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 Program

The B.S. in Biomedical Sciences enables students to increase the breadth of their undergraduate experience, combine courses from various departments within the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and focus their undergraduate experience in preparation for professional or graduate studies. 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.

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 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 2.8 in the math/science prerequisite courses with no grade less than C. 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 and 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; BCH 403 or BCP 302; MIC 301, PGY 300 and PGY 412, or PGY 451/PGY 452; STA 119 or PSY 207.

In addition to the prerequisite and core courses, students take 18-24 credit hours of biomedical science electives (at least three electives are at the 300/400 level). Students can choose from the following suggested electives:

AAS 414 Health Problems in the Black Community
APY 248 Human Genetics
APY 275 Introduction to Medical Anthropology
APY 276 Introduction to Ethnomedicine
APY 328 Biology, Society and Culture
APY 345 Comparative Primate Anatomy
APY 346 Primate Dissections
APY 348 Forensic Anthropological Osteology
APY 448 Human Genetics/Legal and Ethical Issues
APY 476 Health Care in the United States
BCP 302 Introduction to Pharmacology
BIO 319 Genetics
BIO 369 Fungi and Their Medical Importance
BIO 410 Biophysical Aspects of Macromolecules
BMS 492 Biomedical Sciences Seminar
BMS 496 Biomedical Sciences Internship
BMS 498 Biomedical Sciences Research
BPH 303 Principles of Biophysics
BPH 403 Molecular Biophysics
BPH 405 Biophysical Basics: Processes
CHE 349 Physical Chemistry for Life Sciences
CL 151 Medical Terminology
MCH 300 Herbs and Phytomedicinals
MCH 311 The Chemistry of Drug Action
MFC 250 Health Care in the U.S. I
MIC 401 General Microbiology
MT 401 Clinical Biochemistry
MT 402 Fundamentals of Immunology
MT 422 Biomolecular Technology and Diagnostics
MT 428 Forensic Science
NTR 108 Human Nutrition
NTR 401 Nutrition and Health
NTR 402 Nutrition in the Life Cycle
PGY 405 Cell Physiology
PGY 427 Neurophysiology
PGY 428 Neurophysiology Laboratory
PGY 451 Human Physiology I
PGY 452 Human Physiology II
PGY 503 Physiological Measurements in Small Animals
PHI 337 Social and Ethical Values in Medicine
PSY 322 Abnormal Psychology
PSY 325 Health Psychology
PSY 351 Biopsychology
SOC 304 Sociology of Aging
SOC 322 Introduction to Medical Sociology
SSC 337 Social-Ethical Values in Medicine
UGC 303 (M) Great Discoveries in Science: The Macroworld
WS 260 Women and Health
WS 304 Science Microworld: Biology of Women

The remaining 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 program director.


About Our Courses

Courses designated with the BMS prefix provide opportunities for research (BMS 498), internship experience (BMS 496), and seminar participation (BMS 492).

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.

Practical Experience and Special Academic Opportunities

Undergraduate Research and Practical Experience
The program offers students the option of completing an internship within the biomedical sciences. The internship requires students to participate in work experiences related to the biomedical sciences at either on- or off-campus locations. Potential work sites include hospitals, clinics, public health agencies, research laboratories, and medical service and/or equipment providers. Another special opportunity available to biomedical sciences students is undergraduate research. A student may collaborate with his or her research mentor on an ongoing project in the laboratory of the mentor, or conduct independent research under the guidance of the mentor.

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

Career Information and Further Study

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:

  • Applying 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)
  • Describing the detailed structure of the human body examined in anatomy, and exploring structure-function relationships in human physiology
  • Investigating the molecular basis of life via the study of macromolecular structure and function, gene expression, and metabolic regulation in biochemistry
  • Characterizing microorganisms that enable and disrupt normal biological functions in humans based on fundamentals of microbiology
  • Making decisions in the face of uncertainty and making inferences from clinical and non-clinical data using statistical principles
  • Integrating information gained via general education courses and applying it in the context of the biomedical sciences
  • Utilizing knowledge gleaned from elective courses to broaden perspective on personal health care, health care delivery and administration, socio-economic factors that impact human health, global health issues, drug development, and ethical dilemmas (dependent on the choice of electives)
  • Discussing the merits and shortcomings of biomedical research in the context of courses in the biomedical sciences
  • Demonstrating the clinical relevance of coursework in the biomedical sciences
  • Matriculating into graduate and/or professional programs of study in the life sciences

Links to Further Information About This Program


Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:04 EST