By- Akanksha Yadav

About D.Pharma:

A diploma in Pharmacy often known as D.Pharma is a 2 years long diploma course for students who want to become a pharmacist. Through this programme, students pursue a career in the medical field of pharmaceutical sciences.  In D.Pharma, students also get to learn about the marketing of pharmaceutical drugs and patenting of new drugs. Admission to pharmacy colleges/institutes is given based on the student’s entrance examination performance as well as merit.

During D.Pharma, students study subjects like human anatomy, computer applications in pharmacy, biochemistry, physiology etc.

The average fee for a D.Pharma course is anywhere between INR 10,000 to INR 1, 00,000 per annum. D.Pharma is offered by many private and government colleges/institutes in India. The admission fees in private colleges are higher than in government colleges.

After completing a diploma in D.Pharma, individuals can expect a salary of INR 3.5 to INR 6 LPA. It is a high-paying field for graduates. After this degree, students can also go for higher studies in this field.

The duration of D.Pharma:

D.Pharma is a diploma course which is divided into 2 years. During these 2 years, students study various subjects related to the pharmacy field.

What are the eligibility criteria for the D.Pharma course?:

The eligibility criteria for the D.Pharma course are very easy to follow. The students, who are planning to do D.Pharma should check the eligibility criteria before admission. The general eligibility criteria for the D.Pharma course are mentioned below.

• The candidate should have passed his/her 10+2 examination with a minimum of 50% marks from any recognized board (45% for SC/ST/OBC candidates).
• The compulsory subjects should be Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology (PCMB).
• Some colleges/institutes take admission through entrance examinations. Students should perform well to get admission to their desired college.
• The minimum age limit is 17 years.

Subjects in D.Pharma:

The semester-wise subject list is given below for the students.

For semester 1:

• Biochemistry and clinical pathology
• Human Anatomy and Physiology- I
• Health Education and Community Pharmacy- I
• Pharmacognosy- I
• Pharmacognosy Lab
• Pharmaceutical chemistry I lab

For semester 2:

• Hospital and clinical pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical chemistry-I
• Pharmacology and Toxicology
• Pharmaceutics lab
• Drug store and business management
• Pharmaceutical chemistry-II lab

For semester 3:

• Health education and community pharmacy
• Human anatomy and physiology- II
• Biochemistry and clinical pathology lab
• Antibiotics
• Pharmacognosy- II

For semester 4:

• Health education and community pharmacy- II
• Pharmaceutical jurisprudence
• Hospital and clinical pharmacy lab
• Pharmaceutical Chemistry- II
• Pharmaceutics

Top entrance examinations for D.Pharma:

Some of the national level and state level entrance exams in the pharmacy field are

• GPAT- Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test conducted by NTA
• CUET (UPSEE) exam- For admission to D.Pharma courses in UP, the student should appear for this examination.
• NIPER JEE- The full name of this examination is the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Joint entrance exam. It is a national-level entrance exam for pharmacy courses.
• RUHS Pharmacy- It is conducted by the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences. It is a state-level entrance exam.
• TS EAMCET- conducted by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University.
• OJEEE Pharmacy- conducted by Odisha Joint Entrance Examination Board.
• MET- conducted by Manipal Academy of Higher Education.
• BITSAT- Conducted by Birla Institute of Technology and Science.
• GUJCET- conducted by Gujarat Secondary Education Board.
• MHCET- conducted by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra.

Career opportunities after D.Pharma:

Pharmacy is a field where you’ll have to closely interact with people to earn their trust as you work towards improving their health. After D.Pharma, there are various job opportunities for D.Pharma degree holders. And if they don’t want to work right after completion of their diploma, they can also go for higher studies.

After getting a diploma in Pharmacy, a graduate can work as

• Pharmacist
• Drug inspector
• Drug store owner
• Can work in the education sector.
• Can work in a drug manufacturing company.
• Medical writer

Top companies recruiting D.Pharma graduates:

Here is a list of companies that hire D.Pharma graduates every year for their company.

• Cipla
• Intas
• Pfizer
• Ranbaxy
• Cadila
• Mankind
• Sun Pharma
• Glenmark
• Jubilant
• Panacea

Top colleges/institutes offering D.Pharma courses:

A diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharma) is available in many government and private colleges. Some of the top colleges/universities offering D.Pharma are

• Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research
• Dr DY Patil College of Pharmacy, Pune
• JSS College of Pharmacy, Ooty
• Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal
• NMIMS, Mumbai
• Himalayan Pharmacy Institute, Sikkim
• Bundelkhand University, Jhansi
• Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi
• Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
• BITS Pilani
• ISF College of Pharmacy, Punjab
• Integral University, Lucknow
• Goa College of Pharmacy, Panji
• Annamalai University, Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu)