Dr Amrita Dass profiles three of India's top campuses

Pharmacy is an "applied" science dealing with the chemistry and action of drugs and their preparation as medicines. It also includes the study of diseases and choice of treatments.

Pharmacists have a strong legal and ethical responsibility, as they make sure that standards are enforced.

Pharmacists work in three distinct fields; general pharmacy; hospital pharmacy and industrial pharmacy.

An emerging area is drug design. This deals with the knowledge of specific chemical responses in the body and tailoring combinations of these to fit a treatment profile. The future of this field lies in preventive medicine.

A key attraction is the fact that practitioners can work with advanced technologies and sophisticated software, on simulations, as well as scenario generation for therapy.

The programme has an interdisciplinary focus; it involves working with nationally and internationally known professionals including biologists, computer scientists, mathematicians, statisticians and physicists, who participate in a range of collaborative projects.

You will be exposed to international experience, and are likely to get recognition for your work, which you can also patent.

Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi
Address: Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi 110 062
Website: www.jamiahamdard.edu

About the institute: In 1972, the Hamdard College of Pharmacy was set up to provide education and training in all branches of pharmacy. In 1989, Jamia Hamdard was given the status of Deemed University by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Jamia Hamdard was conceived as a seat of higher learning in Unani medicine, Islamic studies, biosciences, pharmacy and nursing.

Graduate programmes introduced in the past few years include information technology and computer applications and postgraduate programmes in information technology, computer applications, business management, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Undergraduate programmes in physiotherapy and occupational therapy were introduced this year. The university also offers postgraduate and doctoral programmes in several disciplines.

Courses:

  • Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm)
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm)
  • Bachelor of Pharmacy (Unani) (B.Pharm, Unani)
  • Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm)
  • Diploma in Pharmacy (Unani) (D.Pharm, Unani)
  • Ph.D. programmes

Eligibility for the B.Pharm: You should have passed the Senior Secondary (class 12 standard/intermediate) examination with physics, chemistry and biology from the Central Board of Secondary Education or any other examination recognised by Jamia Hamdard as equivalent.

You should have secured at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate in physics, chemistry and biology. Your age should not be more than 23 as of October 1, 2005.

Seats: 60

Entrance exam: A Combined Entrance Test is conducted in June at Ahmedabad, Kozhikode, Delhi, Lucknow, Patna and Srinagar.

Pattern of examination: The test assesses your knowledge in physics, chemistry, biology and general awareness.

The standard of questions will be of the qualifying examination i.e. senior secondary/intermediate.
Selection will be made on the basis of merit determined by your performance in the written test only.

Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Address: Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Institute of Technology
Website: www.itbhu.ac.in

About the institute: The Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering was established in 1932. BHU is thus the first institution in India to start pharmacy education programmes.

It introduced a three-year course leading to the B.Pharm. degree for the first time in India in 1937. The programme was later modified to a four-year degree course in 1964.

The department was also first first to start a PhD programme in pharmacy in 1945 and an M.Pharm. in 1953.

Admission is through the Indian Institute of Technology's Joint Entrance Examination (IIT-JEE) and the All India PMT/PAT exam of BHU.

Courses:

  • Computer Engineering
  • Ceramic Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronics Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Metallurgical Engineering
  • Mining Engineering
  • Pharmaceutical Engineering

Eligibility for the B.Pharm: The minimum academic qualification is a pass in the 10+2 senior secondary examination in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics or a pass in three/four year diploma programme recognised by AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) or by a State Board of Technical Education.

You must have taken biology as a subject at the (10+2) level qualifying examination.

Entrance exam: Admission to the B.Pharm programme at the Institute of Technology-Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) are made through the all India Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) conducted by the seven IITs, IT-BHU and Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad.

Pattern of exam: The screening test is held in April. Those who qualify are called for the main examination in May.

The screening test has objective type questions in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The paper is three hours in duration.

The main examination has three papers one each in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The questions are of subjective type. Each paper is of two hours' duration.

Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan
Website: www.bits-pilani.ac.in

About the institute: BITS graduates are found in all areas of engineering, science and commerce all over the world . BITS symbolises the maturing of Indian technical ability and "can-do" entrepreneurial spirit, especially as derived from the private sector.

Courses: The institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering and management. Its B.Pharm. (Hons.) programme meets the requirements of the Pharmacy Council of India. It has additional courses which lend the programme the feel of engineering as well as fundamental sciences.

Eligibility for B.Pharm: You should have passed the class 12 examination from a recognised central/state board with physics, chemistry, mathematics and adequate proficiency in English.

You should have obtained a minimum aggregate mark of 80 per cent in physics, chemistry and mathematics, with at least 60 per cent marks each in physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Fees: Admission fees - Rs12,000 (Dh974), plus Rs20,000 (Dh1,624) for each semester.

Entrance exam: Admissions are made purely on merit, which in turn is based on the score the candidate received in the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BITSAT).

Pattern of exam: It is a three-hour test taken online in different cities in India. The test has objective type multiple choice questions on physics, chemistry, mathematics, English proficiency and logical reasoning.

These are based on the NCERT - National Council of Educational Research and Training in India - syllabus.

The score is available immediately after the test and is thus designed to be transparent.