Curriculum in a pharmacy first professional degree (Pharm.D.) program consists of six main components:

• Pharmaceutical chemistry deals with the composition and properties of substances used to manufacture drugs. Students explore the use, nature, preparation, and preservation of chemicals and learn how to test the purity and strength of a medicine.
• Pharmacognosy is the study of drugs derived from plants or animals.
• Pharmacology is concerned with understanding the action of drugs in the body. Students examine the effects of various doses of medicine and the different ways in which a drug can be introduced into the body. Toxicology, a branch of pharmacology, studies the effects of poisons and means of overcoming them.
• Clinical pharmacy deals with patient care, emphasizing drug therapy. It helps students to gain a better understanding of general methods of diagnosis and therapy, to develop their sense of responsibility to patients, and to improve communication skills.
• Pharmacy administration focuses on business management and is particularly useful to students who plan to become executives in pharmacies, hospitals, or other institutions. Instruction usually includes courses in economics, accounting, management, computer applications, marketing, merchandising, and the legal aspects of the pharmacy profession.
• Pharmacy practice opportunities are offered by all pharmacy schools and are designed to prepare students for professional careers by applying the skills they learn in class within a workplace situation.

Pharm.D. curricula are also likely to include additional advanced courses in fields such as therapeutics, pathophysiology, biostatistics, and pharmacokinetics.
At the M.S. and Ph.D. levels, areas of pharmacy specialization might include pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacognosy, pharmacology, toxicology, or pharmacy administration as well as other, less common areas. Universities may also offer opportunities for additional study in some of these areas for those who have already completed an advanced pharmacy degree.