Entry
Candidates having either a diploma or a Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy can work as retail chemists and manufacturing chemists and also as drug inspectors, depending on their qualifications.

Training
Graduate courses (B.Sc.) as well as diploma are offered in pharmacy.

Eligibility
Students who have completed the 10+2 or equivalent examination, with physics, chemistry and biology/mathematics are eligible for the Diploma in Pharmacy as also the Bachelor’s degree programme (B.Pharm). However, admission to the B.Pharm. courses is on the basis of the candidates’ performance in the entrance exam.

Duration
The diploma course in Pharmacy is of one to two years’ duration.
The Bachelors’ degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm.)is of four years’ duration.
The Master’s course (M.Pharm.) is of two years’ duration, while the Ph.D. course in pharmacy requires a minimum of three years’ study.

Academy Programme
The academic programme for the B.Pharm. course includes the study of medicinal plants and animals, the mineral sources of drugs, the structure and functions of the human body, the effects of drugs, pharmaceutical chemistry, the preparation of medicines, the general principles in the practice of pharmacy and its various branches, and the ethics and laws governing pharmaceutical practice.

Institutions
Various institutions in the country offer degree and diploma courses in pharmacy. In all, there are 253 institutions, recognized by the pharmacy Council of India, offering diplomas in pharmacy, and 59 recognised institutions in the country which offer degree courses in pharmacy. However, vocational courses in pharmacy are considered illegal by the Pharmacy Council of India.