Best Pharmacy Course

Pharmacy is one of the top courses for science students to study in the university. It’s a science course that deals with making, dispensing and reviewing drugs or medications. 

Pharmacy courses and degrees are in the spotlight.  Students want to explore career choices aside from medicine and surgery, engineering or other science courses but pharmacy is more than a second choice. Higher institutions are working to include pharmacy in the courses that their schools offer and the ones that offer it want to upgrade their programme from B.pharm to D.pharm ( Doctor of Pharmacy) 

You will find all the answers to questions that you asked yourself about pharmacy in this guide.

What is Pharmacy as a course? And is it Harder Than Medicine? 

Pharmacy is a professional science of the development and dispensing of drugs. It involves the study of methods and techniques of making drugs, research on the effect of medications and proper dosage of drugs using laboratory-approved approaches and new technology. 

Pharmacists are an important aspect of holistic care for a patient. They work together with other health practitioners like doctors, physiotherapists and dieticians to ensure that the health of a patient is at the optimal level. Pharmacy degrees can be studied in the best universities in Nigeria. 

Both pharmacy and medicine and surgery are science and medical courses and require the utmost dedication and brilliance. In terms of O’level, Chemistry forms the backbone of pharmacy while biology is the building block to study Mbbs. If you enjoy learning elements, organic and industrial chemistry and calculations, you may not find any pharmacy course hard.

On the other hand, students who prefer learning about blood, disease treatments and systems in the body are better MBBS students. 

No course is exactly hard but some courses are tasking. Pharmacy courses and medicine and surgery fall into this category. You will spend long hours reading, comprehending and applying what you’re being taught. Also, the bulkiness of the courses depends on the university. For example, the coursework for pharmacy in the best state universities in Nigeria may be different from federal or private universities. 

Entry Requirements To Pharmacy

The requirements to get pharmacy degrees will be discussed under three categories; O’level or WAEC, JAMB, direct entry and A’level. 

O’Level refers to WAEC, GCE and NECO exams and here are the compulsory subjects to study a pharmacy course; 

For JAMB, the subject combination is typically English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. There is a need to score high to get admission to study pharmacy in any university or institution in Nigeria. Most schools require a minimum of 200 in JAMB to be considered for admission but due to the competitiveness of the course, students need to score higher. Here are tips to prepare and pass Jamb in 2025 and you can also use this free jamb past question and answer to practice. 

Students seeking admission through direct entry must have completed a degree in relevant fields like chemistry, botany, zoology, physics or other life science courses with a minimum of second class. They should have credit passes in relevant o’level subjects. 

A’Level refers to JUBEB, IJMB and other pre-degree courses. The minimum requirement is usually 13 out of 16. But, it is different from one university to the other. 

Don’t miss out on admission if you do not meet the cut-off mark, check the best polytechnic in Nigeria to explore other science courses or check the list of art courses if you’re considering a change. 

List of Best Courses in Pharmacy ( Pharmacy Specialization) 

Students have continuously asked, “Which is the best course in pharmacy?” The answer is here. But before that, there are things that you must have done before considering specialization in pharmacy. They include; 

Get admission to study a pharmacy course at the University; There are two major kinds of undergraduate pharmacy degrees which are bachelor in pharmacy ( B.pharm) or Doctor of pharmacy (D.pharm). Students usually ask “How many years to study pharmacy?” B.pharm is five years while D. Pharm is six years. 

Internship and Research: As part of obtaining any pharmacy degree, you must first complete seasonal internships and a year of internship after you graduate. 

Postgraduate pharmacy degrees: For advanced specializations, you must have postgraduate degrees like a master’s or a doctorate.

These are some of the best courses in pharmacy; 

Career Options In Pharmacy 

Pharmacy is a professional course so graduates have opportunities in different areas of pharmacy. Let’s take a look at the fields of pharmacy and the careers possible.

Clinical Pharmacy:

Clinical pharmacists work in the hospital/healthcare facilities with doctors and other professionals to manage a patient. The areas of careers include emergency, infectious diseases, oncology, internal medicine and so much more. 

Community/Retail Pharmacy:

Pharmacy degrees allow you to dispense drugs in community settings. This includes owning drugstores, shops and outlets. It also includes giving drug consultations when required. 

Industrial Pharmacy:

With a strong knowledge of pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacognosy, there is a wide range of career opportunities in manufacturing drugs and pharmaceutical products. One could also explore working as a regulatory specialist in government or private pharmaceutical industries, labs and quality control departments.

Research:

Pharmacy as a course teaches pharmacognosy and pharmacovigilance which are excellent career choices. Pharmacognosy is the study of plants and natural products which are used to make drugs and pharmaceutical products. Pharmacovigilance means the research of the effects that a drug might have on the body. It also involves preventing and reporting the adverse effects of drugs. 

The other career choices in pharmacy include Academia, toxicology, pharmaceutical analysis and more specialization in paediatrics, geriatrics and psychiatry. An undergraduate pharmacy course is the right way to start if you want a career in pharmacy. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here, answers are provided to burning questions that aspirants have about pharmacy as a course.

What is the requirement for a Doctor of Pharmacy course and which universities offer it?

The general requirement for studying pharmacy in Universities in Nigeria is a minimum of a credit pass in Mathematics, English, physics, chemistry and other relevant subjects at the O’level. The minimum Jamb score is 200 but because of high competition, it is advised to score above that. 

The universities that offer D.Pharm as an undergraduate include; 

I am already doing a B.Pharm degree. How can I get or switch to a D.Pharm degree? 

The Doctor of Pharmacy degree is still new so most universities offer it from the first or second year. A transitional degree is possible in universities outside the country. 

What subjects do I have to be very good at to study pharmacy? 

All science students have a fair choice to study pharmacy as an undergraduate degree. Students who are very good at chemistry may have better chances in the first few years of studying the course. Plan to pass your WAEC and JAMB well to get a good chance.

What course can I study if I don’t meet up to the cut-off mark for pharmacy? 

The following courses have the same subject combinations as pharmacy: Medical Lab Science, Physiology, pharmacology, pharmacognosy and toxicology, Industrial chemistry and biochemistry. 

Can I get a pharmacy degree from a polytechnic? 

Aside from universities, the other institution where you can study pharmacy is the College of Health Sciences. Check out the best polytechnic in Nigeria for courses that they offer. You can ask to check the list of art and social science courses that you can apply to. 

How Long Is Pharmacy Course: Can Someone Spend 6 Months On Pharmacy Course

It takes 5-6 years to complete Pharmacy degrees in Nigerian universities. This includes a total of 8-10 semesters, in-house and outside clinical postings and an internship after your programme. To be awarded a pharmacy degree, professional exams will also be taken during or before the final years. 

After the final exams, an induction ceremony will be conducted to get a license from the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN). Licenses are renewable after some time. 

Short courses in specific areas of pharmacy are available online but they are not a substitute for pharmacy degrees or diplomas in Universities.

How many years to study pharmacy? 

It takes 5 years to complete a pharmacy course in Nigeria. For a Doctor of Pharmacy (D.pharm), an additional one year is added to make it six years. 

Students who are applying with A Levels and direct entry will start their study from 200L so they will use 4 years to complete a B.Pharm and 5 years to complete a D.Pharm degree. 

Pharmacist vs Pharmacology: Which is better?

We have answered the question “What is pharmacy as a course?” Now, let’s answer “What is Pharmacology?” 

Pharmacology is the study of how the body processes drugs. It involves the metabolism, mechanism of action and effects produced by drugs. There are two branches of pharmacology which are pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetics. 

Although pharmacology and pharmacy are related, they are not the same course. Pharmacy takes 5-6 years while pharmacology is 4-5 years. Both professions can work in the hospital but there may be more opportunities for pharmacists. The salary range is also different as pharmacists with higher qualifications will earn more than a pharmacologist.