Program Description
PhD Program in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics (CBB)
Prerequisites: Students admitted to the CBB program will generally have taken prerequisite courses in both computational and biological sciences to an advanced level. Students are expected to have taken mathematics through differential equations and linear algebra; two courses in statistics; two courses in computer science; at least one course in genetics and cell & molecular biology; and at least one semester of organic chemistry. Otherwise competitive students lacking one or more of these requirements will be expected to satisfy them prior to or during their first year in the program.
Required Courses: The CBB program is explicitly designed to be responsive to the breadth, newness and rapidly evolving nature of the CBB arena, and so does not have a heavy emphasis on required courses. However, students in the CBB Graduate Program must complete the following three core courses:
- CBB 220 Genomic Tools and Technologies
- CBB 240 Statistical Methods for Computational Biology
- CBB 26X Algorithms in Computational Biology
Elective Courses: Most students take a broad set of elective CBB courses as they define their own paths through the program. Acceptable electives in other departments include not only genomics, statistics, genome technology or computer science courses, but can entail course offerings, particularly in the biological sciences, that support each student's specific research interests.
Rotations: During their first year in residence, students should complete three "research rotations", each consisting of a tutorial-level independent study or a laboratory experience with different faculty members in the CBB Program. Students are strongly encouraged to select one rotation experience with a primarily biological faculty member, and at least one with a primarily computational faculty member. Typically, the duration of each rotation is 12 weeks.
Financial Support: The CBB Graduate Program provides support for students admitted directly into the Program for the first two years of doctoral study. Beginning July 1st of the second in residence, the faculty advisor will become responsible for the student's stipend and fees for the duration of the student's dissertation work.
Please consult the CBB Student Manual for additional information about the CBB Program.