What is Pharmacy?
As u know PharmacyIs commonly considered as a shop (also known as Medical store), where people go for buying medicines. But in the academic or professional world, Pharmacy is defined as the branch of science that links medical science with chemistry and it is charged with the discovery, production, control, disposal, safe and effective use of drugs.It is a field which is a union of health sciences with the chemical sciences.In short, Pharmacy  is a branch of science that deals with preparation and dispensing of medicines, and it is not only a drugstore, it can be a career option for those who study pharmacy to research and development of studies.The scope of pharmacy practice includes more traditional roles such as compounding and dispensing of medicines, and it also includes more modern services related to health care, including clinical services, reviewing medicines for safety and providing drug information.

 pharmacy courses and the duration of course

Diploma in Pharmacy(D.Pharma):- Diploma in Pharma is an entry-level tertiary pharmacy course that acts as a gateway for aspirants to pursue higher studies either from India or abroad. The purpose of D.Pharma subjects is to prepare students with the necessary skills and academic knowledge required for entry-level positions in retail pharmacies as well as Pharmaceuticals company.
D.Pharma is a foundation course in the pharmacy field for the duration of 2 years. This course covers the basic information related to the Pharmacy field. It comprises of all the subjects which are related to the pharmacy field.

There is no specialisation in D.Pharma.

Eligibility criteria:-Student who want to make his/her career in D.Pharma must have passed 10+2 or equivalent examination with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology.

Career Prospects:- After obtaining the diploma, registration with the pharmacy council is required to be a register pharmacist. A diploma holder can be employed as a registered pharmacist in a hospital or pharmacy dispensing drugs and pharmaceuticals. It is mandatory that at least one person employed in a pharmacy be a qualified and registered pharmacist. If we come to job opportunities then we can say that apart from choosing higher studies like B.Pharma, D.Pharma qualified students may start practising as Pharmacists in India.

Some of the recruiters who recruit them are as follows:-
• Government & Private Hospitals
• Private Clinics
• Community Health Centres

Bachelor in Pharmacy(B.Pharma):- A Bachelor of Pharmacy also known as B.Pharma or Pharm.B is an undergraduate academic degree in the field of pharmacy. Students who are interested to study about drugs and its effects on human body will opt this course. This course helps in the testing and researching of drugs for a particular disease and giving awareness about the dosage of drugs to the patient.In this course the students study about the drugs and medicines, Pharmaceutical Engineering, Medicinal Chemistry etc. In short, B. Pharma is a study of preparing and conferring drugs and medicines for a number of illnesses and deficiencies.
The duration of the B.Pharma course is 4 years, which is further divided into 8 semesters. Each semester lasting for a period of 6 months. Students will have to face the theoretical external examination as well as practical examination with the subject being hospital pharmacy, clinical pharmacy and community pharmacy.

Eligibility criteria:-Student can get the admission in the B.Pharma course through the following ways:
• Student must be qualified in 12th with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or Biology as mandatory subjects. The applicant must have scored at least 50% Mark’s in 12th .
• Student can get the direct admission in 2nd year through lateral entry. But he must have passed D.Pharma from a PCI (Pharmacy Council of India) approved institution.
• Student can also get the admissions by giving some entrances like,
MET, BITSAT, NEET, JEE, etc.

Career Prospects:- .B Pharm holders can work in several fields such as being a pharmacist, patient counselling, doing further studies such as master’s degree, working in a university as a lecturer, or working as a drug information specialist. This course is popular because of diverse career options in pharmaceutical firms, biotechnology firms, medical sectors, private sectors, and public sectors. B.Pharma qualification leads to variety of job options like.
• Drug Safety Associate
• Drug Inspector
• Sales/Marketing Executive
• Clinical Research Associate
• Pharma co-vigilance
• R&D Scientists, etc.

