College of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Andhra University College of Pharmaceutical Sciences is a constituent college of Andhra University, established in 1951 as a separate department with the start of a B.Pharm. course, under founder Head of the Department Prof. S. Rangaswamy. The M.Pharm. course began in 1954, and a separate Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences was formed in 1975. Andhra University was the second institute in the country to start pharmacy courses at university level in the 1930s, initially offered through B.Sc. Honours in Chemical Technology and as a specialization in M.Sc. Chemical Technology. The department currently offers B.Pharm., M.Pharm., and Ph.D. programmes in areas such as Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmaceutical and Food Analysis, Pharmacology, and Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry. It was the first department in the country to start a pharmaceutical biotechnology division. Founding faculty members included Prof. V. Subba Rao, Prof. N. Viswanadham, Prof. K. Sambamurty, and Prof. E. Venkata Rao. Several professors have served as Heads of Department over the years, from Prof. S. Rangaswamy (1951–1963) to Prof. K.P.R Chowdary (2002–2005). In 2023, the college was ranked 22 in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) pharmacy ranking.