What ' s your long term goal here ? I ask because pharmacy is different from pharmaceutical sciences . Pharmacy school is for getting a PharmD , which essentially means you can practice pharmacy . So like an MD means you can practice medicine , a JD means you can practice law , a PharmD is the certification you get from Pharmacy school . That ' s really only limited to selling drugs at an approved location , i . e . hospital , drug store , etc . If you ' re interested in understanding how drugs work drug action or how drugs are made drug design you would probably need to pursue a PhD in pharmacology or medicinal chemistry , respectively . A BS is sufficient to enter the pharmaceuticalbiotech industry if that ' s what you want to do , but you ' d likely remain in quality control or as a production technician , rather than as research scientist . If you want to do any type of research you ' ll need a PhD or years of prior experience with a BS . If you ' re interested in getting a PharmD then really any relevant undergraduate BS will do . Pick whatever you find most interesting . Assuming you don ' t want to practice pharmacy , if you want to understand how drugs work an undergraduate degree more focused on biological sciences would be more appropriate . If you want to understand how to design drugs than a degree focused on chemistry is a must . In terms of job security and pay , it really depends on your skills and experience . Honestly , the safest job is probably in pharmacy and it still pays incredibly well . A PharmD will always allow you to practice pharmacy regardless of experience or location . With a PhD in any pharmaceutical science you could either stay in academia and teach do research , or go into industry . Both have their ups and downs . If you ' re more interested in a personal research project you ' d probably prefer academics . But that ' s hard to get into , you ' d have to teach if you ever wanted to advance , and you ' re always relying on funding . If you want to work for a private company in a group working on a big project , than industry is for you . Probably less job security though . And less perks .