Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Degrees - requirements

BCB degrees are highly interdisciplinary. Coursework, hands-on experience at both research and teaching, and regular conversations with experts in multiple disciplines are required.

Required Coursework

BCB degrees require the following types of courses. See the table below for a list of courses/knowledge for background, core, and depth coursework.

• Background courses:
  Required background knowledge in biological, mathematical, and computational sciences. These courses, or equivalent knowledge, is necessary for core courses. We assume that BCB students may have to make up one or two background subjects as deficiency requirements (See Admissions for admissions requirements.)
• Core courses:
  Shared educational foundations; provide common language and understanding for interdiscipilnary research.
• Depth courses:
  Detailed knowledge of bioinformatics and computational biology.
• Research and thesis:
  BCB500 (for MS) or BCB600 (for PhD). Leads to significant original contribution to science.
• Seminar:
  BCB501. Interact with experts with diverse research backgrounds.
• Lab rotation:
  BCB506 (biology), BCB507 (computer science), or BCB508 (math).
  The lab rotation is designed by the student and his or her thesis committee and provides practical experience in research questions and methods outside the major emphasis area of the student.
• Teaching experience (BCB597).
  The thesis committee determines what constitutes acceptable teaching experience. It is possible to meet this requirement by teaching a course or workshop, organizing a seminar, or being a teaching assistant for an appropriate course.

Credits Required

The MS requires a minimum 32 credits and the Ph.D. requires a minimum 78 credits.

The BCB program assumes the usual graduate full time load of at least 9 credits per semester.

The credits and a typical program of study for both BCB degrees follow:

M.S. degree credit requirements:

type	required
background	As needed to meet discipline area requirements.
core	9 credits
depth	12 credits 6 in one area, 3 in each of the other two
seminar	2 credits
lab rotation	none
supplemental   BCB504	as needed
thesis   BCB500	9 credits
credit total	32 credits minimum

Ph.D. degree credit requirements:

type	required
background	As needed to meet discipline area requirements.
core	9 credits
depth	15 credits: 9 in one area, 3 in each of the other two
seminar   BCB504	3 credits
lab rotation   BCB506   BCB507   BCB508	3 credits
supplemental   BCB504	as needed
dissertation   BCB600	30 credits
teaching experience   BCB597	3 credits
other	as needed
total	78 credits minimun

Note: The Ph.D. requires at least 18 credits of “other”, supplemental, or workshop courses at the 400 level or above, since there are a total of 60 minimum required core, depth, thesis, seminar, and laboratory credits, and the student must have at least 78 credits to graduate. No more than 3 credits of workshop may apply to the degree, and credits for courses numbered below 400 cannot apply toward the degree.

Thesis Work

Both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees require a thesis. The M.S. degree requires at least nine credits of thesis research and the Ph.D. degree requires at least thirty. M.S. Theses for a BCB degree will demonstrate a high level of scholarly achievement, and doctoral dissertations will represent a significant, original contribution to the field. In addition to the thesis and dissertation, students will publish their work in appropriate peer-reviewed venues. Students will present their theses and dissertations publicly at their final defense.

Thesis committee

Each student's graduate committee will consist of at least four faculty members. This committee will represent the three BCB disciplines (biology, computer science, and mathematical sciences) and will include at least three participating BCB faculty members. There is no explicit requirement for an “external” committee member, since each committee will already include faculty from at least three different disciplines.

Preliminary and Qualifying Examinations

The Ph.D. will require a preliminary examination, which will be taken no later than the end of the sixth semester. The function of the preliminary examination is to determine whether the student has a workable and appropriate research plan that, if fulfilled, will produce an acceptable thesis. This exam also determines whether the students has sufficient background to undertake the proposed research. The preliminary examination will have three components.

1. A written thesis proposal prepared in the format of a federal research grant, submitted to the committee at least four weeks prior to the oral examination.
2. A public, oral presentation of the research proposal.
3. A non-public oral examination in which committee members will ask questions about the proposed research, and about background and core coursework.