Master in Pharmacy – Eligibility, Fees, Career

Master in Pharmacy – Eligibility, Fees, Career

Introduction

Pharmacy is generally referred to as the branch of health, which is concerned with formulation, manufacturing, dispensing, and anything concerned with the development and distribution of medicinal drugs, and making sure the medicines are safe to use and are effective. In order to study pharmaceutics in detail, one must do their graduation in the same field, so that they have the basic knowledge required to go into a more detailed study of pharmaceutics. In recent days, especially with the advent of coronavirus, pharmacists and other specialists from the same field, have grown in demand.

The world keeps looking forward to the invention of new drugs and vaccines, which prevent and cure ailments to the best possible degree. Thus, the students graduating with a master’s degree, have the possibility to not only secure a better quality education than the ones who did only a bachelor’s degree but also have the chance to find a better job and ensure an improved lifestyle. And the best part is that the world will never run out of the need for people from the pharmacy field, and thus the professions related to the pharmacy will always remain relevant. Mentioned below are all the necessary pieces of information that an aspirant requires to pursue Master's in Pharmacy.

Eligibility criteria for Masters in Pharmacy.

Master’s in pharmacy is a 2-year course, for the ones who want to gain more detailed and advanced knowledge about the technicalities and theories of pharmaceutics. In order to study master’s in pharmaceutics, aspirants must fulfill the criteria described below.

1. The students must graduate with a bachelor’s degree, with the required percentage, from a college that is recognized by the Pharmacy Council of India.

2. Some of the top colleges require the aspirant to appear for pharmacy entrance tests, and selection is done accordingly. Some of those exams are:

• GPAT
• NIPER JEE
• AP PGECT
• OJEE
• HPCET
• TS PGECET
• BITS HD

3. Some important skills required to pursue the course are

• Communication skills
• Medicinal and scientific skills
• Analytical skills
• Persuasive skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Adaption ability
• Therapeutic skills

List of M Pharm Specializations

There are more than 15 M pharm Specializations available for students who want to pursue M Pharm as their post-graduation. Students can segregate and weigh their interest areas before finalizing a particular course. There are plenty of choices. Following are some of the specializations available for M Pharm aspirants to choose from:

• Pharmaceutics
• Pharmacology
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Pharmacognosy
• Biopharmaceutics
• Drug Regulatory Affairs
• Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Drug Discovery and Drug Development
• Master of Public Health
• Pharmaceutical Administration
• Pharmaceutical Analysis and Quality Assurance
• Pharmaceutical market & Management
• Pharmaceutical Technology
• Pharmaceutics
• Pharmacy Practices
• Phytopharmaceuticals & Natural Products
• Quality Assurance

Top pharmacy colleges in India

Though pharmaceutics is a tough course and all M.Pharm degrees hold high value in the market, getting one’s degree from one of the top Pharmacy colleges provides high-quality knowledge, and better skills, and increases one’s chances to get hired by the best companies or organizations hiring. Given below are the top pharmaceutical colleges offering M.Pharm courses along with the expected fee structure.

Career opportunities after studying M.Pharm

As mentioned before, studying M.Pharm from a good college opens up a lot of possibilities for the students than just studying B.Pharm. Being a degree in high demand, specialists with M.Pharm degrees are required in a variety of fields. The best career possibilities for the students with an M.Pharm degree (Career after M pharm) are mentioned below:

1. Medical Transcriptionist- The profession includes transcribing voice-recorded medical reports from health professionals. They also make sure that the patient’s prescriptions are up-to-date.

2. Academic Pharmacist- Includes educating, training, and developing the pharmacy students, to create a new generation of healthcare professionals, working along with other educational teams. The ones working in universities also get involved in various researches.

3. Lab Technician- Working in laboratories for the development of new drugs, conducting and performing the technical and medicinal procedures, and assisting other scientists.

4. Drug Inspector- Monitors the safety, efficiency, and quality of a new medicine or drug, and oversees procedure from the date of manufacturing to its sale. They make sure if the medicine/drug/cosmetic is safe for human consumption by performing different tests.

5. Work in production- People with an M.Pharm degree have higher chances of getting a job in the field of manufacturing, be it medicine or cosmetics.

6. Pharmacognosy- It generally refers to the application of pharmaceutical knowledge in natural medicine or therapeutic products, and big companies like Dabur, Himalaya, hire people with an M.Pharm degree.

7. Clinical Research- Before being released into the market, the drugs go through a series of clinical trials, which helps the new product find grounds for improvement or rectifications. Here, a person with an M.Pharm degree can work as a clinical programmer, whose job is to manage lab processes, and ensure that deadlines are fulfilled.

8. Jobs in Pharmacology- Developing new drugs and testing out how they work in various environments. It is the job of the pharmacologist to ensure that the new drug or the medicine comes with the right instructions about dosage, side effects, etc.

9. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative— A Pharmaceutical Sales Representative is a healthcare professional that represents their company's pharmaceutical products as a subject-matter expert. They identify a current demand in a hospital or other healthcare facility and suggest the best pharmaceutical solution. The major tasks of a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative are to serve clients by selling pharmaceutical items and addressing their demands. They travel regularly within their designated zone, giving presentations and educating about the company's drugs at hospitals and doctor's offices.

10. Quality Control Analyst— a quality control analyst's primary responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry is to perform biological, chemical, and physical analyses on pharmaceutical products (biologics and drugs) and medical devices at all stages of the manufacturing process, from raw materials to finished goods, as well as to participate in environmental monitoring programmes.

One can also go for higher studies and get a doctorate, in order to gain the utmost expertise in the subject.  Other jobs that a person with an M.Pharm degree can get are medical representative, pharmacist, medical writer, research scientist, jobs in regulatory affairs, etc.

Conclusion

It can be very helpful for the student with an M.Pharm degree to secure a high-ranking job in the medical or pharmaceutical field. M.Pharm not only helps the students to improve their skills in pharmaceuticals but also their general skills in life like leadership, problem-solving capability, presence of mind, working in groups, and analytical skills. Getting one’s M.Pharm degree from a well-recognized college, with proper dedication and hard work, can guarantee a good-paying job, and a favorable lifestyle for the aspirants. This article aims at providing a guide for the students who want to pursue an M.Pharm degree in the future.