Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Pharmacy is a healthcare profession that links health sciences with community service. It is the science and technique of preparing and developing drugs that are safe and effective in curing diseases, maintaining good health, and promoting the general well-being of individuals and animals. Over time, the scope of Pharmacy education and practice has expanded significantly. What was once mainly concerned with the compounding and dispensing of medications has now evolved into modern healthcare services that include clinical pharmacy practice, medication review for safety and effectiveness, pharmaceutical care, and the provision of drug information.

In Nigeria, Pharmacy training has evolved steadily from the issuance of Chemist and Druggist Certificates in the 1960s to the B.Sc. Pharmacy Degree of the 1970s and 1980s, then to the unclassified Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm.) Degree introduced in the late 1980s, and currently to the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Degree introduced in the early 2000s. The Pharm.D. programme was established to accommodate the growing concepts of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Care within healthcare delivery systems.

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Veritas University Abuja was established in the 2021/2022 academic session following approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC). The faculty offers courses leading to the award of the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) Degree after six years of intensive academic and professional training. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a broad general education while delivering in-depth training in Pharmaceutical Sciences that meets the professional and healthcare demands of contemporary society.

It is envisioned that the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programme will provide students with the required education, development, and professional training necessary to attain career prospects in various areas of pharmaceutical practice, including pharmaceutical distribution and supply, industry, national and international administration, hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy, research, and academia.

The programme provides students with the opportunity to apply pharmaceutical and biomedical knowledge to problems of drug therapy in relation to patient care. Graduates of the programme are expected to acquire broad-based experience in healthcare and the use of medicines, enabling them to effectively practicalize the concept of pharmaceutical care within the healthcare delivery system. In addition, the programme provides a strong foundational basis for graduates who may wish to pursue careers in research and academic scholarship.

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is made up of six departments, namely the Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, the Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy, the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, and the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice.