Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy
The Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSPh) is a four-year undergraduate degree program that provides students with the knowledge and skills to practice pharmacy. The program covers the art and science of drugs, from their discovery and development to their use in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Students in the BSP program learn about the chemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of drugs. They also learn about the different types of pharmacy practice, such as community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and pharmaceutical research. In addition to their coursework, students in the BSP program also gain practical experience through rotations in different pharmacy settings. This gives them the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.
After completing the BSP program, graduates are eligible to take the Pharmacy Licensure Examination (PLE). Those who pass the PLE are awarded the title of Registered Pharmacist (RPh).
Registered Pharmacists can work in a variety of settings, including community pharmacies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies. They play an important role in the healthcare system by providing patients with safe and effective medications.
Career Path
The journey usually begins with earning a BS Pharmacy degree from an accredited pharmacy school like CLDHEI. This program typically takes four years to complete and includes both theoretical coursework and practical training in pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, pharmacy practice, and related fields.
After completing the BS Pharmacy program, graduates must pass the Philippine Pharmacist Licensure Examination (PPLE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Successful completion of this exam is required to become a Registered Pharmacist (RPh) and practice legally in the Philippines.
Newly licensed RPhs often start their careers as community pharmacists in retail pharmacies, drugstores, or hospital pharmacies. They dispense medications, provide drug information to patients, and ensure the safe and effective use of medications.
Some pharmacists choose to pursue clinical pharmacy practice by working in hospital settings. Clinical pharmacists are involved in patient care teams, helping to optimize medication therapy, monitor patient outcomes, and ensure proper medication management.
Pharmacists may opt to pursue post-graduate studies or specialization programs to advance their careers. This can include Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) or Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degrees. Specializations may focus on areas such as clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences, or regulatory affairs.
Pharmacists are encouraged to engage in continuous education and training to stay updated with the latest pharmaceutical developments, regulations, and best practices.
With experience and further education, pharmacists can advance to supervisory or management positions within pharmacies or healthcare institutions. They may become pharmacy managers, pharmacy directors, or clinical coordinators.
Some pharmacists choose to work in the pharmaceutical industry. They can have roles in drug research and development, regulatory affairs, marketing, quality control, and sales.
Experienced pharmacists may enter academia, teaching pharmacy students and conducting research in pharmacy schools, colleges, or universities.
Entrepreneurial pharmacists may establish and own their pharmacies or drugstores.
Pharmacists can work in drug regulatory agencies to ensure that medications and pharmaceutical products meet safety and efficacy standards. This involves roles in drug registration, inspection, and compliance.
Some pharmacists offer consulting services to healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical companies, or government agencies on matters related to pharmacy practice, drug management, or pharmaceutical policy.
Registered pharmacists from the Philippines are recognized internationally, and many choose to work in healthcare systems abroad.
Career paths for registered pharmacists can vary based on individual preferences, additional certifications, and opportunities that arise throughout their careers. Ongoing professional development and maintaining a valid RPh license are essential aspects of a pharmacist’s career in the Philippines or elsewhere.
Curriculum
First Year
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| EUTH | Euthenics | 1.0 | - | 1.0 | - |
| GEN ELEC PPC | Philippine Popular Culture | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE MMW | Mathematics in the Modern World | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE PC | Purposive Communication | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| NSTP 1 | Community Welfare Training Service | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| PE PATHFit1 | Movement Competency Training | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph 1 | Perspectives in Pharmacy | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph 2 | Pharmaceutical Calculations & Techniques | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph BioSci 1 | Pharmaceutical Botany with Taxonomy | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Chem 1 | Pharmaceutical Inorganic Chemistry (with Qualitative Analysis) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| Bio Sci 0 | Zoology | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| CHEM 0 | General Chemistry | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| GE ELEC EM | Entrepreneurial Mind | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE US | Understanding the Self | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| NSTP 2 | Community Welfare Training Service | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| PE PATHFit2 | Exercise-Based Fitness Activities | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph Analysis 1 | Pharmaceutical Analysis 1 (Quantitative Pharmaceutical Chemistry) | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PH BioSci 2 | Human Physiology & Pathophysiology | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Business 1 | Introduction to Pharmacy Administration, Management and Leadership | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph Chem 2 | Pharmaceutical Organic Chemistry | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph Health Care | Introduction to the Health System | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Phy Sci | General Physics | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
NOTE: Items with gray background are bridging subjects for students who are not graduates of the STEM strand in senior high school.
