Pharmacists are an integral part of a complete and effective health care team. They play significant roles in the manufacturing of drugs, clinical practice for the rational use of medicaments, dispensing of drugs as well as in the discovery and development of new drugs. In this 21st century, both global and national health care sectors are facing numerous challenges, which can be overcome by the pharmacists by virtue of their academic excellence and professional trainings.

The Department of Pharmacy started its journey in 2004 with the vision to provide world class education and produce skilled pharmacy professionals for home and abroad. Eminent scientist Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rashid, the former Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) and Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, is mentoring the department since its inception. The department is committed to pursue excellence and integrity in pharmacy education, contemporary research, and professional practices to ensure continuous development of high-quality graduates for the rapidly growing pharmaceutical industries, academia, and allied health sectors.

The department offers fully-accredited professional programs leading to the Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons.) and Master of Pharmacy degrees. The programs have been designed to include experiences in real-world settings through the department’s experiential approach to education, working side-by-side with faculty members and preceptors who have gained national and international recognition for industrial experience, research activities and educational leadership.

The Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons.) program is accredited and Master of Pharmacy (M. Pharm.) program is approved by the Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh (PCB) since 2003. Both B. Pharm. (Hons.) and M. Pharm. programs are approved by Bangladesh University Grants Commission. 

Vision

Committed to pursuing excellence and integrity in Pharmacy education, contemporary research and professional practices to ensure continuous development of high-quality graduates for the rapidly growing pharmaceutical industries, academia and allied health sectors.

Mission

v To empower the students to pursue their professional and academic goals in a university that is modern, dynamic, diversified and welcoming for all scholars, faculty members and staff personnel.

v To deliver a contemporary and innovative outcome-based curriculum to develop outstanding and innovative leaders for the pharmaceutical industries, healthcare sectors, academia and research institutes.

v To provide world class education through mentoring, hands-on training and motivation for developing potential, responsible, and knowledgeable graduates and skilled scholars/manpower.

v To strengthen, prioritize and encourage innovative research in collaboration with the leading pharmaceutical industries, reputed academic institutions and research organizations.

v To ensure a practical need-based and research-oriented teaching and learning environment in developing critical thinking, analytical ability, leadership skills and social responsibilities among the pharmacy graduates.

Values

We endeavor to maintain a healthy academic environment to meet our vision and mission through practicing appropriate moral and ethical behavior, integrity, compassion, mutual respect, cooperation, and innovation thereby.

Objectives of the Department of Pharmacy

The objective of the Department of Pharmacy is to produce pharmacy graduates with strong fundamental concepts and high technical competence in pharmaceutical sciences and technology, who will be able to use these tools in the pharmaceutical industry, hospital pharmacies, community pharmacy services, drug administration and other organizations in drug research, marketing, sales and multidisciplinary approach with a highly professional and ethical attitude.

Description of the Program

M. Pharm. program in State University of Bangladesh (SUB) has been designed for students to acquire sufficient understanding of the principles and techniques of the pharmaceutical science. It will provide students with a coordinated understanding, comprehensive knowledge and expertise in all disciplines of pharmacy. This program consists of 40 credits comprising lectures along with practical classes, seminars, interactive small group teaching and tutorials will be part of the M. Pharm. program.

M. Pharm. students of non-thesis group shall carry out a project; their academic supervisor also acts as their personal tutor for the duration of the degree program. Students who are in service are encouraged to consult their employers so that, if possible, the project can be related to the work carried out in their normal employment. If necessary, the Department of Pharmacy is willing to enter into confidentiality agreements. The project should occupy, as a minimum, the equivalent of 8 weeks’ laboratory works exclusive of writing up and preparation of the thesis. Under certain circumstances, depending on the nature of a student’s employment, a critical review and an appraisal of a specific area of the scientific literature could be an allowed alternative to a laboratory-based project.

Unique Features

v Thirty (30) exceptionally brilliant & experienced Permanent faculty members and 55 distinguished Guest faculties from esteemed universities, research institutions, and pharmaceutical companies.

v Eleven teaching laboratories and 3 research laboratories well equipped with modern
instruments including ATR-FTIR, HPLC, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, Karl Fischer apparatus,
Rotary evaporator, Semi-auto biochemistry analyzer, 8-Station tablet compression
machine, Tablet coating machine, Dissolution test apparatus, etc.

v A dedicated browsing laboratory for crafting computer literacy and competence and an animal house for conducting pharmacological and toxicological studies on animal models.

v Involvement of faculty members and students in high quality research and publications.

v A seminar library named the Light House enriched with over three thousand books and
scientific journals and periodicals.

v In-plant training and hospital residency are arranged by the department in reputed pharmaceutical industries and hospitals, respectively.

v Job assistance in pharmaceutical industries and hospitals through Pharma Career Fair.

v Well-organized and active Pharmacy Clubs including SUB Pharmacy Literature Society, SUB Pharmacy Debate Fighters, SUB Pharmacy Cultural Community, etc.

v Waiver and scholarships for deserving candidates.

 

Laboratories

v Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry & Pharmaceutical Analysis Lab.

v Pharmaceutical Technology Lab. and sterile formulation unit

v Biopharmaceutics & Cosmetology Lab.

v Pharmaceutical Microbiology Lab.

v Pharmaceutical Inorganic & Organic Chemistry Lab.

v Phytochemistry & Medicinal Chemistry Lab.

v Physiology & Pharmacology Lab.

v Central Instrument Room

v Pharmaceutical Chemistry Research Lab.

v Pharmacology Research Lab.

v Pharmaceutical Technology Research Lab.

v Computational Chemistry & Bioinformatics Lab.

v Animal House

v Pharmacy Browsing Lab.

Research Highlights

The Department of Pharmacy delivers world-class education by ensuring outstanding teaching, extensive hands-on demonstration in the laboratories, and innovative world-class research activities. The department always aims to develop the student's research capacity through its well-equipped and advanced laboratories and technical knowledge concerning the recent and up-to-date developments in pharmaceutical sciences. Apart from the regular teaching programs, the department’s faculty members are highly interested in innovative research activities. Besides, they get many research funds and grants from various private and public organizations. The teachers and students of the department are actively involved in different areas of research works such as analytical pharmacy, drug development, drug design, formulation development, in vitro bioequivalence study, rational use of drugs, phytochemistry & drug screening, synthesis of medicinal & related substances, in vivo and in vitro assessment of pharmacological activities of plant products, bioinformatics & computational chemistry, including molecular docking, so on.

