A four-year degree program in pharmaceutical science offered by pharmaceutical colleges is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in pharmacy, drug and health care. It is science-intensive and usually teaches research methods, testing and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. A typical program coursework includes microbiology, anatomy, physiology, organic chemistry, dosage forms, immunology, toxicology, U.S. health care systems and regulations and drug action. This program includes strong components of chemistry and biology.
Several colleges provide financial aid and grants to students for the undergraduate program. These scholarships are mainly based on academic achievements in high school. For instance, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences offers four-year, full-time undergraduate scholarships to students who have had academic achievements in high school. Some colleges offer scholarships based on yearly outstanding performances of enrolled students. Undergraduate pharmacy scholarships are offered by external sources as well. Gateway to Research Scholarship is the joint effort of American Associates of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education to provide scholarships worth of $5000 each, to pharmacy students.
After successfully completing the undergraduate program from a four-year pharmacy school, students are qualified to work for many pharmaceutical related careers. Students can obtain jobs in the field of pharmaceutical sales, management, research and development, marketing, administration, regulations and drug product testing. Other career options could be retail pharmacists, wholesalers, analytical chemists, teachers, quality assurance managers, medical transcriptionists, data managers and healthcare professionals.
Upon completion of bachelor's degree, students can be admitted to doctor of pharmacy programs to continue their education. Successful scores on the Pharmacy College Admissions Test is required to enter the doctor of pharmacy program. The program is based on theory-based classes and practical experiments. It equips students with technical competencies required to be pharmacists. The coursework often entails ethics, disease management, advanced immunology, drug literature analysis, drug research and clinical experiments.