Second Year
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| GE CW | The Contemporary World | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE Ethics | Ethics | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| PE PATHFit3 | Dance | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph 3 | Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Drug Delivery Systems and Medical Devices | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph 4 | Physical Pharmacy | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph BioSci 3 | Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Parasitology | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph CAM | Complementary and Alternative Medicine | 1.0 | - | 1.0 | - |
| Ph Chem 3 | Pharmaceutical Biochemistry | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Disp 1 | Dispensing I (Dispensing Process, Reading and Interpreting the Prescription and other Medicine Orders) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| RIZAL | The Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| GE AA | Art Appreciation | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE ELEC 3 | Environmental Science | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Pcol 1 | Pharmacology 1 | 4.0 | - | 4.0 | - |
| PE PATHFit4 | Sports | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph Analysis 2 | Pharmaceutical Analysis 2 (Instrumental Methods of Analysis) | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Bio Phar | Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph BioSci 4 | Pharmacognosy and Plant Chemistry | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph Chem 4 | Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Organic Chemistry | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Info | Pharmacy Informatics | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Third Year
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| Pcol 2 | Pharmacology 2 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph 5 | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (with Quality Assurance and cGMP) | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph Clin Pco 1 | Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics 1 | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph Disp 2 | Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Drug Delivery Systems and Medical Devices | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Drug Disc | Drug Discovery, Design and Development | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph Hospi | Hospital Pharmacy | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph Res Meth Stat | Pharmaceutical Research Methods with Statistics | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| GE RPH | Readings in Philippine History | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| GE STS | Science, Technology and Society | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph Business 2 | Pharmaceutical Marketing and Entrepreneurship | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph Clin Pco 2 | Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapeutics 2 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph CPD | Cosmetic Product Development (Cosmetic Product Development, Regulation and Safety Assessment) | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Ph Health Tech & Policy | Health Technology Assessment and Health Policy (with Pharmacoeconomics) | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph Legal Phar | Legal Pharmacy and Ethics | 2.0 | - | 2.0 | - |
| Ph PHP | Public Health Pharmacy (with Pharmacoepidemiology) | 3.0 | - | 3.0 | - |
| Ph Res TW | Pharmacy Research and Thesis Writing | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| Ph Social Ad | Social and Administrative Pharmacy | 1.0 | - | 1.0 | - |
| Ph Toxi | Pharmaceutical Toxicology | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
Fourth Year
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| EPP Community | Experiential Pharmacy Practice in Community Pharmacy | 3.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| EPP Hospital | Experiential Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Pharmacy | 3.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| S U B J E C T | UNITS | HOURS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CODE | DESCRIPTION | Lec | Lab | Lec | Lab |
| EPP Industrial | Experiential Pharmacy Practice in Industrial Pharmacy | 3.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 18.0 |
| EPP Institutional | Experiential Pharmacy Practice in Institutional Pharmacy | 1.0 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 7.2 |
| EPP Public Health | Experiential Pharmacy Practice in Public Health and Regulatory Pharmacy | 2.0 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 10.8 |
Estimated Tuition and Other School Fees
| FEE DESCRIPTION | 1ST YEAR | 2ND YEAR | 3RD YEAR | 4TH YEAR | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Sem | 2nd Sem | 1st Sem | 2nd Sem | 1st Sem | 2nd Sem | 1st Sem | 2nd Sem | ||
| A. | Tuition Fees | 21,160 | 21,160 | 21,436 | 20,053 | 16,596 | 17,979 | 12,447 | 12,447 |
| B. | Miscellaneous Fees | 4,171 | 4,171 | 3,476 | 3,476 | 3,476 | 3,476 | 3,476 | 3,476 |
| C. | Other Fees | 8,495 | 8,118 | 9,349 | 7,624 | 11,925 | 10,201 | 2,824 | 2,817 |
| TOTAL TUITION AND OTHER SCHOOL FEES | 33,826 | 33,449 | 34,261 | 31,153 | 31,997 | 31,656 | 18,747 | 18,740 | |
| Total Units (Regular Load) | 25.5 | 25.5 | 31.0 | 29.0 | 24.0 | 26.0 | 18.0 | 18.0 | |
NOTE: The table above shows the estimated amount of tuition and other school fees for students who enrolled for the regular load. Students who enrolled for units that are less or more than the regular load will be assessed different amounts.