NOTE: This is not a complete list of requirements. See the UMBC Undergraduate Catalog for the full listing of requirements for this program, a list of participating faculty, information about research opportunities, the Biological Sciences Tutorial Center, and Student Organizations.
Download the pre-Fall 2010 Bioinformatics Requirements Worksheet (PDF)
Required courses (77 credits)
Biology (21 credits)
- BIOL 100 Concepts of Biology
- BIOL 100L Concepts of Biology Laboratory
- BIOL 302 Molecular and General Genetics
- BIOL 303 Cell Biology
- BIOL 302L Molecular and General Genetics Laboratory or BIOL 303L Cell Biology Laboratory
- BIOL 430 Biological Chemistry
- BIOL 495 Seminar in Bioinformatics
Chemistry (15 credits)
- CHEM 101 Principles of Chemistry I
- CHEM 102 Principles of Chemistry II
- CHEM 102L Introductory Chemistry Lab
- CHEM 351 Organic Chemistry I
- CHEM 352 Organic Chemistry II
Computer Sciences (18 credits)
- CMSC 201 Computer Science I for majors
- CMSC 202 Computer Science II for majors
- CMSC 203 Discrete Structures
- CMSC 341 Data Structures
- CMSC 461 Database Management Systems
Mathematics and Statistics and Physics (23 credits)
- MATH 151 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
- MATH 152 Calculus and Analytic Geometry II
- MATH 221 Linear Algebra
- STAT 355 Introduction to Probability & Statistics for Scientists and Engineers
- Physics 121 Introductory Physics I
- Physics 122 Introductory Physics II
Transition to the BINF curriculum
A student planning to complete the B.S. in bioinformatics & computational biology should begin a first course in chemistry during the first semester of the freshman year. The mathematics sequence should also be started as soon as possible.
Electives (9-12 credits)
A total of three additional courses are required, to be selected from the two lists below; two courses are to be selected from List A, and one course from List B.
LIST A:
- Three-credit Biology Core Course ( BIOL 301, B304, B305, or B442 – only one of these may be applied to satisfying the major requirements for Bioinformatics & Computational Biology)
- Any BIOL 4XX elective approved for the Biology major
- Any CHEM 4XX elective approved for the Biochemistry major (except those on List B – see below)
- CHEM 301 or CHEM 303
- CHEM 438. (NOTE: Students must successfully complete both CHEM 437 & CHEM 438. CHEM 437 can be used as a substitute for BIOL 430 and CHEM 438 will count as a LIST A elective. CHEM 437 by itself will not be accepted as fulfilling any of the major requirements for the BINF major.)
LIST B:
- Contact the advising coordinator for a current approved list of BIOL, CHEM, CMSC, IFSM, and MATH courses. Evaluation of student performance is separate for lecture and laboratory courses.
B.S. grade and gateway requirements
Students who wish to obtain a B.S. degree in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology must meet the following gateway requirements:
A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in the following courses with no grade lower than a “C.”
- BIOL 100
- BIOL 302
- CHEM 101
- CHEM 102
- CMSC 201
- MATH 151
If any of the gateway courses are repeated, both the original grade and the first repeat grade will be used in calculating the gateway GPA. Any subsequent repeats after the first two attempts will not be considered in the gateway GPA.
A minimum of three of the above courses must be taken at UMBC.
Students who do not meet the above requirements may petition the BINF Steering Committee and request a waiver or substitution of the gateway requirements.
A majority of the required biology courses must be completed in residence at UMBC. In fulfilling major requirements in bioinformatics, a student must obtain a grade of “C” or higher in all required courses.
Pre-requisites and co-requisites for all BIOL courses will be enforced. Pre-requisites in all biology courses must be satisfied with a grade of “C” or higher.
The department will adhere to university policies that limit to three the number of times a student may register for the same course.