Pharm-D

What Pharm-D involves, licensing, careers in community and hospital pharmacy, and which universities offer it in Pakistan.

Quick Facts

Degree LevelPharm-D
DisciplineMedicine, Pharmacy
Offered By 55 universities in our directory
Typical Duration5 Years

Pharm-D (Doctor of Pharmacy) is a five-year professional degree qualifying graduates to practise as pharmacists. It covers the science of medicines — how they are formulated, how they act, how they interact and how they should be used safely — alongside clinical and professional practice training.

What You’ll Study

The curriculum covers pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics and dosage form design, pharmacology and toxicology, pharmacognosy, pharmacy practice and clinical pharmacy, pharmacotherapeutics, biostatistics and pharmaceutical management, with hospital and community pharmacy training in the later years.

Registration and Practice

The degree alone does not permit practice. Graduates must register with the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan and the relevant provincial pharmacy council before working as a licensed pharmacist. Requirements are set by those bodies and change periodically — confirm current registration requirements with the Pharmacy Council rather than relying on general summaries.

Career Scope in Pakistan

Pakistan has a large domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which is the sector’s distinguishing feature. Graduates work in pharmaceutical manufacturing — production, quality control, quality assurance and regulatory affairs — hospital and clinical pharmacy, community and retail pharmacy, drug regulatory bodies including DRAP, medical and pharmaceutical sales and marketing, and research and development.

Regulatory affairs and quality assurance are comparatively well-paid and in steady demand, since pharmaceutical manufacturing is heavily regulated and compliance roles are mandatory rather than discretionary. Clinical pharmacy is expanding as hospitals formalise medication management, though it remains less established than in some countries.

Admission Requirements

FSc Pre-Medical or an equivalent qualification, plus the admission test used by the university concerned. Pharm-D is a five-year professional programme — longer than a standard four-year BS. Check each university’s admissions page for current criteria.

For salaries by sector, Pharmacy Council recognition, the HEC curriculum and how Pharm-D compares with DPT and nursing, read our guide to Pharm-D scope and salary in Pakistan.

Where You Can Study This

  • 55 universities
  • 26 cities
  • 26 public
  • 29 private

Fees are not shown here: we hold a published figure for 18 of these 55 universities, and comparing one against a blank column would be misleading rather than informative. Each university page carries its own fee where we have it.

University City Sector Duration
Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari Karachi Public —
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology Islamabad Public 5 Years
Government College University, Faisalabad Faisalabad Public 5 Years
Government College University, Lahore Lahore Public —
Health Services Academy (HSA), Islamabad Islamabad Public —
Jinnah Sindh Medical University Karachi Public —
Kohat University of Science and Technology Kohat Public —
Mirpur University of Science & Technology Mirpur Public 5 Years
Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Haripur Haripur Public —
Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences for Women Nawabshah Public 5 years
Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad Public 5 years
Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta Public 5 Years
Shah Abdul Latif University Merit Khairpur Public 5 Years
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Upper Dir Public 5 years
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana Public —
The Women University Multan Public 5 Years
University of Chakwal, Chakwal Chakwal Public 5 Years
University of Karachi Karachi Public 5 years
University of Narowal Narowal Public 5 Years
University of Peshawar Peshawar Public 5 years
University of Poonch Poonch Public 5 years
University of Poonch Poonch Public 5 years
University of Sindh Mirpur Khas Public 5 years
University of Swabi Swabi Public 5 Years
University of Swat Swat Public 5 years
University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences Lahore Public —
Abasyn University Peshawar Private —
Baqai Medical University Karachi Private 5 Years
Capital University of Science & Technology Islamabad Private 5 years (195 credit hours)
CECOS University of Information Technology & Emerging Sciences Peshawar Private 5 years
City University of Science and Information Technology Peshawar Private 5 Years
Forman Christian College Lahore Private 5 Years
Grand Asian University, Sialkot Sialkot Private 5 Years
Hajvery University Lahore Private —
Hamdard University Pharm. D Karachi Private 5 Years
International Institute of Science, Arts and Technology, Gujranwala Gujranwala Private —
Iqra University Karachi Private —
Jinnah University for Women Karachi Private 5 Years
Jinnah University for Women Karachi Private 5 Years
Lahore Leads University Lahore Private —
Minhaj University Lahore Private —
Multan University of Science & Technology, Multan Multan Private 10 Semesters (5 Years)
National Excellence Institute (NEI), Rawalpindi Rawalpindi Private 5 Years
Nippon Institute of Advanced Sciences, Sheikhupura Sheikhupura Private 5 Years
Qurtaba University of Science & Information Technology Peshawar Private 5 years
Riphah International University Islamabad Private 5 years
Salim Habib University (Former Barret Hodgson University), Karachi Karachi Private —
Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University Islamabad Private —
The Nazeer Hussain University Karachi Private 5 years
TIMES University, Multan Multan Private —
University of Chenab, Gujrat Gujrat Private —
University of Lahore Lahore Private 5 years
University of Modern Sciences, Tando Muhammad Khan Tando Muhammad Khan Private 5 Years
University of Sialkot, Sialkot Sialkot Private —
Zia-ud-Din University Karachi Private —

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Pharm-D in Pakistan?

Five years — longer than a standard four-year bachelor's degree — including hospital and community pharmacy training in the later years.

Can I practise as a pharmacist immediately after Pharm-D?

No. You must register with the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan and the relevant provincial council before practising as a licensed pharmacist. Confirm current registration requirements directly with the Council.

What is the scope of Pharm-D in Pakistan?

Pharmaceutical manufacturing including production, quality control and regulatory affairs, hospital and clinical pharmacy, community and retail pharmacy, drug regulatory bodies such as DRAP, pharmaceutical sales and marketing, and R&D. Regulatory affairs and quality assurance are in steady demand because compliance roles are mandatory.