Notable Publications

Filed	Notable Published Articles
Natural Product Chemistry	Rashid PT, Hossain MJ*, Zahan MS, Hasan CM, Rashid MA, Al-Mansur MA, Haque MR. Chemico-pharmacological and computational studies of Ophiorrhiza fasciculata D. Don and Psychotria silhetensis Hook. F. focusing cytotoxic, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-bacterial properties. Heliyon. 2023; 9(9); e20100. (Impact Factor = 4.0; Q1)
Functional Foods and Nutrition	Shajib MS, Islam S, Alam S, Rashid RB, Afroze M, Khan M, Datta BK, Nahar L, Sarker SD, Rashid MA. GC–MS analysis and pharmacological evaluations of Phoenix sylvestris (Roxb.) seeds provide new insights into the management of oxidative stress and hyperglycemia. Food Science & Nutrition. 2022. (Impact Factor: 3.55; Q2).
Computational Chemistry	Akash S, Hossain A, Mukerjee N, Sarker MM, Khan MF, Hossain MJ, Rashid MA, Kumer A, Ghosh A, León-Figueroa DA, Barboza JJ. Modified coptisine derivatives as an inhibitor against pathogenic Rhizomucor miehei, Mycolicibacterium smegmatis (Black Fungus), Monkeypox, and Marburg virus by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation-based drug design approach. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023 Apr 19; 14: 1140494. (Impact Factor = 5.6; Q1)
Drug Design and Discovery	Khan MF, Rashid RB, Rashid MA. Identification of natural compounds with analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties using machine learning and molecular docking studies. Letters in Drug Design & Discovery. 2022 Mar 1;19(3):256-62. (Impact Factor: 1.09; Q3)
Analytical Chemistry and Drug Development	Hossain MJ, Sultan MZ, Rashid MA, Kuddus MR. Interactions of linagliptin, rabeprazole sodium, and their formed complex with bovine serum albumin: Computational docking and fluorescence spectroscopic methods. Analytical Science Advances. 2021 Oct;2(9-10):480-94.
Formulation Development	Siddiqui MH, Islam MS, Razu MR, Zaman AN, Jadi B, Saha T, Pathan MS. Preparation and evaluation of sublingual film of ketorolac tromethamine. Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy. 2022 Sep 2;48(9):438-45. (Impact Factor = 3.2; Q2)
Pharmacogenomics	Sultana TN, Chaity NI, Hasan M, Shrabonee II, Rivu SF, Aziz MA, Sahaba SA, Apu MN, Nahid NA, Islam MS, Islam M. TGFβ1 rs1800469 and SMAD4 rs10502913 polymorphisms and genetic susceptibility to colorectal cancer in Bangladeshi population. Molecular Biology Reports. 2022 Dec 5:1-9. (Impact Factor: 2.74; Q2).
Complementary Medicine and Alternative Medicine	Ripa FA, Hossain MJ*, Munira MS, Roy A, Riya FH, Alam F, Feda FB, Taslim U, Nesa ML, Rashid MA, Alghamdi S. Phytochemical and pharmacological profiling of Trewia nudiflora Linn. leaf extract deciphers therapeutic potentials against thrombosis, arthritis, helminths, and insects. Open Chemistry. 2022 Jan 1;20(1):1304-12. (Impact Factor = 1.98; Q2)
Rational Use of Drugs	Hossain MJ*, Jabin N, Ahmmed F, Sultana A, Rahman A, Islam MR. Irrational use of antibiotics and factors associated with antibiotic resistance: Findings from a cross‐sectional study in Bangladesh. Health Science Reports. 2023 Aug;6(8): e1465. (Impact Factor = 2.0; Q2)
Mental Health	Hossain MJ*, Ahmmed F, Rahman A, Sanam S, Emran TB, Mitra S. Impact of online education on fear of academic delay and psychological distress among university students following one year of COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh. Heliyon. 2021 Jun 1;7(6), e07388. (Impact Factor = 4.0; Q1)
Obesity and COVID-19	Hossain MJ*, Ahmmed F, Khan MR, Rashid PT, Hossain S, Rafi MO, Islam MR, Mitra S, Emran TB, Islam F, Alam M. Impact of prolonged COVID-19 lockdown on body mass index, eating habits, and physical activity of university students in Bangladesh: a web-based cross-sectional study. Frontiers in nutrition. 2022 May 20; 9: 873105. (Impact Factor = 5.0; Q1)
Epidemiology	Ahmmed F, Hossain MJ*, Sutopa TS, Al-Mamun M, Alam M, Islam MR, Sharma R, Sarker MM, Azlina MF. The trend in exclusive breastfeeding practice and its association with maternal employment in Bangladesh: A multilevel analysis. Frontiers in Public Health. 2022 Nov 25; 10: 988016. (Impact Factor = 5.2; Q1)
Environmental Research	Ghosh B, Rahman MM, Saha T, Hossain MJ*, Alam S, Al-Aman DA, Kayser MS, Islam MS, Islam MK, Singh A, Ahmed T. Drinking water sources along the banks of Buriganga river of Bangladesh are polluted and possess serious health risks: a comprehensive in vivo analysis. Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2023 Jan 11;2023. (Impact Factor = 2.78; Q2)
Public Health	Ahmmed F, Hossain MJ*, Khan MTF, Manik MMR, Shahriar S, Nandi DC, Hussain MP. Mediating effect of BMI on the association of economic status and coexistence of hypertension and diabetes in Bangladesh: A counterfactual framework‐based weighting approach. Health Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 23;7(4): e2063. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.2063. (Impact Factor = 2.0; Q2)

