Bioinformatics, BS
Program Director: Kaitlyn Dykstra, Ph.D.
The program in Bioinformatics provides students with the interdisciplinary scientific and mathematical background needed for graduate study in this growing field at the interface of biology, mathematics, and computer science. The core requirements furnish background in each of these areas while later flexibility in the program will allow the student to emphasize one or the other of these subject areas. The major is appropriate to students interested in a research career in bioinformatics, as well as students preparing for careers in medicine and pharmacology, since these fields are increasingly informed by bioinformatics.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 22 | |
| BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE I | ||
| BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE II | ||
| GENETICS | ||
| GENOMICS | ||
| Take 1 of the following: | ||
| CELL BIOLOGY and GENETICS/CELL BIO LABORATORY | ||
| MOLECULAR BIOLOGY | ||
| Chemistry | 12 | |
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY I and GEN CHEM I LAB | ||
| GENERAL CHEMISTRY II and GEN CHEM II LAB | ||
| ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I and ORGANIC CHEM I LAB | ||
| Computer Science | 11 | |
| Beauty & Joy of Computer Science | ||
| OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING and OBJECT ORIENTED PROGRAMMING LAB | ||
| ALGORITHMS & DATA STRUCTURES and ALGORITHMS & DATA STRUCTURES LAB | ||
| Physics | 8 | |
| GENERAL PHYSICS I and GENERAL PHYSICS I LAB | ||
| GENERAL PHYSICS II and GENERAL PHYSICS LAB II | ||
| Mathematics | 20 | |
| CALCULUS I | ||
| CALCULUS II | ||
| DISCRETE MATHEMATICS I | ||
| DISCRETE MATHEMATICS II | ||
| MATHEMATICAL PROBABILITY | ||
| MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS | ||
| BIF Electives 1 | 9-11 | |
| BIF-401 | BIOINFORMATICS SEMINAR | 1 |
| Foreign Language 2 | 3 | |
| General Education Requirements | 37 | |
| Total Credits | 123-125 | |
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Nine to eleven hours selected from: BIO-321, BIO-371, BIO-390, CS-133, CS-243, CS-244, CS-257, CS-258, CHEM-302/CHML-302, CHEM-401/CHML-401, CHEM-470,MATH-241.
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The foreign language must be at the level of 202 or higher. Students not prepared to begin at this level will need to take additional courses in language.
Outlined below are two suggested yearly plans of study: one for students who want a Bioinformatics degree with an emphasis in biology, and one for those seeking a degree with an emphasis in math and computer science.
Suggested Plan of Studies for Bioinformatics Majors with a Biology Emphasis
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO-105 | 4 | BIO-106 | 4 |
| ENG-101 | 3 | CHEM-102 & CHML-102 | 4 |
| CHEM-101 & CHML-101 | 4 | MATH-207 | 3 |
| CS-101 | 3 | Foreign Language 202 | 3 |
| BONA-101 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO-291 | 3 | MATH-151 | 4 |
| CHEM-301 & CHML-301 | 4 | BIO-292 & BIOL-293 | 4 |
| MATH-208 | 3 | PHIL-104 | 3 |
| ENG-102 | 3 | BIO-494 | 3 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | ||
| 16 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO-371 | 4 | MATH-322 | 3 |
| MATH-152 | 4 | CS-131 | 4 |
| PHYS-103 & PHYL-103 | 4 | PHYS-104 & PHYL-104 | 4 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | General Education Requirements | 6 |
| 15 | 17 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH-323 | 3 | BIF-401 | 1 |
| CS-132 | 4 | Bioinformatics Elective | 3 |
| Bioinformatics Elective | 3 | General Education Requirement | 6 |
| General Elective1 | 3 | General Elective1 | 4 |
| 13 | 14 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
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When a General Education requirement also fulfills a major requirement, General Elective credits are needed to reach the required 120 credits.
Suggested Plan of Studies for Bioinformatics Majors with a Math/Computer Science Emphasis
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH-151 | 4 | MATH-207 | 3 |
| ENG-101 | 3 | CHEM-102 & CHML-102 | 4 |
| CHEM-101 & CHML-101 | 4 | MATH-152 | 4 |
| CS-101 | 3 | Foreign Language 202 | 3 |
| BONA-101 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 14 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO-105 | 4 | BIO-106 | 4 |
| CHEM-301 & CHML-301 | 4 | MATH-322 | 3 |
| MATH-208 | 3 | PHIL-104 | 3 |
| ENG-102 | 3 | CS-131 | 4 |
| General Education Requirement | 3 | ||
| 17 | 14 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH-323 | 3 | BIO-494 | 3 |
| CS-132 | 4 | General Education Requirement | 6 |
| BIO-291 | 3 | BIO-292 & BIOL-293 | 4 |
| General Education Requirements | 6 | ||
| 16 | 13 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIO-371 | 4 | BIF-401 | 1 |
| General Education Requirements | 3 | Bioinformatics Elective | 3 |
| PHYS-103 & PHYL-103 | 4 | General Electives1 | 7 |
| Bioinformatics Elective | 3 | PHYS-104 & PHYL-104 | 4 |
| 14 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits 120 | |||
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When a General Education requirement also fulfills a major requirement, General Elective credits are needed to reach the required 120 credits.