College Establishes Partnership with University at Buffalo Pharmacy School

Tompkins Cortland Community College and the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have formed a new collaborative agreement that will provide students the opportunity to earn a doctor of pharmacy degree in a shorter amount of time.

A memorandum of agreement was formally signed this month by Tompkins Cortland Community College Provost and Vice President John Conners and Dean of the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences James O’Donnell allowing students to take two years at Tompkins Cortland and then seamlessly transfer into the four-year doctorate program at UB.

Professor James Jacob, coordinator of STEM programs at Tompkins Cortland, will serve as the coordinator of the new partnership program as well. “This agreement presents a tremendous opportunity for our students,” said Jacob, who also chairs Tompkins Cortland’s biology program. “The field of pharmaceutical science is growing and this agreement with UB will position our students to study at one of the top schools in the nation, giving them more opportunities when they enter the field. The ability to take their first two years here, with the personalized attention and high-quality education they receive at Tompkins Cortland, will prepare them to be successful at UB and beyond.”

Under the 2+4 agreement, students will complete two years of undergraduate study in Tompkins Cortland’s Liberal Arts and Sciences: Math/Science associates of science degree program and then apply to UB’s pharmacy program. Discussing the partnership, Dean O’Donnell said, “The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences values our collaboration with Tompkins Cortland Community College and this 2+4 agreement will further solidify our strong partnership. We look forward to having their best and brightest students as members of our PharmD program.”

Graduates of the UB PharmD program are among the most sought-after in the country. The University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences has been a leader in the education of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists for more than 130 years. The school is accredited by the American Council of Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE) and is the top-ranked school of pharmacy in New York State and #22 ranked in the nation.