 

Achievements

v The Department of Pharmacy has been able to establish its position as one of the pioneering departments for Pharmacy education in Bangladesh.

v So far, more than 2000 students have obtained their B. Pharm. (Hons.) degree and nearly 2500 students have earned M. Pharm. degree from the department.

v Our graduates are well placed in the reputed pharmaceutical industries of Bangladesh, including the top-ten pharma industries. Many of our alumni are holding the key positions in pharma industries such as Manager, Additional Manager, Deputy Manager, Assistant Managers and alike.

v Many of our graduates have completed higher studies, including PhD degrees from renowned universities in various developed countries like USA, Australia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Norway, Germany and Sweden. More than a dozen of our alumni is now pursuing higher studies in top ranking universities in the United States, Australia, Germany, Finland, etc. leading to PhD and Masters degrees.

v In 2021 and 2022, the faculty members of the department have published 60 and 94 research articles, respectively in internationally recognized peer-reviewed scientific journals. The Scopus/PubMed database has indexed a substantial number of the published papers and several articles have been published by the world-famous publishers, such as Elsevier, Springer, BMC, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, Thieme, Cell Press, Frontiers, Hindawi, MDPI, De Gruyter and so on.

Number of publications of last 10 years of the department

 

Career Opportunities

v Pharmaceutical Formulation and Manufacturing

v Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Quality Control

v Pharmaceutical Research and Development

v Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management

v Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

v Pharmaceutical Human Resources

v Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy

v Veterinary Pharmacy

v Research Institutions

v Regulatory Agencies

v Academia

Co-curricular and Extra-curricular Activities

v The students of the Department of Pharmacy are engaged in different co-curricular activities, including sports, debates, cultural programs, and various types of contests, like- pharma Olympiads, poster presentations, extempore speech, and so on.

v The students also participate in various social activities, like helping flood victims, distributing ‘Iftar’ among orphans and indigent people during Ramadan, distributing winter clothes among the needy people, etc.

v The department regularly organizes seminars, webinars, and technical discussions on different contemporary issues of pharmacy. Renowned individuals from home and abroad are invited to deliver their speeches and share their valuable experiences with our students.

v The Department of Pharmacy has been organizing ‘Career Fair’ since 2014 to assist in building the career of the graduates, where top-ranking pharmaceutical companies of the country regularly take part in the fair to recruit the Pharmacists.

v Moreover, the students of the department regularly organize ‘Pharma Week’ program, where the students simultaneously participate in various co-curricular and extra-curricular events such as oral and poster presentations, scientific seminars, multiple indoor and outdoor games, competitive events, etc.

v The faculty members provide job assistances to the students on a regular basis and act as a gateway for the students to be recruited in various pharmaceutical industries in Bangladesh by keeping regular contact with the human resource (HR) departments of different companies. 

v The students, who are interested in going abroad for higher studies, can avail a great wellspring of contemporary advices from the faculty members who are already accustomed to this process.

Structure of the Curriculum

a. Duration of the Program: 1 year comprising of 2 semesters for general group and 1.5 years comprising of 3 semesters for thesis group (1 semester = 6 months).

b. Admission Requirements:

Students seeking admission to pursue the course for the degree of M. Pharm. should have passed the B. Pharm. from this university or any other recognized institute/ university at home and abroad. A proposed candidate for M. Pharm. programme must have a cGPA of at least 2.50 for M. Pharm. (General Group) and 3.00 for M. Pharm. (Thesis Group) in B. Pharm. examination.

c. Total Minimum Credit Requirement to Complete the Program: The students are required to complete all the assigned credits (40) to attain the degree.

d. Total Class Weeks in a Semester:

