Hello,

Academic Requirements

To become a pharmaceutical scientist, you must have a strong interest in mathematics, biology, chemistry and the scientific process. You may want to decide early on which aspect of the drug development cycle you want to focus on – discovery, development or manufacturing.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• In college, you can major in the pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacy, biology, chemistry, medicine, engineering or a related field.
• Good communications skills are important, because you’ll be working as part of a scientific team made up of people with diverse backgrounds.
• You’ll need to be able to stay motivated and keep your team energized throughout the long development process.
• You also must be able to handle failure and disappointment: Most promising new drugs are rejected before they ever reach the market, because they are dangerous, don’t work consistently or have unacceptable side effects.

COURSE OPTIONS TO BECOME PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTIST:

• You can select Pharmacy as option where you can start from diploma level to Phd or pdf levels.

1. Diploma in Pharmacy-2 years
2. B.Pharmacy-4 years (after senior college)
3. B.Pharmacy-3 years (after diploma) followed by
4. M.Pharmacy-2 years
5. PhD-research  (3 to 7 years depends on the thesis completion)
6. pdf-post doctoral fellow ship (again depends on the project)
7. Pharma D (5.5 years after senior college)
8. Pharma D (3 years after B.Pharmacy)
9. PhD and Post doctoral fellowship depends on the project completion

The pharmacist can become scientist by doing Masters in Pharmacy and then doctoral degree with some specialization. The job opportunities for a pharmacist as scientist are in governmental sector (colleges, universities, research institutions, governmental laboratories) and private companies.

The entry in government sector is assistant scientist, assistant professor, lecturer.

In private companies you can make entry as scientist after getting some exposure. There are many pharmaceutical companies in India and abroad which are working on drug discovery and formulation aspects.


You can become scientist in pharmacy field by working in some projects and finding new things. As a pharmacist in scientific field you have to develop and conceptualize your own research project.

• You can select chemistry as specialization in Bachelor of Science degree, followed by Master’s and PhD : With an Associate’s Degree in chemistry or biology you can become a technician in a pharmaceutical research or testing laboratory.With a Bachelor’s Degree in chemistry, biology, or pharmacology, you can work as a bench chemist in quality control, manufacturing, or a research lab.

• You can opt for B.tech in chemical engineering, followed by Masters and research.

Hope it helps

Good luck!