Career Choices in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Career Choices in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Doctor of Pharmacy Program

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. 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. More than 14,000 prescription drugs 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. 

With the lengthening lifespan of Americans, coupled with the increasing role of pharmaceutical treatment in today's healthcare environment, pharmacists currently enjoy a wealth of exciting career opportunities. Two out of three will be engaged in such community or ambulatory settings as professional pharmaceutical centers, clinics, physicians' offices, and neighborhood pharmacies; pharmacists are also in demand in such varied fields as institutional pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical journalism, research and product development, management, marketing, quality control, and education in university, hospital, or research foundation settings. PharmD graduates find a very favorable job market and easily locate positions in a variety of professional practice sites. Today's pharmacist enjoys more career options than ever before. Some areas of opportunity are:

•Biometrics
•Community Pharmacy (Ambulatory Care)
•Education
•Government
•Health-Care Administration
•Health Economics
•Health Informatics
•Health Maintenance Organization/Managed Care
•HMOs and PBMs
•Home care/Infusion therapy
•Hospice/Palliative Care/Pain Management
•Hospital Pharmacy
•Industrial/Pharmaceutical Companies
•Legal research
•Long-Term Care
•Primacy Care/Pediatrics/Geriatrics
•Neuropharmacology
•Mail Order
•Management
•Patient Management
•Regulatory Affairs (e.g., FDA)
•Sales & Marketing
•Specialty Compounding
•Veterinary care
•Clinical Research (University and Pharmaceutical Industry)

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Graduates from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences enjoy a wealth of exciting career opportunities in academia, industry and government. Many of our BS, BS/MS, MS graduates have pursued advanced degrees, such as the PharmD, MD, and the PhD, or have joined the pharmaceutical industry as research scientists. Our PhD graduates have obtained dynamic and rewarding scientific and managerial positions with the pharmaceutical industry, university academia or the federal government. The “Buffalo product” is well known and widely acclaimed for his/her rigorous and comprehensive scientific training.

The breadth and depth of the program prepares graduates for a wide range of career opportunities. Pharmaceutical Sciences graduates may find opportunities in university, hospital or pharmaceutical industry settings as scientists in:
•Bioanalysis
•Clinical Research
•Drug analysts
•Drug Delivery
•Drug Metabolism
•Pharmacogenetics
•Pharmacokinetics
•Pharmacometrics
•Manufacturing/Production Technologists
•Marketing/Sales Drug Detail Representatives
•Regulatory Affairs