employment fields for the D.Pharm course graduates are mentioned below:

Employment Areas for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

• Clinical Pharmacist

• Hospital Pharmacy Director

• Hospital Staff Pharmacist

• Pharmacist

• Pharmacist in Charge

• Retail Pharmacist

• Retail Staff Pharmacist

Job Opportunities for Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D]:

Pharm.D course graduates can work as a community practitioner who can prescribe medications for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders etc.

D Pharm course candidates are also eligible to work as drug experts, drug interaction specialists, and nutritionists.

Pharm.D course graduates have become an affordable and reasonable alternative to medical graduates for many small-scale organizations.

There are a high number of jobs available for Pharm.D course graduates in medical coding, medical billing, and the health insurance industry.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and state level government medical companies such as Tamilnadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC), Kerala Medical Services Corporation (KMSCL) and West Bengal Medical Services Corporation (WBMSC) etc., hire Pharm.D course graduates for various positions.

Aspirants are employed in some of the leading global organizations such as Novartis, Cognizant, Biocon, Pfizer, Accenture, GlaxoSmithKline, GE healthcare, TCS, Dr. Reddy’s, iGate Patni, Ranbaxy, Quintiles, Thomson Reuters, Global Hospitals, TTK healthcare, etc.  

The average salary of an employee with a Doctorate of Pharmacy [Pharm.D] degree is Rs 6,80,000 per annum.

Hope the answer is helpful.

All the best.