Professional Licensed Pharmacists in the Philippines receive a wide and extensive scope of training during their undergraduate education which helps them gain experience in a broad range of scientific fields. Pharmacists may work or put up their own ventures related to hospitals, community drug stores, government clinics, scientific research establishments, public health, and the pharmaceutical industry. They could also decide to further their studies in Medical education.
If you are considering taking up BS in Pharmacy, you are definitely setting yourself up for a bright future that does not only concern your life, but also the lives of millions of people needing pharmaceutical care and medication.
Professional Licensed Pharmacists
In the Philippines, Licensed Pharmacists are tasked with the following primary responsibilities:
- Identifying, developing, manufacturing, and dispensing of drugs
- Managing drug stores
- Providing pharmaceutical care
- Counseling clients in the proper use of both prescribed and patient-chosen medications
Registered Pharmacist Board Exam
To become a Professional Registered Pharmacist, an individual must both:
- Graduate with a degree in “BS in Pharmacy” from an accredited educational institution in the Philippines; and
- 2. Pass the Pharmacist Licensure Examination, which is administered by the Board of Pharmacy under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
The Pharmacist Board Exam is conducted twice a year, typically in March and in August of every year.
If you’re interested to be a registered professional pharmacist, take note that the scope of the Pharmacist Licensure Exam consists of two major parts: Pharmacy as Science and Pharmacy as Practice.
Pharmacy as Science includes the following subjects:
- Pharmaceutical Microbiology
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Manufacturing Pharmacy
- Pharmaceutical Biochemistry
- Pharmacognosy, and
- Philippine Medicinal Plants
Meanwhile, the scope of Pharmacy as Practice covers the following:
- Pharmaceutical Calculations
- Hospital Pharmacy
- Dispensing and Counseling
- Jurisprudence and Ethics
- Marketing, and
- Pharmaceutical Administration and Management
Do you want to know which universities in the Philippines usually top the Pharmacist Licensure Exams?
We compiled the data from previous Pharmacy Licensure Exams to determine the top schools with the highest Pharmacy Board Exam passing rates. Check out the table below to see if your school is one of the best Pharmacy schools in the Philippines!
Best Pharmacy Schools in the Philippines
| RANK | SCHOOL | PASSING RATE | NUMBER OF PASSERS | TOTAL NUMBER OF TAKERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of the Philippines Manila, Manila | 100% | 180 | 180 |
| 1 | University of Makati, Makati | 100% | 17 | 17 |
| 2 | Saint Louis University, Baguio City | 97% | 504 | 517 |
| 3 | St. Scholastica's College - Tacloban, Tacloban | 96% | 50 | 52 |
| 4 | Lyceum of the Philippines University - Batangas, Batangas City | 95% | 58 | 61 |
| 5 | University of Santo Tomas, Manila | 94% | 502 | 529 |
| 5 | Adamson University, Manila | 94% | 117 | 124 |
| 5 | Fellowship Baptist College, Kabankalan City | 94% | 16 | 17 |
| 6 | University of San Carlos, Cebu City | 92% | 162 | 176 |
| 7 | San Pedro College, Davao City | 90% | 249 | 276 |
| 8 | Philippine Women's University in Manila, Manila | 88% | 15 | 17 |
| 9 | Mariano Marcos State University - Main, Batac City | 87% | 137 | 156 |
| 10 | Central Philippine University, Iloilo City | 86% | 77 | 89 |
| 10 | Our Lady of Fatima University in Pampanga, City of San Fernando | 86% | 13 | 15 |
| 11 | St. Paul University Philippines, Tuguegarao City | 85% | 87 | 102 |
| 12 | University of the Immaculate Conception, Davao City | 84% | 271 | 320 |
| 12 | Cebu Doctors' University, Mandaue City | 84% | 44 | 52 |
| 12 | Lyceum Northwestern University, Dagupan City | 84% | 43 | 51 |
| 13 | Colegio San Agustin Bacolod, Bacolod City | 83% | 36 | 43 |
| 14 | University of San Agustin, Iloilo City | 82% | 340 | 410 |
| 15 | Centro Escolar University, Manila | 81% | 770 | 950 |
| 15 | Our Lady of Fatima University in Valenzuela City, Valenzuela City | 81% | 337 | 414 |
| 15 | University of Saint Louis, Tuguegarao City | 81% | 47 | 58 |
| 16 | Aquinas University of Legazpi, Legazpi City | 78% | 29 | 37 |
| 17 | Our Lady of Fatima University in Antipolo City, Antipolo City | 77% | 147 | 189 |
| 17 | Centro Escolar University - Malolos, Malolos City | 77% | 146 | 189 |
| 17 | Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City | 77% | 138 | 177 |
| 17 | Centro Escolar University - Makati Legaspi, Makati | 77% | 31 | 40 |
| 18 | Southwestern University, Cebu City | 76% | 163 | 213 |
| 19 | Centro Escolar University - Makati Gil Puyat, Makati | 75% | 111 | 147 |
| 20 | Manila Central University, Caloocan City | 74% | 129 | 174 |
| 21 | Our Lady of Fatima University in Quezon City, Quezon City | 73% | 218 | 297 |
| 21 | Negros Oriental State University, Dumaguete City | 73% | 68 | 92 |
| 21 | Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City | 73% | 30 | 41 |
| 22 | Liceo de Cagayan University, Cagayan de Oro | 72% | 86 | 118 |
| 22 | Mendero College, Pagadian City | 72% | 18 | 25 |
| 23 | Urdaneta City University, Urdaneta City | 70% | 24 | 34 |
| 23 | Kidapawan Doctors College, Kidapawan City | 70% | 22 | 31 |
| 24 | National University, Manila | 69% | 29 | 42 |
| 25 | Central Luzon Doctors' Hospital Educational Institution, Tarlac City | 63% | 40 | 63 |
| 26 | Nueva Ecija Colleges, Cabanatuan City | 61% | 40 | 65 |
| 27 | University of Perpetual Help System JONELTA in Binan City, Binan City | 60% | 97 | 161 |
Note: The table above only ranks schools with at least 10 Pharmacy Board examinees. Also, the passing rates just count the first-time takers; repeaters are not included. All figures are based on the four (4) previous Pharmacy Licensure Exams in March 2018, August 2017, March 2017, and June 2016.
