Best Pharmacy Colleges and Universities in the World
About Pharmaceutical/Pharmacy Studies
Pharmaceutical studies combine a broad range of scientific disciplines that are critical to the discovery and development of new drugs and therapies. Pharmaceutical sciences can be broadly classified into several categories, with many specialized fields within each category. Some of the major specializations in the pharmacy field are drug discovery and design, drug delivery, drug action, conducting research trials for drugs such as vaccines, antidotes, etc. Some of the professions under pharmaceutical studies are chemists and druggists (pharmacists), pharmaceutical scientists.
Duties of a Pharmacist
- Preparing and administering appropriate pharmaceuticals to patients.
- Reviewing the physician’s prescriptions, checking their accuracy and legality.
- Organize the pharmacy in an efficient manner to make the identification of products easier and faster.
- Maintain proper records and communication over-delivering, stocking, and labeling medicine and other products.
- Monitoring the medicine to check their usage limit and replace expired ones.
- To communicate with the patient properly and give them any appropriate medicine if required, or advise them to go to the doctor based on the condition.
Duties of a Pharmaceutical Scientist
- Assists a biotech company in the discovery of new drugs or new uses of existing drugs.
- Monitoring the progress of the new drug being made.
- Assist in conducting trials for determining the efficacy of the new drug.
- Assist in giving the correct information regarding drugs such as vaccines, antidotes to ensure they are safe and effective for use.
Pharmacists vs. Pharmaceutical Scientist
Pharmacists provide medications, monitor their use, and collaborate with other healthcare providers to treat patients. They typically work in pharmacy and hospital settings and are directly involved in patient care. On the other hand, Pharmaceutical scientists are engaged in the process of discovering and testing new drugs. Their work is driven by research, and they typically work in a laboratory environment.
Qualities of a good Pharmacist
The most important quality of a pharmacist is paying attention to the small details of medicine, interpreting the prescription provided by doctors correctly, and ensuring that the patients get the correct medicine for their illness/disease. Another important quality is good communication. Pharmacists must communicate with the patients properly to understand their health issues, what type of medication is required, and if the issue requires further consultation from doctors. A pharmacist must also have good management skills to manage the drug store, ensure sufficient stock of medicines (especially essential ones), and properly coordinate the drug store staff.
Popular Degrees for Pursuing A Career in Pharmaceuticals
Bachelor’s Level
- Bachelors in Pharmaceuticals (B.Pharm)
- Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPSP)
Master’s Level
- Masters in Pharmaceuticals (M.Pharm)
- Masters in Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Masters in Science in Pharmaceuticals Evaluation and Policy
Doctorate Level
- Ph.D in Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Ph.D in Pharmacogenomics
A Ph.D. is required if a pharmaceutical aspirant aims to become a researcher and not just an assistant to the researcher or an assistant to a biotech company.
Specializations under Pharmaceutical Studies
After a Bachelor’s degree, one can do a Master’s in Pharmacy by opting for specialization or field of interest. Some specializations under Pharmaceutical studies are:
- Pharmaceutics
This specialization deals with the production of drugs and technology that assist in the production of such drugs. The major topics under this specialization are formulations of drugs, research in formulations and excipients, manufacturing, drug regulatory affairs.
- Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the science of how drugs act on biological systems and how the body responds to the drug. This specialization enables one to work at multiple settings from clinical hospitals to pharmaceutical companies. Consultancy and Research-based jobs are the most suitable for students who study pharmacology.
- Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics is the study and application of pharmacokinetic principles to the safe and effective management of drugs in an individual patient. It includes the study of the time course of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.
- Pharmacogenomics
Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. It combines the study of pharmacology and genomics and analyzes how the genetic makeup of an individual affects their response to drugs.
- Clinical Pharmacy
Clinical pharmacy is the branch of pharmacy in which trained pharmacists provide specialized patient care that involves the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention.
- Hospital Pharmacy
A hospital pharmacist works in close collaboration with other health professionals to ensure that the medication for each patient is administered to achieve the best outcomes. They may also be involved in clinical trials and in modifying medications for individualized dosing.
Average Salary of Pharmacists
Studying Pharmacy programs provides job security and the demand for pharmacists grows at a steady pace. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, medical stores became all the more important, with Governments all over the world trying to ensure a regular supply of essential drugs. These medical stores required knowledgeable and professionally trained pharmacists, and thus the demand for pharmacists grew along with the incentives offered to them.