Master of Pharmacy(M.Pharma):–In India, Masters of Pharmacy [M.Pharma]) is offered as post graduate course after the completion of B.Pharma undergraduate degree course. The M.Pharma course covers advanced topics in the particular field and with the process of turning a new chemical element into medicines or compounds that can be used for medicinal purposes. It also deals with analysis, testing and researching of the drugs of those diseases which is caused to the human body.
This course allows you to specialise in one of the branches of a pharmacy.

The M.Pharma course is normally of 2 years duration, further divided into several semesters. And in the end of semester there is an examination wherein students are examined in the courses prescribed for that semester according to the given syllabus of that course.
In some universities, it is 1 year research and 1 year theory examinations while some offers M.Pharma by research completely leading to doctorate degree. One can also opt M.Pharma through distance or correspondence education.

Specialisation offerings in fields like nutrition pharmacy, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, cardiovascular pharmaceutics, medicinal chemistry, and pharmacology, etc. are to be taken up by the student over the time of the course.

Eligibility criteria:- Student must have a minimum of 50% or equivalent in their B.Pharma. course from a recognised university o college from PCI. They can also be eligible for the course by giving GPAT entrance exam (Gratitude Pharmacy Aptitude Test).

Career Prospect:– The pharmacysectors gives a number of job opportunities to the students by completing the course. The students can work in a Pharmaceutical company or can practice as a Pharmacist, for building his own pharmaceutical company. There are a lot jobs available in the private as well as in the government hospitals and clinics also.
With this postgraduate course, one can also go in the teaching line. The course is highly career-oriented and opens up excellent opportunities for those who want to pursue research jobs in pharmacy domain. After the completion of the M.Pharm course students have a huge scope of research to work as Research Associate, Research Assistant, Scientist, etc.

Here are some of the jobs for the pharmacystudents:–
• Analytical Chemist
• Data Manager
• Drug Inspector
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Teacher and Lecturer
• Regulatory Manager

Doctor of Pharmacy(Pharma.D):-.Pharm.D is a Latin term which means pharmaciae doctor. It is a pre-Ph.D postgraduate program equivalent to the doctoral degree, which was approved by Govt. of India in the year 2008 with Pharmacy Council of India being the apex body governing it. After the Amendment in August 2019, it is compulsory for hospitals to develop DIC(druginformation centre). This DIC will be headed by a Pharm.D Holder. This course was developed with an objective of developing pharmacists to play an important role in patient care as members of the health care team.

In some countries, it is a first professional degree and a prerequisite for licensing to practice the profession of pharmacy or to become a clinical pharmacist..                                           

A Pharm.D program has significant experiential or clinical education components in introductory and advanced levels for the safe and effective use of drugs. Doctorate of Pharmacy[Pharm.D] course enables one to prefix the title of ‘Dr.’ to practise pharmacy as a profession. Pharm.D course is a register-able qualification for practising pharma profession under the Pharmacy Act.
Pharma D course duration is six years in total inclusive of 5 years of learning and 1 year of internship for practical learning. It is the only doctoral degree that can be pursued right after passing 10+2 qualifying examinations.

Eligibility criteria:-Student must have passed 12th with Physics and Chemistry as compulsory subjects along with Mathematics and Biology with minimum 50% marks.
B.Pharma graduates can also go for Pharm.D course and the course
duration will be 4 years for them.

Career Prospects:- The scope for an aspirant to work abroad is very promising in the Pharm.D course. Working together with physicians, pharmacists increase responsibility for medication therapy management.
Students holding PharmD degree get wide opportunities such as research and development, quality assurance and improvement, technical advancements in healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. While offering highly lucrative job opportunities, the course also offers the aspirant a chance to pursue their research ambitions while working
professionally.
Job opportunities for a Doctorate of Pharmacy[Pharm.D] course graduate include a community practitioner who is allowed to prescribe medications for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders etc.
Here are some of the job profiles for Pharma.D
• Medical Writer
• Clinical Pharmacist
• Pharmacy Technician
• Research Scientist
• Quality Assurance Manage