Certificate Name and Number: Bioinformatics - CTBING

Department/Unit: Russ College of Engineering and Technology

Certificate Mission: Students complete an interdisciplinary program in biology and computer science leading to a certificate in bioinformatics.

Delivery Mode: Athens Campus

Certificate Overview:  Bioinformatics, which combines biology with computer science, is a rapidly growing discipline in biological research and in computer science research. Bioinformatics arose out of a need to rapidly expand and critique large volumes of biological data, especially in the area of genomics. Modern biological and biomedical research involves a significant informatics component. Traditionally, computer programmers have been educated in Computer Science, and biologists have been educated in Biological Sciences or Environmental and Plant Biology. But, it is becoming increasingly evident that to meet the growing need for people working in biological research and industry, a plan of study that focuses on the interdisciplinary aspects of bioinformatics is crucial. No single department can handle this demand. Thus, a certificate program in bioinformatics is available at Ohio University.

Opportunities upon Completion: The medical, pharmaceutical, and agricultural industries have a need for students trained in bioinformatics. Many opportunities exist in these industries for students with the appropriate background.

Link to Certificate: https://www.ohio.edu/bioinformatics/

Graduation Requirements:

• The bioinformatics certificate program requires a minimum of 19 hours.
• Core Biology - Take two courses: one biochemistry course and one additional biology course:
  • Biochemistry - Choose One:
    • CHEM 5890 - Basic Biochemistry
    • CHEM 5901 - Biochemistry I
  • Additional Biology – Choose One:
    • MCB 7200 - Molecular Biology
    • BIOS 5250 - Evolutionary Genetics
    • BIOS 5260 - Molecular Genetics
    • BIOS 5270 - Mechanisms of Gene Regulation
    • PBIO 5750 - Plant Population Genetics and Speciation
    • PBIO 5090 - Plant Systematics and Survey of Vascular Plant Families
    • BIOS 5570 - Animal Systematics
• Bioinformatics Specialty Courses - Complete the following two bioinformatics courses:
  • CS 5160 - Problem Solving with Bioinformatics Tools
  • CS 6150 - Computational Genomics
• Core Computer Science - Complete the following two core computer science courses:
  • BME 5170 - Data Mining With Applications in the Life Sciences
  • CS 5180 - Statistical Foundation for Bioinformatics
• Genetics/Molecular Biology - Complete one genetics/molecular biology course (courses used to fulfill the ‘Additional Biology’ requirement cannot also be used to fulfill the ‘Genetics/Molecular Biology’ requirement):
• • MCB 7200 - Molecular Biology
  • BIOS 5250 - Evolutionary Genetics
  • BIOS 5260 - Molecular Genetics
  • BIOS 5270 - Mechanisms of Gene Regulation
  • PBIO 5750 - Plant Population Genetics and Speciation
• Laboratory Practicum - Choose one:
  • PBIO 5010 - Lab in Cell and Molecular Plant Physiology
  • MCB 7300 - Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory

Admission Requirements:

Graduate students should have an undergraduate background in both computer science and biology. Students should have completed, at the undergraduate level, courses in general biology, genetics, calculus, discrete mathematics, statistics, and computer programming. Students not currently enrolled in a graduate program must fulfill the following requirements: (i) earned a bachelor’s or advanced degree from an accredited college or university, (ii) a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or an earned graduate or professional degree.