Types of Pharmacy programs

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I've seen that there are many types of "pharmacists":

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
PhD
Master
Pharmacology

Can anyone please explain to me how different they are relative to each other??? :confused:

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I've seen that there are many types of "pharmacists":

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
PhD
Master
Pharmacology

Can anyone please explain to me how different they are relative to each other??? :confused:

What degree should one obtain if he wants to make + develop new drugs ???
Same thing if one wants to work in the hospital (for example: administering chemotherapy) ??


PharmD
PhD pharmacology/pharmaceutics
Master of (??) Biochem,bioinformatics, proteomics, chem, etc

All can be involved in drug research, from paper research to bench research. PhDs tend to be the higher percentage of the researchers, but there are still several PharmDs involved in research and Masters can be involved, though the normally proceed to doctorate while working their way up in the company.

PharmD to "administer"/dispense chemo. Oncology Pharmacy (I forget if this is one of the few Board Certified specialties available or not)
 
Hi,

Thank you for your answer. However I don't quite understand the real differences among PharmD, Master, and PhD yet.
 
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Hi,

Thank you for your answer. However I don't quite understand the real differences among PharmD, Master, and PhD yet.

For example, I would like to know:

1/ how many years of education will lead to each of those degrees

2/ what are the job duties of a PharmD, a master in Pharm, and a PhD ??

3/ the median salary from each

If anyone can help me answer those questions, that'll be great! ^_^

PharmD depends on the route you take. Usually between 5-8 years (2+3 accelerated program- BS>PharmD 4 year program)

MS Pharm(no such thing as MS in Pharmacy) MS in Pharmacology I'm assuming would be either 5-6 years depending on how quickly you finish your BS and apply to Grad program (not sure if there is an MS in Pharmacology either, but I'd assume there is)

PhD in any given subject is typically 6-8 years (if you rush your BS and finish in 3 years and if you have an accelerated PhD program it's possible to finish in as few as 6, perhaps 5, but I've never seen 5.)

Your other 2 questions are both too broad and would require too much research on my part.

Look at the FAQs for the depth and breadth of the pharmacy profession (that's where you'll find out why I say #2 is too broad a question)

The same variability in job description applies to MS/PhD both in terms of duties and salaries (Which are duty based, typically.)

You can also find salary info for PharmD in FAQs or by searching for the various salary discussion threads.
 
Hi, thanks again! Ah, when you said "X to Y years", you already included the undergrad years, right?
 
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I've seen that there are many types of "pharmacists":

Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
PhD
Master
Pharmacology

Can anyone please explain to me how different they are relative to each other??? :confused:

What degree should one obtain if he wants to make + develop new drugs ???
Same thing if one wants to work in the hospital (for example: administering chemotherapy) ??


The only one of these able to become a licensed pharmacist is the Pharm.D. If you want to be a pharmacist in any setting this is the degree you need. That takes a minimum of 6 years of college, at least 2 years of pre-pharmacy undergrad years and 4 years in Pharmacy (though there are some programs that squeeze the 4 years of pharmacy into 3 calendar years). Many people entering a professional pharmacy program do hold bachelor's degrees, so for them it would be 8 years total.

A Ph.D. is a research degree. In Pharmacy it can be in several different areas, and may be basic science research (e.g., medicinal chemistry), applied research (e.g, pharmaceutics) or clinical research (e.g., clinical pharmacy) or a combination of these areas. Pharmacology is a sub-field of pharmacy that studies drug action, and that may be basic or applied research. Some school include a deparment of pharmacology in their college of pharmacy and some don't. Some schools might include it in a different area, like in a college of medicine. If you want to make and develop new drugs and do not want to be a licensed pharmacist a Ph.D. is probably the way to go, in either a basic or applied research area. The Ph.D. typically takes 4-7 years BEYOND a bachelor's degree. You need to do original research and write a thesis/dissertation among other things to be awarded a Ph.D. However there is often funding and you may be paid to do a research assistantship and will usually get a tuition waiver.

A Master's degree is usually 2-3 years beyond a bachelor's degree and it is usually a research based degree in pharmacy (some places may have a non-thesis option Master's, depending on the area of study). It would be good if you want to try out a field and aren't certain that you would want to continue in the field. Often people who drop out of a Ph.D. program end up getting a "terminal Master's", even though that wasn't their original intent. You can do research with a research-based master's but you won't be at a principal investigator level like you could be with a Ph.D. - you will always be supervised by someone else, though you could be a research associate or lab manager, etc.
 
Hi, thanks again! Ah, when you said "X to Y years", you already included the undergrad years, right?

Also, taken from your previous answer, if I want to work as a Pharmacist in a hospital setting (giving chemo/drugs to patients), I should better get PharmD degree. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes, that would be undergrad 2-4 years + PharmD curriculum 3-4 years.

If you want to dispense meds at a hospital (e.g. Onc Ward) then you'd want the PharmD. As stated in post above.
 
The only one of these able to become a licensed pharmacist is the Pharm.D. If you want to be a pharmacist in any setting this is the degree you need. That takes a minimum of 6 years of college, at least 2 years of pre-pharmacy undergrad years and 4 years in Pharmacy (though there are some programs that squeeze the 4 years of pharmacy into 3 calendar years). Many people entering a professional pharmacy program do hold bachelor's degrees, so for them it would be 8 years total.

A Ph.D. is a research degree. In Pharmacy it can be in several different areas, and may be basic science research (e.g., medicinal chemistry), applied research (e.g, pharmaceutics) or clinical research (e.g., clinical pharmacy) or a combination of these areas. Pharmacology is a sub-field of pharmacy that studies drug action, and that may be basic or applied research. Some school include a deparment of pharmacology in their college of pharmacy and some don't. Some schools might include it in a different area, like in a college of medicine. If you want to make and develop new drugs and do not want to be a licensed pharmacist a Ph.D. is probably the way to go, in either a basic or applied research area. The Ph.D. typically takes 4-7 years BEYOND a bachelor's degree. You need to do original research and write a thesis/dissertation among other things to be awarded a Ph.D. However there is often funding and you may be paid to do a research assistantship and will usually get a tuition waiver.

A Master's degree is usually 2-3 years beyond a bachelor's degree and it is usually a research based degree in pharmacy (some places may have a non-thesis option Master's, depending on the area of study). It would be good if you want to try out a field and aren't certain that you would want to continue in the field. Often people who drop out of a Ph.D. program end up getting a "terminal Master's", even though that wasn't their original intent. You can do research with a research-based master's but you won't be at a principal investigator level like you could be with a Ph.D. - you will always be supervised by someone else, though you could be a research associate or lab manager, etc.


THIS is your answer - short & to the point!
 
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