Authors : Dr. S. V. Pandya (Assistant Professor) and 2. Ms. S. W. Jadhav (Assistant Professor & Training & Placement Officer)



Our fast-paced lives and the nature of our work has led to many health issues and lifestyle changes. Amidst various emerging diseases and the deadliest pandemic that has grappled mankind, the role of the healthcare industry has become vital. Pharmacy is one of the most respected sectors of the healthcare industry. Pharmacy education covers every aspect of drug development and its transformation into suitable dosage forms like tablets, capsules, injectables, creams, ointments, etc. 

A bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy or the B. Pharm. degree program is one of the most popular programs among students of the Science stream after HSC. B. Pharm. students get to study everything ranging from drugs, medicinal chemistry, drug doses, to pharmaceutical engineering and much more! Students are often concerned about which career path should they choose after B. Pharm. Being such a diverse field, it offers a myriad of career options to students. Some of the fields in Pharmacy are quite new and have a lot of scope. Making the best career choice from all these options can be quite daunting. To help you make this decision, we have made a list of the top 10 career options that you can choose from after completing your B. Pharm. degree.  

The top 10 Jobs & Career Opportunities After B. Pharm. Degree

After completing a B. Pharm. degree, numerous career avenues open up for you!

Opting for higher education programs like M. Pharm. or Ph.D. is one option followed by getting jobs in areas related to healthcare including the chemical companies, research institutes, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, universities and colleges amongst others. The global market is extremely fertile for a pharmacy career. India plays a material role in manufacturing various critical, high‐ quality and low‐cost medicines for Indian and global markets. Indian Pharma Sector holds an 85% share in the domestic market and a 15% share in the global market. This constant expansion has led to the emergence of various career prospectus.

We have compiled a list of the top 10 job and career opportunities after B. Pharm degree.           

Let’s take a look at them: -

1.       Production and manufacturing 

The Production and manufacturing sector in the Pharma industry includes production of drugs and its forms like tablets, capsules, injectables, creams, ointments, etc. in different dosages. There’s a constantly growing demand for Pharmacy graduates in Production and Manufacturing owing to the rising demand for vaccines and medical treatments.

2.       Quality Control & Quality Assurance 

B. Pharm. graduates can work in Quality Control and get various Government jobs. Their job profile includes, developing, applying, and maintaining quality standards during various processes of production and distribution of drugs. They have to design methods for inspecting and testing the quality of products and document the inspection testing procedures. Many pharmaceutical and medical device production industries hire B. Pharm. graduates for quality inspecting in their daily operations.

3.       Formulation & Process development 

Pharma industry is rapidly progressing with a myriad of drugs being produced and developed each day. With the emergence of new viruses, the requirement to formulate and develop new and more effective drugs, arises. B. Pharm. graduates can get a job in Formulation and Process development. Their job profile includes the identification and development of new and more effective formulas (combination of drugs) to improve the existing drugs. It also includes evolving the process of drug formation and finding new ones. Formulation and Process Development is as important as discovering new drugs. Hence, it can be a great career option after B. Pharm.

4.       Research Associate - Healthcare Domain 

B. Pharm. graduates can also enter the domain of Research and Development along with Formulation and Process Development. The Pharmacy sector is built on innovation and research. The formulation of existing drugs and finding new ones lies in the job profile of Research associates in the healthcare domain. Pharmacy graduates can work as scientists in this field and have a great career expansion scope due to numerous on-going researches taking place in India and abroad.

5.       Sales and Marketing-

Indian Pharmaceutical Industry is expanding exponentially in both the domestic and foreign markets. More than 60% of vaccines supplied around the world are manufactured in India. India exports drugs to more than 120 countries. This ever-growing scope of the Pharma sector demands sales and marketing professionals who have in-depth Pharmacy knowledge. Various pharmaceutical companies hire B. Pharm. graduates for Marketing and Sales as Medical Representatives, project managers etc.  The job profile includes marketing pharmaceutical products and medical equipment to various national and multinational industries.

6.       Community (Retail) Pharmacists 

B. Pharm. graduates can also get a job as a Community or Retail Pharmacists. The job involves dispensing medicines to patients according to the doctor’s prescription. This job involves direct communication with the patients and hence, being extremely good with people is expected from Retail Pharmacists. Following ethical and legal guidelines is imperative in this job. As a Retail Pharmacist, you will also need to give the patients guidelines and information regarding various medicines, their appropriate dosage, and general health advices.

