Among the upcoming courses in the field of medicine and healthcare is the Bachelor of Pharmacy or B.Pharm. It is also offered as a B.Sc course. A 4-year undergraduate qualification, it is open to all students who have completed class 12 with Physics, Chemistry, and Maths or Biology. However, the bachelor’s course is more general, and specialization is usually only offered at the Master’s level. Admission may involve eligibility tests and it’s best to inquire with specific institutes before applying.
The first year introduces students to the discipline, the career choices in the field, prescriptions, dispensing, metric and imperial dosage calculations, and the fundamentals of pharmaceutical science such as dosage forms and chemical processes such as filtration and heating as well as alternative medicine such as ayurveda. From the second year onwards students learn about the chemistry behind the study through modules such as nuclear chemistry, inorganic chemistry, stereochemistry, hydrocarbons, electrolytes, and various chemical reactions. They study human biology and various body systems, as well as advanced chemical processes such as crystallization, corrosion, and drying, and also learn about laboratory testing and analysis. The course also has a significant practical component and any good institute should have an especially well equipped science laboratory. At the end of the course, students can choose to specialize in a particular discipline such as Pharmaceutical marketing and management, pharmacology, or Pharmaceutical chemistry at the Master’s level. They can also take up employment with pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies.