Professions

Applied Professions is a diverse and inclusive community whose members are dedicated to creative and critical thinking, and responsible leadership. Building on these defining qualities, the school supports students through innovative and engaged learning. We are recognized for our innovative and agile curricula and practices that educate, empower, and inspire students who become change agents in the community.

Applied Professions faculty guide future professionals to lead in diverse settings and participate in the community through partnerships. We prepare graduates for productive and successful careers in a global society through continued collaboration, faculty commitment to excellence in teaching and research, and a strong role in the community. We capitalize on the synergistic relationships that exist among our varied departments and centers. 

We value: 

  • Service – Fostering commitment to local and global civic engagement
  • Excellence – Promoting and supporting rigorous expectations for learning, teaching, and scholarship
  • Inclusion – Creating socially just, accessible, and equitable programs and practices
  • Innovation – Advancing creativity to solve complex problems and seize new opportunities
  • Sustainability – Planning and managing our resources responsibly
  • Ethical Practice – Modeling high professional standards and exemplary leadership
  • Collaboration – Cultivating connections and multidisciplinary opportunities

Our award-winning faculty, professional accreditation, and a vibrant student body, are home to several academic programs not available at any other SUNY institution. 

Unique Opportunities and Contributions

Center for Applied Imagination

Creativity is a crucial skill in today's changing world. Businesses, governments, and the academic community all recognize the value of creative thinking and the need for innovators who can take a new, fresh, and multilayered look at solving complex problems.

Center for Applied Imagination

Public Administration

We are the only university in WNY offering in-person MPA. Faculty train civic and community-engaged leaders to start or enhance their careers as managers in the public and nonprofit sectors through courses in budgeting, accounting, human resource management, strategic planning, leadership, research methods, data analysis, program evaluation, organizational structure, and policy analysis. Alumni have served from the White House to village hall, from banking to industry, from large, well-funded nonprofits to storefront neighborhood voluntary associations, and higher education. 

Public Administration

Distinctive Programs

Social Work:  Buffalo State has the largest undergraduate, nationally-accredited Social Work program in the SUNY system. Our social work students also engage in community events that benefit programs such as Friends of the Night and Haven House.  

Speech-Language Pathology:  The Department is accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and boasts a 95-100% job placement rate each year.  Graduate students have the opportunity to work directly with clients in the community during clinical therapy sessions. 

Hospitality and Tourism:  Students earn internationally recognized certification and gain real-world experience by working at Campus House, Buffalo State’s on-campus private social club for faculty, staff, and friends.  

Engineering Technology:  Graduates of the mechanical engineering technology program experience a 100% job placement rate because of the applied nature of Buffalo State’s program. These graduates can earn starting salaries of $55,000 or more.  

Fashion and Textile Technology:  Majors have the opportunity to spend a year studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Students also design fashions as part of an annual Runway show on campus.