D. program as an option. Career Opportunities Students who wish to pursue a career in pharmacy should spend some time with current pharmacists. Some students are disappointed when they discover that retail pharmacists do little compounding. The trend in retail pharmacy is transferring pills and capsules from large bottles to smaller ones. It is anticipated that future pharmacists will have increased responsibility for consumer counseling and education.
Some pharmacists work in hospitals or for pharmaceutical companies.
For students interested in pharmaceutical research, a four-year science degree may better prepare them than a pharmacy degree. People who develop new drugs are more likely to have Ph. Ds in such fields as organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology or molecular biology. It is possible to pursue a graduate degree in some fields of pharmacy without having been an undergraduate pharmacy student. It is important to investigate pharmacy before entering college.