The following are the average salaries of pharmacists in different countries-
- The USA- USD 125, 460 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- The UK- USD 61,441 (Indeed Median Salary)
- Canada- USD 92,584 (Canada Talent)
- Australia- USD 72,567 (Australia Talent)
Duration of Completing Pharmaceutical Studies
| Country | Bachelor Level | Masters Level | Doctorate Level |
| USA & Canada | 4-6 Years | 2-3 Years | 4-6 Years |
| UK | 3-4 Years | 1-2 Years | 4-6 Years |
| Australia | 5 Years | 1-2 Years | 3-5 Years |
Top 50 Pharmaceutical Universities Based on Various Rankings
| QS World Rankings | Shanghai Rankings | US World News Rankings | University | Country | Bachelor’s Programs | Master’s Programs |
| 1 | 4 | NA | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 2 | 18 | 2 | Monash University | Australia | Click here | Click here |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Harvard University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 4 | 6 | NA | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 5 | NA | 5 | University of Nottingham | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 6 | 9 | 6 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 7 | 5 | 3 | University College London | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 8 | 2 | 14 | University of California, San Francisco | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 9 | 16 | 4 | Johns Hopkins University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 10 | 10 | 22 | University of Toronto | Canada | Click here | Click here |
| 11 | 36 | 24 | Leiden University | Netherlands | Click here | Click here |
| 12 | 51-75 | 17 | National University of Singapore | Singapore | Click here | Click here |
| 13 | 50 | 31 | The University of Sydney | Australia | Click here | Click here |
| 14 | 51-75 | 66 | The University of Manchester | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 15 | 101-150 | 70 | The University of Tokyo | Japan | Click here | Click here |
| 16 | 8 | 8 | The University of Copenhagen | Denmark | Click here | Click here |
| 17 | 7 | 9 | Karolinska Institutet | Sweden | Click here | Click here |
| 18 | 12 | 59 | Yale University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 19 | 21 | 79 | King’s College London | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 20 | 3 | 7 | University of California, San Diego | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 21 | 46 | 64 | ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | Switzerland | Click here | Click here |
| 22 | 51-75 | 38 | Seoul National University | South Korea | Click here | Click here |
| 23 | 29 | 27 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 24 | 28 | 16 | University of Washington | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 25 | 37 | NA | McGill University | Canada | Click here | Click here |
| 26 | 15 | 43 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 27 | 51-75 | 84 | University of British Columbia | Canada | Click here | Click here |
| 28 | NA | 86 | The University of Auckland | New Zealand | Click here | Click here |
| 29 | 101-150 | 18 | Peking University | China | Click here | Click here |
| 30 | 51-75 | 45 | Purdue University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 31 | 38 | 19 | The University of Queensland | Australia | Click here | Click here |
| 32 | 20 | 10 | Utrecht University | Netherlands | Click here | Click here |
| 33 | 19 | 42 | Duke University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 34 | 22 | 29 | The University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | Click here | Click here |
| 35 | NA | 92 | University of Geneva | Switzerland | Click here | Click here |
| 36 | 43 | 60 | University of Minnesota | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 37 | 76-100 | NA | Trinity College Dublin (Dublin University) | Ireland | Click here | Click here |
| 38 | 25 | 40 | Uppsala University | Sweden | Click here | Click here |
| 39 | NA | NA | Kyoto University | Japan | Click here | Click here |
| 40 | 48 | 88 | University of Basel | Switzerland | Click here | Click here |
| 41 | 32 | NA | KU Leuven | Belgium | Click here | Click here |
| 42 | 13 | 30 | University of Pennsylvania | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 43 | 76-100 | 15 | Fudan University | China | Click here | Click here |
| 44 | NA | NA | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München | Germany | Click here | Click here |
| 45 | 151-200 | 47 | Sungkyunkwan University | South Korea | Click here | Click here |
| 46 | 101-150 | 70 | King Abdulaziz University (KAU) | Saudi Arabia | Click here | Click here |
| 47 | 31 | 46 | Columbia University | United States | Click here | Click here |
| 48 | NA | NA | Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main | Germany | Click here | Click here |
| 49 | NA | NA | Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg | Germany | Click here | Click here |
| 50 | NA | NA | Université catholique de Louvain | Belgium | Click here | Click here |
Top Pharmaceutical Universities in USA
| Universities | QS World Rankings | US World News Rankings | Bachelor’s Programs | Master’s Programs |
| Harvard University | 1 | 1 | Click here | Click here |
| University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | 2 | 3 | Click here | Click here |
| University of California, San Francisco | 3 | 7 | Click here | Click here |
| Johns Hopkins University | 4 | 2 | Click here | Click here |
| Yale University | 5 | 18 | Click here | Click here |
Top Pharmaceutical Universities in Canada
