Department of Chemistry
363 Natural Sciences BuildingNorth Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-3000
David F. Watson
Chair
Jerome Keister
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Katie Stanton
Undergraduate Secretary
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
270 Pharmacy BuildingSouth Campus
Buffalo, NY 14214-8033
James O'Donnell
Dean
prepharm@buffalo.edu
Kathleen M. Boje
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor, Undergraduate Director and Advisor
boje@buffalo.edu
Sara Robinson
Associate Director of Admissions and Advisement, Academic Advisor for Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Pharmaceutical Sciences
smeskill@buffalo.edu
Why study Chemistry BA/PharmD at UB?
The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry: for students who are interested in careers in other fields and need a flexible curriculum to allow for courses meeting requirements outside the chemistry degree.
The doctor of pharmacy degree, also called the PharmD, is a professional degree that enables one to work as a pharmacist, interacting with patients and other health care practitioners about
medications.
The BA/PharmD program combines three years of undergraduate study in chemistry and four years of professional degree course work in pharmacy. A combined BA/PharmD degree is awarded after seven years. Application to the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is made following the second year at UB.
Learning Outcomes
To achieve the mission of our PharmD program, students must develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
that enable them to competently perform these functions. The following outcomes reflect the terminal skills that all UB PharmD graduates should be able to demonstrate upon program completion.
Patient/Pharmaceutical Care
Medical and Science Foundations
Practice Based Learning and Improvement
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Professionalism
Systems Based Practice and Management
To learn more, visit our Program Outcomes page.
The Learning Environment
The Chemistry program features a wide variety of class sizes, types, and delivery methods. Most foundational science science course work in the first 2 years of study consists of 3 hours of lecture per week in 250+ seat lecture halls, presented by PhD level faculty, in addition to 1 hour of recitation and/or three hours of laboratory in class sizes under 25 students supervised by a graduate student teaching assistant. Laboratory courses are heavily hands-on and use state-of-the-art instrumentation.
Visit the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Mission, Vision and Values page to learn more about the PharmD Learning Environment.
About Our Facilities
The Department of Chemistry is housed in the Natural Sciences Complex on the North Campus. The Department occupies about 112,000 square feet of space, including 32,000 square feet for teaching laboratories and 54,000 square feet of research laboratory space. Also included are support services, such as instrumentation labs, electronic shop, stockrooms, and conference rooms.
In 2012, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences moved to the Pharmacy Building on the South Campus. This building, designed specifically for SPPS, provides high-level teaching and research facilities. Students enjoy state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories, "smart" classrooms, and centers for research, including:
Pharmaceutical care Learning Center
- Simulated hospital pharmacy
- Professional practice lab and a sterile preparation laboratory
- Community Pharmacy Area
- Patient assessment rooms for clinical counseling and assessment
- Video monitoring facility for immediate feedback and review
- Pharmacogenetics laboratory
About Our Faculty
The staff of the Department of Chemistry includes 30 tenured or tenure-track full-time faculty (all PhD), 3 full-time lecturers, 84 graduate teaching assistants, and 18 support staff. Faculty members deliver lecture courses and supervise teaching assistants who are responsible for oversight of laboratory courses.
Visit the Pharmacy Practice News page to learn about PharmD faculty.
Faculty List Directory
Please visit the Chemistry department website and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences website for additional information about our faculty.
Career Outlook
Pharmacists are the "drug experts" among health professionals. They understand how a drug heals and how it can hurt, how it reacts with foods and other drugs. They know its desired effects and its side effects. Tens of thousands of medications, herbals and supplements are available in the United States, and particularly because of the newer more potent drugs that have highly specific cellular "targets," the management of drug therapy is one of the most important challenges in health care.
Pharmacy is a well-respected profession for individuals with an aptitude in science and a desire to apply their knowledge of drug therapies to patient care in a variety of settings.
Visit the PharmD Career Resources website to learn more.
Academic Advising
Students may be referred to Dr. Jerome Keister, the director of undergraduate studies, for advisement regarding the prerequisite courses and any other aspect of the Chemistry program and discipline. Additionally, students should meet with Sara Robinson, the pre-pharmacy advisor, regarding the Pharmacy prerequisite course and admissions requirements. Students are advised to meet with both at least once every semester to discuss progress and curriculum.
Academic Advising Contact Information
Jerome Keister
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Email Jerome Keister
Sara Robinson, Academic Advisor & Associate Director of Admissions and Advisement
270 Pharmacy Building, South Campus
(716) 645-2825
Email Pre-Pharmacy Advising
Scholarships and Financial Support
Alan Cutler Undergraduate Scholarship - Given to support students in the Department of Chemistry based on financial need and academic success.
Albert Padwa Award - Intended to provide a stipend to an undergraduate student intern during a summer research project in the Department of Chemistry.
Ralph F. Theuer Scholarship Award - Presented annually to outstanding students pursuing a degree in Chemistry or a graduate degree in Science Education.
William E. Townsend Scholarship - Presented annually to freshman chemistry majors, preferably from the Western New York area, with demonstrated financial need and possession of good personal characteristics in terms of attitude, personality, citizenship and leadership.
Peter T. Lansbury Undergraduate Research Award - Awarded to a deserving undergraduate chemistry major, preferably in his/her junior year. The funds are to be used to carry out summer research with a UB faculty member.
Sol J. Lederman Undergraduate Research Fellowship - Provides summer research support based on proposals submitted. The committee will award the fellowship(s) to students who: (1) show special promise as a researcher, (2) have a commitment from a mentor to provide matching funds in the form of a stipend, supplies, etc., and (3) have high promise of generating publishable results.
Hillig Student Assistance Fund - Supports undergraduate students majoring in chemistry who have completed 2 or more years of chemistry courses to further their study in the field of Chemistry. The awards provide partial travel funds for junior or senior chemistry or medicinal chemistry majors presenting papers or posters at scientific society meetings.
Pharmacy students are eligible for scholarship consideration upon entering into the first professional (P1) year. Awards are available through the admissions review, upon achieving Latin Honors, and based upon financial need. A number of outside scholarships are also available. Visit the Student Scholarship site to learn more.