UB Programs At-A-Glance

Biomedical Sciences

School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

131 Biomedical Education Building
South Campus
Buffalo, NY 14214-3078

Phone: (716) 829-3005
Fax: (716) 829-2437
Web: www.smbs.buffalo.edu/bms
Email: langdj@buffalo.edu

Mary Anne Rokitka
Associate Dean

David J. Lang
Senior Academic Advisor

About the Department

As of July 1, 2004: A B.S. in Biomedical Sciences is available through the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. This major requires that students take several core courses that are traditionally considered prerequisites for professional programs in medicine, dentistry, optometry, and veterinary medicine. These courses are also generally required for admission to most graduate programs in various health science disciplines.

Prior to July 1, 2004: This area of study was available as a special major through the College of Arts and Sciences. It was not a separately registered degree program. Refer to the Special Majors section for more information.

The biomedical sciences are, by their very nature, interdisciplinary. They are derivatives of the natural sciences - biology, chemistry, and physics - and they share a clinical focus, namely an application of basic science principles to the health and well-being of living organisms.

The major in biomedical sciences engages students in coursework associated with the natural sciences. This coursework becomes the infrastructure for courses that have a "biomedical sciences" focus: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and microbiology.

Research and internship opportunities are available to upper division students.

Degrees Offered

Undergraduate: B.S.

About Our Degrees

The B.S. in biomedical sciences prepares students for admission into professional programs in medicine, dentistry, optometry, chiropractic, and veterinary medicine, as well as graduate programs in the life sciences.

Having completed the core courses in the natural and biomedical sciences, students are free to select courses (electives) that confer a unique character to their major in the biomedical sciences. The availability of electives is comprehensive; they include, but are not limited to, courses in medical terminology, sociology, ethics, nutrition, anthropology, biophysics, and advanced microbiology and physiology.

Acceptance Criteria

Admission into the major is based on the completion of at least:

  • three semesters of chemistry
  • two semesters of biology
  • two semesters of calculus, and
  • one semester of physics

The minimum GPA requirements for admission are 2.0 overall, and 2.5 in the math/science courses. It is recommended that the prerequisite courses be completed by the end of the fourth semester. Transfer students are held to the same criteria.

Degree Requirements

Prerequisite courses include:

BIO 200 and BIO 201, CHE 101, CHE 102, CHE 201 and CHE 202; MTH 121 and MTH 122 or MTH 141 and MTH 142; PHY 101/PHY 151 and PHY 102/PHY 152 or PHY 107 and PHY 108/PHY 158

The Biomedical Sciences core courses include:

ANA 113 or APY 345/APY 346; BCH 403 or BIO 205 or BCP 302; MIC 301, PGY 300 and PSY 412 or PGY 451/ PGY 452; STA 119 or PSY 207

In aulition to the prerequisite and core courses, students take 18-24 credit hours of biomedical science electives. Students can choose from the following suggested electives:


The remaining 12-16 credit hours are fulfilled by free electives. These free electives are not restricted to the biomedical sciences and should be chosen in consultation with the biomedical sciences academic advisor.

About Our Courses

Courses designated with the BMS prefix provide opportunities for research (BMS 490), seminar participation (BMS 495), and research experience (BMS 497).

For course descriptions, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Faculty

Our faculty hold appointments in the various basic science departments in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Numerous faculty hold patents, teaching awards, and appointments on editorial boards associated with professional scientific organizations.

Special Academic Opportunities

Information on arranging research and internship experiences is available on the Biomedical Sciences Web site. Also see that site for information on scholarships.

Extracurricular Activities

Biomedical sciences students are invited to an annual majors reception; graduates are honored at a luncheon reception.

See the UB Student Association.

Complementary Programs and Courses

  • Anthropology
  • Biochemical Pharmacology
  • Biochemistry
  • Biological Sciences
  • Biophysics
  • Chemistry
  • Medicinal Chemistry

Advising Information

Completion of the biomedical sciences major does not guarantee admission into UB's medical school or any other medical school. Premed students can choose from a variety of majors en route to medical school; the biomedical sciences major is not to be construed as "the premed major."

Career Information

Employment opportunities for individuals with advanced degrees in the life sciences are plentiful. The New York State Department of Labor Occupational Outlook 1998-2008 reports that the variety of employment opportunities for graduates with a bachelor's degree is wide and their number is plentiful. The number of science-related jobs in sales, marketing, and research management, for which non-Ph.D.'s usually qualify, is expected to be plentiful. Graduates may fill positions as science or engineering technicians or health technologists and technicians. Optimistic projections were also made for physicians, and cardiovascular technologists and technicians. Job prospects for college and university faculty are also expected to increase as faculty retire and student enrollment increases.

Other positions that are expected to become increasingly available include medicine and health science managers, biological and medical scientists, life science teachers, post-secondary and secondary teachers, health practitioners and technicians, physician assistants, and writers and editors. Note that chiropractors, physicians, podiatrists, medical scientists, biological scientists, and college and university faculty are among the fastest growing occupations.

Graduates with biomedical sciences majors generally continue their studies in a professional or graduate school program. The small number of graduates who enter the job market upon graduation pursue careers in pharmaceutical sales or as laboratory technicians.

Skills Gained in This Program Include:

  • Apply principles and concepts developed via coursework in the natural sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics) to courses in the basic life sciences (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology)
  • Describe the detailed structure of the human body examined in anatomy, and explore structure-function relationships in human physiology
  • Investigate the molecular basis of life via the study of macromolecular structure and function, gene expression, and metabolic regulation in biochemistry
  • Characterize microorganisms that enable and disrupt normal biological functions in humans based on fundamentals of microbiology
  • Make decisions in the face of uncertainty and make inferences from clinical and non-clinical data using statistical principles
  • Integrate information gained via general education courses and apply it in the context of the biomedical sciences
  • Utilize knowledge gleaned from elective courses to broaden their perspective on personal health care, health care delivery and administration, socio-economic factors that impact human health, global health issues, drug development, ethical dilemmas (dependent on the choice of electives)
  • Discuss the merits and shortcomings of biomedical research in the context of courses in the biomedical sciences
  • Demonstrate the clinical relevance of coursework in the biomedical sciences
  • Matriculate into graduate and/or professional programs of study in the life sciences

Links to Further Information About This Program