| Universities | QS World Rankings | Shanghai Rankings | Bachelor’s Programs | Master’s Programs |
| University of Toronto | 1 | 1 | Click here | Click here |
| McGill University | 2 | 2 | Click here | Click here |
| University of British Columbia | 3 | 5 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Alberta | 4 | 4 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Montreal | 5 | 7 | Click here | Click here |
Top Pharmaceutical Universities in United Kingdom
| Universities | QS World Rankings | Shanghai Rankings | Bachelor’s Programs | Master’s Programs |
| University of Oxford | 1 | 1 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Cambridge | 2 | 3 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Nottingham | 3 | 11 | Click here | Click here |
| University College London | 4 | 2 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Manchester | 5 | 8 | Click here | Click here |
Top Pharmaceutical Universities in Australia
| Universities | QS World Rankings | Shanghai Rankings | Bachelor’s Programs | Master’s Programs |
| Monash University | 1 | 1 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Sydney | 2 | 3 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Queensland | 3 | 2 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Melbourne | 4 | 4 | Click here | Click here |
| University of Adelaide | 5 | 12 | Click here | Click here |
Academic requirements for studying Bachelor’s in Pharmacy in top-ranked Universities
Bachelor’s Level
The eligibility criteria may vary depending upon the country of study and the ranking of the University. However, the minimum eligibility criteria for studying pharmacy in a good university is:
- Completion of High school with an average of at least 50%, with Biology, Chemistry, Physics/Mathematics as compulsory subjects.
- For English proficiency, the applicant must have received prior education in English or submit the scores of any recognized English proficiency tests (IELTS, TOEFL etc).
Different universities may have different requirements of GPA and subjects required to be studied before applying to their programs. Some universities also offer courses with a foundation year/sandwich year, wherein the student’s course duration will get extended.
Master’s Level
For the Master’s degree as well, the requirement varies depending on the eligibility criteria set by the universities. But the commonly demanded requirements by top-ranked universities are as follows:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm).
- A decent GPA in Bachelor’s (Preferably 2.5 and above).
- Updated Resume with relevant work experience.
- Most top Universities prefer a work experience of at least 2 years.
Pharm.D Program
The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program in the United States requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by 4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study. In India, the duration of the program is 4 years. After studying the Pharm.D program, the student will be eligible to give the exam for obtaining a license as a pharmacist.
Exams to be passed for obtaining a Pharmacist License
USA-NAPLEX ( North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination)
After obtaining the necessary qualifications, the student must take the NAPLEX. After passing the NAPLEX, students may have to take the Multi-State Jurisprudence Examination (MJPE), a state-specific test of pharmacy, insurance, and healthcare laws.
Foreign pharmacy graduates have to take the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Equivalency Examination (FPGEE) and an English proficiency test (Test of English as a foreign language), i.e., TOEFL, before becoming eligible for writing NAPLEX.
Syllabus of NAPLEX
THE NAPLEX is divided into three parts:
- Assessment of Pharmacotherapy: Covers 56% of the questions.
This part of the NAPLEX exam syllabus aims at the identification of therapeutic agents and their categories, the administration of drugs, preventive measures to be taken for each of the doses prescribed, and what may amount to proper or improper usage., side effects of each medication are given detailed scrutiny, together with the appropriate recommendations.
- Medicine Preparation: Covers nearly 33% of the questions.
This part of the NAPLEX syllabus is responsible for assessing safety and the precise preparation of drugs. Here, the syllabus covers the safety around proper medication and keeping up to date with the current trends.
- Healthcare Information: Covers 11% of the questions.
The third and last part of the NAPLEX syllabus revolves around assessing healthcare and making the necessary recommendations concerning public health. Here, guidelines on using various appliances in surgical operations and other general medical procedures are given. Handling of emergency cases immunization programs is covered under this part.
UK-General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) exam
After obtaining the necessary qualifications, the student must take the GPhC exam, which is valid in all states.
Syllabus of GPhC
The exam is divided into two parts:
- Professional and Legal Practice
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- Structure and functioning of pharmaceutical organizations and bodies.
- Professional ethics
- Code of conduct
- Legal aspects of providing pharmaceutical services
- Prerequisites of operating a pharmacy
- Clinical and Pharmaceutical Practice
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- Therapeutic aspects of pharmaceutical services
- Reading and interpreting prescriptions
- Adverse drug reactions and side effects
- Emergency Measures
- Counseling requirements
