Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
This bioinformatics program consists of a core curriculum that provides the basics of biology, chemistry, computer science and statistics, as well as an introduction to the field of bioinformatics.
Students wishing to pursue the bioinformatics major must apply for admission into the program. High school seniors as well as students transferring to VCU should follow the regular VCU admissions process and deadlines, being sure to indicate clearly in their application that they wish to apply to the bioinformatics program. Continuing VCU students wishing to apply to the program will find information about the application process at www.vcu.edu/csbc/bioinformatics/bachelor/index.htm or by calling the director of undergraduate curricula at (804) 828-0559 or the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity at (804) 827-0026.
Transfer students and continuing VCU students with at least 15 college credits should present a suggested college GPA of 3.0 including relevant course work in science, math or computer science.
Degree requirements
The bachelor’s program in bioinformatics requires:
- Breadth training via VCU Life Sciences general education requirements.
- Specific training in the collateral course work and bioinformatics core.
- Focused training in the areas of biology/genomics, computational science or quantitative/statistical bioinformatics through the track-specific courses.
Students may choose from three tracks: biology/genomics, computational science and quantitative/statistical.
The Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics requires a total of 120 credits.
General education – 16 to 30 credits not met within program
Refer to the General education requirements.
Outside electives – 11 to 15 credits
Collateral course work – 15 credits
| LFSC 101 Introduction to Life Sciences | 3 |
| MATH 200 Calculus with Analytic Geometry | 4 |
| MATH 211 Mathematical Structures | 3 |
| PHYS 207 University Physics I | 5* |
* Preferred. With program approval, PHYS 201 may be substituted.
Core courses – 42 credits
Students must take the following courses regardless of chosen track. (Approved writing intensive courses for meeting general education requirements are identified with “WI.” Two courses designated “.5 WI” are counted as one “WI” course.)
Bioinformatics BIOL/BNFO 540 Fundamentals of Molecular Genetics BNFO 301/BIOL 351 Introduction to Bioinformatics BNFO 420 Applications in Bioinformatics Biology BIOL 151 Introduction to Biological Science I BIOL 152 Introduction to Biological Science II BIOL 218 Cell Biology Chemistry CHEM 101 General Chemistry CHEZ/FRSZ 101L General Chemistry Laboratory I CHEM 102 General Chemistry CHEM 301 Organic Chemistry Computer science CMSC 255 Introduction to Programming CMSC 256 Data Structures and Object Oriented Programming Statistics STAT 212 Concepts of Statistics** STAT 314 Applications of Statistics
** Preferred. With program approval, STAT 210 may be substituted.
Bioinformatics tracks – 15 to 16 credits plus six to seven credits of electives
In order to build a strong undergraduate foundation in at least one area of bioinformatics, students in both the B.S. and the B.S.-Master’s programs must select one of the following three tracks. Depending upon the track selected, eight to 15 of these credits are specified as required courses, while other credits may be selected as electives from a track list.
At least six additional bioinformatics electives are set aside, allowing students to either explore a new track or further explore their chosen track. Students pursuing the B.S.-Master’s program are strongly encouraged to use these electives to optimize their preparation for their intended master’s track.