Requirements

The requirements below are for students enrolling in the program in and after Fall 2022. 
If you enrolled in the program prior to Fall 2022, please review the program information and requirements.

Prerequisites

Integrated Science (recommended) or three foundational classes from the lists below:

ISC 231-234 – An Integrated, Quantitative Introduction to the Natural Sciences

                                         ~OR~

Foundation in Computer Science – the following course or approved equivalent

  • COS 126/EGR 126 – Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach

Foundation in Biology – one of the following courses or approved equivalent

  • MOL 214/EEB 214/CBE 214 – Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
  • EEB 211 – Life on Earth: Mechanisms of Change in Nature

Foundation in Math or Statistics – one of the following courses or approved equivalent

  • 200-level math course (or higher)
  • ORF 245/EGR 245 – Fundamentals of Statistics

Admission to the Program

Students are admitted to the program after they have chosen a concentration, joined a research lab and identified a project (with the help of the program committee if need be), and submitted a complete application by Sept 1 of their junior year.  Although students are encouraged to find a lab on their own, the program committee will, if necessary, assist students in selecting a laboratory for their junior independent and senior thesis work. Students must have identified a lab and research project by the first day of their junior year fall semester. Admission requires the completion of prerequisites listed above. Program electives are chosen in consultation with the adviser.

Electives

Students must take two electives from the lists below. Students may be permitted to take a graduate-level course not listed below to fulfill elective requirement, but only with permission of Program Director.

Computational Methods and Quantitative Modeling

  • COS 343 – Algorithms for Computational Biology
  • COS 557 – Analysis & Visualization of Large-Scale Genomic Data Sets
  • EEB 325 – Mathematical Modeling in Biology and Medicine
  • ENV 302/CEE 302/EEB 302 – Practical Models for Environmental Systems
  • MAT 321/APC 321 – Numerical Methods
  • MOL 485/QCB 485 – Mathematical Models in Biology
  • NEU 314 – Mathematical Tools for Neuroscience
  • NEU 437/MOL 437/PSY 437 – Computational Neuroscience
  • NEU 499/PSY 499 – The Computational Basis of Natural Intelligence in the Human Brain
  • ORF 350 – Analysis of Big Data
  • QCB 505/PHY 555 – Topics in Biophysics and Quantitative Biology: Statistical Mechanics for Biological Networks
  • CBE 422 – Molecular Modeling Methods

Genomics, Chemical, and Systems Biology

  • CBE 433/MSE 424 – Introduction to the Mechanics and Dynamics of Soft Living Matter
  • CHM 301 – Organic Chemistry I: Biological Emphasis
  • CHM 302 – Organic Chemistry II: Biological Emphasis
  • CHM 337 – Organic Chemistry: Bioengineering Emphasis
  • CHM 541/QCB 541 – Chemical Biology II
  • EEB 309 – Evolutionary Biology
  • EEB 324 – Theoretical Ecology
  • EEB 388 – Genomics in the Wild (note: this course is offered as part of the semester abroad program in Kenya)
  • MAE 344/MSE 364 – Biomechanics and Biomaterials: From Cells to Organisms
  • MOL 415 – Modern Biophysics and Systems Biology
  • NEU 427 – Systems Neuroscience
  • QCB 302 – Research Topics and Analytical Approaches in Quantitative Biology (recommended)
  • QCB 311 – Genomics
  • QCB 408 – Foundations of Statistical Genomics
  • QCB 455/MOL 455/COS 551 – Introduction to Genomics and Computational Molecular Biology
  • QCB 470/GHP 470 – Biochemistry of Physiology and Disease
  • QCB 490 / MOL 490 – Molecular Mechanisms of Longevity: The Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology of Aging
  • QCB 515/PHY 570/EEB 517/CHM 517/MOL 515 – Method and Logic in Quantitative Biology

Independent Work

Junior and Senior Independent Work:  Junior and senior independent work must show adequate quantitative and computational biology content and expand upon the existing field. 

Other Information

  • Applications for program admission must be submitted by September 1st of junior year and should include the following information: prerequisite courses, plans for courses in the junior and senior years, and independent work plans.
  • Program courses cannot be taken Pass/D/Fail.
  • At least two classes taken to meet the requirements of the certificate must not count towards student’s concentration requirements.
  • Students who pursue a certificate in quantitative and computational biology may not also receive a certificate in biophysics.
  • Students who fulfill the requirements of the program (prerequisites, two electives, and QCB junior and senior independent work) receive a certificate of proficiency in quantitative and computational biology upon graduation.
  • Certificate Application

Contact

Program Director: Brittany Adamson ([email protected])
Program Administrator: Ben Zhang ([email protected])