7.       Drug inspectors

Pharmacy graduates can also get recruited as drug inspectors for monitoring the utility, quality, effectiveness and side effects of pharmaceutical products from its production to its delivery in the market, hospitals and research trials. Their job involves working with medical and drug company representatives, patients, doctors and other healthcare professionals to record the effectiveness of drugs and other treatments. The product data collected by them is meticulously recorded, analyzed and processed. This data is used by pharmaceutical companies to improve the safety and performance of various products and reduce their side effects.

8.       Academics

Your Pharmacy degree can get you a job in the academic field as well! If you wish to pass on the knowledge in Pharmacy to the future batches, you can land a job of a lecturer in pharmacy colleges. Pharmacy graduates, after clearing NET (National Eligibility Test) or SET (State Eligibility Test) are eligible to teach the diploma students in various institutions. However, to teach the degree students one needs to seek higher education like M. Pharm. or Ph.D.

9.       Bio-Technology Industries 

Pharmaceutical biotechnology is an emerging field where the principles of biotechnology and pharmacy are combined for developing new drugs. Many therapeutic drugs these days are a result of bio formulations, such as antibodies, nucleic acid products and vaccines. The formation of these drugs requires professionals who have the knowledge of medicine, drugs, and their effects. Hence, Pharmacy graduates have a high demand in this field. Due to this field being comparatively new, it has greater career expansion opportunities.

10.    Medical writer 

A Pharmacy graduate can also land up a job in a writing field. If you aren’t interested in research or any other technical job, you can be a medical writer. The job profile of a medical writer includes combining scientific knowledge and writing skills to deliver complex medical information in clear and comprehensive language. Researching the topic to be written, finding client requirements, liaising with concerned officials to obtain information, are also some of the responsibilities of a medical writer.

They can focus on diverse topics like medical studies, drug trials, regulatory documents, marketing copies for new medical products that are released, etc. They are hired by hospitals, academic institutions and national and multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Numerous other job profiles can also be discovered after B. Pharm. like: -

·         Packaging Department

·         Regulatory Affairs

·         Hospital Pharmacists

·         Clinical Pharmacy

·         Clinical Research Organizations

·         Government analysts at state and central drug testing laboratories

·         Health-Care Administration

·         Medical Scripting

·         Drug Therapist

·         Drug Inspector

·         Hospital Drug Coordinator

·         Law after Degree Pharmacy

·         Chemical/drug inspector

·         Health Inspector

Average salary: -

Pharmacy jobs have decent salaries and a good increment. The salary of B. Pharm. graduates may differ depending on various factors like the job profile, the place of employment, work experience, institute of education, etc. But on an average the salary of a Pharmacist in India is ₹251,562. p.a.

Source: - https://www.payscale.com/

Hence, it can be concluded that there’s an ocean of opportunities after a B. Pharm. degree. There’s a lot of scope for experimentation with your career as well. The global market is opening doors for talented pharmacists in various job profiles. The Indian pharmaceutical industry has also expanded significantly. The aspiring candidates have an option to explore and choose the most appropriate field in pharmacy. So, if you have sound technical and scientific skills and are passionate about helping people by providing a healthy life, you can delve right into the best-suited job profile and kickstart your pharmacy career! 

Begin your healthcare career with Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy: -

Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi, provides B. Pharm. degree program, along with M. Pharm. in Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Pharm. D. programs for advancing your pharmacy career! The college has established strong corporate relations along with an excellent placement cell that caters to contemporary Industrial demands. The in-house Language laboratories, programs designed by industry experts, and MoU’s with industries, groom students for their professional lives. With some world-class facilities like state-of-art infrastructure, well equipped ultramodern laboratory, spacious ICT enabled classrooms, enriched conventional and digital library, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Pharmacy, Akurdi, is all set to create dynamic healthcare professionals. Explore our website, for additional information about the program along with courses offered, admission process, fee structure, etc. You can also fill up an online form to get all the additional details. So, what are you waiting for? Register now and build your successful career in Pharmacy!