Class before mid-term	9 weeks
Mid-term exam	2 weeks
Class before final exam	9 weeks
Preparatory leave	1 week
Semester final exam	3 weeks
Semester break	2 weeks
Total weeks per semester	26 weeks

 

e. Minimum CGPA Requirements for Graduation: The students have to secure a minimum CGPA of 2.50 to get a Master of Pharmacy degree.

f. Maximum Academic Years of Completion: Generally, the stipulated time limit for completion of Bachelor of Pharmacy degree is 1.5 years for thesis or 1 year for general group. However, on compassionate grounds this time limit may be extended to a maximum of three years.

g. Category of Courses:

General Group:

SN	Categories of Courses		Number of Courses	Credits
1	Core courses	Theory	10 courses (10 x 3)	30
		Lab	3 courses (3 x 1)	3
2		Project	1 course (1 x 3)	5
			1 course (1 x 3)
3		Oral assessment	1 course (1 x 2)	2
	Total		16	40

 

Thesis Group:

SN	Categories of Courses		Number of Courses	Credits
1	Core courses	Theory	9 courses (9 x3)	27
2		Thesis	1 course (1 x 2)	11
			1 course (1 x 9)
3		Oral assessment	1 course (1 x 2)	2
	Total		12	40

 

Semester Wise Distribution of Courses

M. Pharm. (General Group)

1st Semester: 6 Months
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PHR0916 511	Pharmaceutical Quality Control and Analytical Method Validation	3.0
PHR0916 511L	Pharmaceutical Quality Control and Analytical Method Validation Lab.	1.0
PHR0916 512	Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology	3.0
PHR0916 512L	Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Lab.	1.0
PHR0916 513	Nutraceuticals and Food Technology	3.0
PHR0916 514	Advanced Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology	3.0
PHR0916 515	Research Methodology	3.0
PHR0916 516	Project Proposal Submission and Presentation	2.0
	Total	19.0
2nd Semester: 6 Months
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PHR0916 521	Advanced Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery	3.0
PHR0916 522	Advanced Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics	3.0
PHR0916 522L	Advanced Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics Lab.	1.0
PHR0916 523	Advanced Pharmaceutical Management and Marketing	3.0
PHR0916 524	Advanced Pharmaceutical Biotechnology	3.0
PHR0916 525	Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacovigilance	3.0
PHR0916 526	Project Work Submission and Presentation	3.0
PHR0916 527	Viva Voce	2.0
	Total	21.0
	Grand Total	40.0

 

M. Pharm. (Thesis Group)

1st Semester: 6 Months
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PHR0916 511	Pharmaceutical Quality Control and Analytical Method Validation	3.0
PHR0916 512	Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology	3.0
PHR0916 513	Nutraceuticals and Food Technology	3.0
PHR0916 514	Advanced Pharmacology and Clinical Toxicology	3.0
PHR0916 515	Research Methodology	3.0
PHR0916 517	Thesis Proposal Submission and Presentation	2.0
	Total	17.0
2nd Semester: 6 Months
Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PHR0916 521	Advanced Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery	3.0
PHR0916 522	Advanced Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics	3.0
PHR0916 523	Advanced Pharmaceutical Management and Marketing	3.0
PHR0916 524	Advanced Pharmaceutical Biotechnology	3.0
PHR0916 527	Viva Voce	2.0
	Total	14.0
3rd Semester: 6 Months
PHR0916 531	Thesis Work Submission and Presentation	9.0
	Total	9.0
	Grand Total	40.0

 

Contact

Dr. Kohinur Begum Professor and Head of the Department Email: kohinur.phr@sub.edu.bd Contact No: 01713080285	Prof. Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, RPh Professor and Associate Head Email: Ibrahim.phr@sub.edu.bd Contact No: 01816821161
Mr. Tanoy Saha Assistant Professor & Coordinator (M. Pharm.) Email: tanoy@sub.edu.bd Contact No: 01832078676	Mr. Mirazul Islam Assistant Professor & Coordinator (B. Pharm.) Email: mirazul.pharmacy@sub.edu.bd Contact No: 01521111227