The College of Pharmacy was established in 1936 due to the urgent need to prepare pharmacists and chemists with scientific and technical competence to carry out pharmaceutical services and chemical analyzes in Iraq, and it was occupying a temporary building attached to the Royal Hospital, and the first (12 students) graduated with a degree as a chemical pharmacist. In 1947-1948 a scientific branch was created in the college to study chemistry with a bachelor’s degree, and the college was officially called the Royal College of Pharmacy and Chemistry until 1958/1959, as the College of Pharmacy was attached to the to the University of Baghdad after it was affiliated with the Public Health Directorate in the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Affairs, then the Ministry of Health throughout the previous period. In 1959-1960, according to the academic degrees granted by the University of Baghdad, the certificate granted to graduates of the college became a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. In 1972-197, graduate studies were established in the college to study masters in four scientific fields: pharmaceutical chemistry, drugs and medicinal plants, toxicology, pharmacology and then, a doctoral study in pharmaceutical chemistry was established in 1975-1976. The college adopted the semester system for studying since 1979-1980. For keeping with the scientific and global development, the clinical laboratory sciences branch was founded in 1984, and the clinical pharmacy branch in 1993, thus the number of scientific branches in the college became six: pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy and medicinal plants, pharmacology and toxicology, clinical laboratory sciences, and clinical pharmacy.
Degrees awarded by the College: Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, Higher Diploma, Master, and Doctorate of Philosophy in the following specializations: pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutics, pharmacognosy and medicinal plants, pharmacology and toxicology, clinical laboratory sciences, and clinical pharmacy.
Chairman and members of the first board of the College of Pharmacy in 1936: Professor Mahmoud Abd al-Mu’ti al-Qai’i, Dean of the College; Prof. Hussein Kamel; Prof. Salah al-Din al-Kawakibi; Prof. Mahmoud Ahmad Hassouna; Prof. Muhammad Kamel Abu Basha; Prof. Fuad Estefan 7. Prof. Othman Mohammed Hilal.