Pharmacy

Eligibility is the most important factor that every candidate has to satisfy to be eligible for any course. Candidates can check the eligibility criteria for the pharmacy course in which he/she is interested to take admission. For D.Pharm course, it is the Diploma in pharmacy. The minimum qualification of 10+2 is required. It must be passed with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics or Biology subject. For admission to this course, candidates must have completed 17 years of the year of admission. For B.Pharma course, it is the Bachelors degree in pharmacy that can be taken after passing 12th/intermediate examination. For this course, candidates must pass 10+2 with physics and chemistry as a compulsory subjects along with one of the Mathematics / Computer Science / Biotechnology / Biology subjects and must obtained 50% marks in qualifying examination. Minimum 17 years of age and maximum 23 years on or before 31st December of the year of admission. Note: D.Pharm (Diploma of Pharmacy) holders are eligible for admission into B.Pharma (lateral entry). For M.Pharm course, the successful completion of this course leads to the Masters degree in pharmacy. A pass in Bachelors in pharmacy B.Pharma programme with not less than 50% marks is required to be eligible for this course. For SC/ST, there is no minimum qualifying marks. The course duration is 6 years (5 years of classroom study and 1 year of internship). The qualification required is 10+2 with physics and chemistry as the compulsory subjects with any one of the mathematics or biology subject. For Ph.D in pharmaceutical sciences, it is the research programme in pharmacy field. Candidates can pursue this course after completing M.Pharm from a well-recognised institution.

Most of the colleges provide admission through entrance exams. Various state regulate its own entrance exam for granting admission. Admission into postgraduate pharmacy courses is done through Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT). It is the famous national level entrance exam which score is accepted by maximum pharmacy institutions. In Telangana state, TS Polycet is conducted for the students who want to purse Diploma in Pharmacy from the colleges of Telangana. Get some state level entrance exams for pharmacy courses: TS EAMCET (Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Entrance Test), Andhra Pradesh EAMCET (Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Entrance Test), Andhra Pradesh PGECET (Andhra Pradesh Post-Graduate Engineering Common Entrance Test), MH-CET (Maharashtra Common Entrance Test), KCET (Karnataka Common Entrance Test), UKSEE (Uttarakhand State Entrance Exam), Delhi CET (Delhi Common Entrance Test), BITSAT (Birla Institute of Technology & Science Admission Test) and WBJEE (West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination). In India, there are many private and government owned pharmacy colleges. Before taking admission, make sure that the college is approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), New Delhi. Fee structure for colleges vary from institute to institute. Visit college official web site to download their prospectus which should contain details regarding fee structure.

Numerous jobs are available for pharmacists in government as well as private organizations. After completing your studies, you can easily find jobs in pharmaceutical industries, government departments, colleges and universities, hospitals, investigation and research institute etc.
Pharmacists can practice in community pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, extended care facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and regulatory agencies. Sales and marketing job sector also hires maximum number of pharmacy graduates. One can also work in retail stores of medicines. After registering with the state pharmacy council, you can open chemist/drug shop and sell medicines as per doctors prescription. Any student who is contemplating on pursuing a career in Biotechnology must be aware that this field is still developing in India. Therefore, the number of job openings and pay packages are both very low when compared with IT and computer science fields. After a B.Tech degree, students can find jobs in pharmaceutical companies, research labs and institutions in India. However, most Indian students tend to go abroad to pursue their Masters or doctorate studies in biotechnology and allied fields. Some students also shift to MBA and enter the world of business, finance and banking as their engineering background gives them the required quantitative skills to excel in these sectors. Also, many students shift to software through on-campus placements. Talking about on-campus placements, since the number of job openings is very less in biotechnology, the number of companies coming for placements will be very less. Also, core companies only hire students from universities such as IITs, NITs, etc. If your university is not reputed nationally or state wise, chances of any biotech or pharmaceutical company coming for placements sessions will be close to nil. I have provided scope for both courses and careers. It is up to you to decide which career you want to pursue.