D.Pharm: Diploma in Pharmacy
A two-year diploma and the quickest recognised route to working in a pharmacy.
View coursePharmacy
Pharm.D: Doctor of Pharmacy
A six-year clinical doctorate in pharmacy, with a year of hospital internship built into it.
Quick facts
- Duration
- 6 years (5 + a year's internship) · 3 for B.Pharm graduates
Full details
Six years, full time: five academic years plus one year of internship or residency. For B.Pharm graduates the post-baccalaureate route, Pharm.D (PB), is three years, two of study plus the internship year, entering at the fourth year of the programme.
- Who can apply
- 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry + Maths or Biology, or a D.Pharm
Full rules
A pass in 10+2 with Physics and Chemistry as compulsory subjects, plus Mathematics or Biology. A pass in D.Pharm from an institution approved by the Pharmacy Council of India is accepted as well, as is any other qualification the Council recognises as equivalent.
- Entrance exam
- None prescribed by PCI · not yet confirmed at our institutes
Full rules
Admission runs through the college and the state's own process, and the Pharmacy Council of India prescribes no entrance examination for Pharm.D: its regulations and its FAQ set out the duration, both eligibility routes and the intake limit, and no entrance test. We have not yet confirmed the position at the institutes we work with, the way we have for D.Pharm and B.Pharm, so ask us about the colleges you are considering rather than assuming.
- Where we place students
- Karnataka, Bihar, Jharkhand, Delhi NCR
Verified against: Pharmacy Council of India (checked on 7 Oct 2026)
Pharm.D is a six-year doctorate in pharmacy, and the sixth year is a full year of clinical internship or residency, not an extra year. It is the clinical end of the subject. The Pharmacy Council of India describes the programme as emphasising pharmacy practice across hospital and clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy, clinical research, regulatory work, formulation development and quality control, and it is a registrable qualification under the Pharmacy Act, so a Pharm.D holder can register and practise.
Two things about it are not obvious from the name. The first is that it is not a research doctorate. It is the practising qualification, and the Council’s own answer is that after Pharm.D you are eligible to register for a PhD, which is where research starts. You may also prefix Dr to your name, for the purpose of practising pharmacy under the Act.
The second is that it is a small course by design. Intake is capped at 30 students per institution per academic year, and 10 on the post-baccalaureate route, the one for graduates who already hold a B.Pharm. That cap is the Council’s current limit rather than a college’s choice. Fewer colleges run a Pharm.D than run a B.Pharm, and the seats go early. If you are aiming for it, tell us which state you are looking at and we will confirm the admission route and the current position at the colleges we work with before you apply.
More courses in Pharmacy
B.Pharm: Bachelor of Pharmacy
A four-year pharmacy degree, and the usual route into manufacturing, quality control and drug regulation.
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