The department was established in 1959 (1379 AH) along with the College of Pharmacy.

Pharmaceutics encompasses the fundamentals of pharmaceutical manufacturing, including theoretical and practical studies of the physical and chemical properties of materials used in pharmaceutical preparations and their effects on the efficacy of the resulting products. It also covers methods for formulating various solid (tablets, capsules, suppositories), semi-solid (ointments, creams), sterile liquid (injections, eye drops), and non-sterile liquid (oral solutions, suspensions) dosage forms at the community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and manufacturing levels, followed by the necessary testing to ensure that these preparations comply with the specifications in pharmacopoeias (quality control testing).

The department also offers courses (at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels) covering the principles of biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics, which are applicable to the development of pharmaceutical preparations, therapeutic approaches, understanding the causes of drug interactions, and how to prevent or minimize them.

The Pharmaceutics Department also teaches microbiology (bacteria, viruses, and fungi), focusing on the most important disease-causing microorganisms in terms of their structure, nutrition, growth factors, and treatment methods.

Through the department's curriculum, students learn about the types and forms of biotechnology products, fermentation strategies and types, antibodies, and the use of microorganisms to produce biological products. They also study the structure and methodology of DNA and chemical and biological gene therapy methods.

The department also provides specialized courses (in postgraduate programs) on drug delivery systems, modern nanocarriers, their use in treating various diseases, and their application in targeted drug delivery.