Short Summary
B Pharma or B Pharmacy (Bachelor of Pharmacy) is an undergraduate degree course for 4 years of duration. This course is to opt by the students who aspire to become a licensed pharmacist in India.
The students of B pharma learn about the preparation and usage of drugs and medicines. Along with medicine, it also covers health care topics.
The scope of this course is very vast. As it is well known that pharmacist is required in every corner of the country, so there is a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharmacy Courses and Duration
There is a lot of opportunities in the pharmacy field. One can choose the course as per his/her interest. The course could be a diploma, degree or postgraduate course. The below mentioned are the pharmacy courses:
Diploma in Pharmacy (D Pharma)
This 3-year duration diploma course covers the most basic information about the pharmacy field. It is the base course for pharmacy.
Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharma)
This 4-year undergraduate degree course is the minimum requirement to practice as a pharmacist in India.
Master of Pharmacy (M. Pharma)
This is the next step to B pharma. It is a master’s degree or postgraduate course, after which a student can get very good opportunities in the reputed pharmaceutical company.The duration for this postgraduate degree is 2 years.
Doctorate in Pharmacy (Pharm D)
It is a 6-year long course dealing with deep knowledge in pharmaceuticals and can be employed in govt. or private hospitals with very high salary package.
B Pharma Eligibility
For a student who wants to opt B Pharma should have:
- Passed 12th with PCM/PCB (Physics, Chemistry, Maths/Biology)
- Aggregate 50% marks in science subjects
Also, those who have a 3-year diploma (D Pharma) can also apply for B Pharma.
B pharmacy Admission Process
There are some universities offering direct admission based on 12th marks.
Some universities conduct entrance exams such as BVP CET, IPU CET, MHT CET etc.
Also, there is a national level entrance exam conducted for admission to B pharmacy GPAT (Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test). Other state level entrance test such as TS EAMCET, AP EAMCET, BCECE, WBJEE etc. are also conducted for admission purpose.
B Pharmacy Syllabus and Subjects
The syllabus for 4-year B. Pharma course is given below year wise:
First Year
- Pharmaceutical Analysis 1
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry
- Advanced Mathematics
- Computer Applications
- Biology
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Organic Chemistry
- Pharmacognosy 1
- Basic Electronics
Second Year
- Pharmacognosy 2
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry 2
- Pharmaceutics
- Pharmaceutical Analysis 2
- AP HE-1
- Organic Chemistry 2
- Pharmacognosy 3
- AP HE- 2
- Dispensing & Community Pharmacy
Third Year
- Biochemistry
- Pharmacology 2
- Medicinal Chemistry 1
- Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence Ethics
- Chemistry of Natural Products
- Medicinal Chemistry 2
- Pharmacology 1
- Hospital Pharmacy
- Biopharmaceutics
Fourth Year
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
- Pharmaceutics
- Medicinal Chemistry 3
- Electives
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Chemistry of Natural Products
- Projected Related to Elective
- Pharmacognosy
- Drug Interactions
B Pharmacy Fees and Examination Type
The figures for fees range between INR 11,000 to INR 2,00,000 per annum depending upon colleges. The figures provided are estimated information.
The examination for B pharma would be conducted as per semester system.
B Pharmacy Colleges
There are many colleges offering B pharmacy. Some of the top universities and colleges along with cities are given below:
- University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Chandigarh
- Institute of Chemical Technology – Mumbai
- Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Manipal
- JSS College of Pharmacy, The Nilgiris – Tamil Nadu
- Goa College of Pharmacy – Panji
- Poona College of Pharmacy – Pune
- KLE College of Pharmacy – Hubli
- Bombay College of Pharmacy – Mumbai
- Amrita School of Pharmacy – Kochi
- Government College of Pharmacy – Bangalore
- Amity University – Noida
B Pharmacy Jobs
The Pharmacy sector gives a lot of employment opportunities to the students. Apart from a practicing pharmacist, one can also get employed in government and private hospitals.
Pharmaceutical management is one of the fields in which a student can make his career.
Some of the other roles or job profiles are as below:
- Chemical/Drug Technician
- Bio-Technology Industries
- Drug Therapist
- Drug Inspector
- Hospital Drug Coordinator
- Health Inspector
- Pharmacist
- Pathological Lab
- Research & Development
- Making Prescription to Patients
- Scientist
- Research Officer
- Teacher
Some of the top recruiting areas are as below:
- Hospitals and Clinics (Government and Private)
- State wise Drugs and Pharmaceutical Boards
- Medical Shop chains (the likes of Apollo Pharmacy)
- Chemist Shops
- Cipla
- Abbott India
- Research bodies and labs
- Sun Pharmaceuticals
- Biocon
- Glaxo Smith Kline India
- Ranbaxy
- Zydus
- Glenmark
B Pharmacy Salary
Being the very vast sector, there is a lot of employment in this sector along with handsome and big figured salary packages. The estimated starting salary for a fresher could be INR 10,000 to INR 18,000 per month in India. However, there would be variation in the salary figures depending upon the job roles.
After achieving the professional target or experience in the respected field, one can apply for good packages in big companies. The estimated salary for the experienced candidate could range from INR 9 lakh to INR 12 lakh per annum.
Talking about opportunities in abroad, the estimated starting salary could range from $15000 to $25000 per annum.
