Phone: 703-993-8400
Web: bioinformatics.gmu.edu
Professors: Grefenstette, Jafri (chair), Willett
Associate professors: Kinser, Seto, Vaisman
Assistant professor: Klimov
Contract assistant professor: Solka
Affiliate faculty: Ascoli, Blackwell, Carr, Gillevet, Jamison, Olds, Weller
The department offers all course work designated BINF in the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog.
The bioinformatics minor is an interdisciplinary program consisting of required courses in biology, programming, statistics, and bioinformatics. Eight credits of course work must be unique to the minor.
Students must complete the following courses with a minimum GPA of 2.00, distributed as follows:
MS-BNFM
This degree addresses the regional and national need for technically trained managers who will be able to lead teams of bioinformaticians in both the public and private sectors. The degree combines a solid foundation in bioinformatics research, tools, and techniques, with the management skills needed to address the associated legal, ethical, managerial, and business issues. The MS in bioinformatics management is intended for
Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in biology, computer science, or a related field, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in their last 60 credits of study. Applicants should have taken courses in molecular biology, computer science, calculus, physical chemistry, and statistics. Students with deficiencies in one or more of these areas may be required to take additional courses from the undergraduate curriculum. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current résumé, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation and an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN exam. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required of all international applicants.
Candidates must successfully complete 30 credits as follows:
Bioinformatics Core Courses (15 credits)—foundational courses in modern biotechnology, tools and methods for bioinformatics analysis, and methods for creating customized bioinformatics tools.
Management Core Courses (12 credits)—foundational courses in management theory related directly to the management of scientific programs and personnel.
Capstone research project (3 credits)—focusing on bioinformatics management issues and techniques
MS-BCB
This degree addresses the growing national and regional demand for trained computational biologists. It combines a solid foundation in biotechnology with the computational skills required for bioinformatics. The flexibility of the degree structure permits students to custom design their curriculum under an advisor’s guidance, making the MS in bioinformatics especially relevant for students employed in today’s diverse biotechnology workplace. Students completing the program are qualified to pursue careers that require knowledge of current bioinformatics methods and the ability to develop new bioinformatics software.
Courses are generally offered in the late afternoon or early evening to accommodate students with full-time employment outside the university. Students employed at area biotechnology organizations may take up to 6 credits (out of 31) for bioinformatics work done on the job, under the guidance of a faculty member. This work-related project may be applied as either a 3-credit research project or a 6-credit master’s thesis.
Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in biology, computer science, or a related field, with a GPA of at least 3.00 in their last 60 credits of study. Applicants should have taken courses in molecular biology, computer science, calculus, physical chemistry, and statistics. Students with deficiencies in one or more of these areas may be required to take additional courses from the undergraduate curriculum. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current résumé, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation, and an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN exam. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required for all international applicants.
Candidates must successfully complete 31 credits as follows:
CERG-BCB
This graduate certificate program addresses the growing national and regional demand for trained computational biologists by combining a solid foundation in biotechnology with computational skills relevant to bioinformatics. The flexibility of the certificate structure permits students to custom design their curriculum under an advisor’s guidance, making the certificate in bioinformatics especially relevant for students employed in today’s diverse Northern Virginia high-technology workplace. Ideal candidates for this certificate are those who have a background in biological and computer sciences, and are currently working in or planning to enter the fields of biotechnology or bioinformatics. The certificate is also highly relevant for students who are interested in advancing their career goals but may not have adequate time available to undertake a graduate degree program.
Applicants should hold a BA or BS degree in a discipline related to biological or computer science from an accredited university, with a minimum GPA of 3.00. Applicants should have taken courses in molecular biology, computer science, calculus, physical chemistry, or statistics, and should also possess working knowledge of a computer programming language. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, and a current résumé to the COS Graduate Admissions Processing Center. TOEFL scores are required of all international applicants.
The certificate program is a professional certification program that charges students at a differential (premium) tuition rate, with an additional $100 per credit added to the standard Mason graduate tuition rate for students who enroll in this certificate program, regardless of in-state or out-of-state status. The differential tuition is used to fund continuing improvements in the COS educational facilities used to support the certificate program. Students may not pursue this certificate concurrently with any other graduate degree program or certificate program offered by COS. In addition, students may not apply previous credit hours to the certificate program from another certificate, degree, or nondegree program because of the differential (premium) tuition rate.
The certificate in bioinformatics and computational biology requires a total of 15 credits, based on the set of core courses supporting the MS and PhD degree programs in bioinformatics and computational biology, along with a set of elective courses. Students are required to take three core courses, plus two courses selected from the list of electives indicated below.
Required Core Courses: (all are required)
Elective Courses: (choose two of the following or other courses approved by the coordinator)
PHD-BCB
Recent advances in molecular biology have produced an avalanche of data, including DNA sequences and genetic maps that cover thousands of genes whose functions are poorly understood or completely unknown. These advances are having a profound effect on the biological sciences and have resulted in the development of the new discipline of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics uses computational approaches to analyze patterns in biological data and create complex models of biological activity, including attempts to elucidate the functions of genes and their interactions in genetic pathways. Widespread social benefits are expected from the exploitation of the wealth of new knowledge concerning the genetic mechanisms of life and related processes. The coming years will see major developments in medicine, functional genomics, and environmental sciences, as well as profound advances in understanding the fundamental processes of biology. These benefits are increasingly dependent on the application of advanced information technology to the analysis of biological information.
The program’s main objective is to train the next generation of computational biologists for careers in academia, industry, and government. The program provides students with an interdisciplinary academic environment, including fundamental biosciences courses and core and advanced courses in bioinformatics. In general, course requirements may be completed within the first two years. The program is structured to be accessible for full- and part-time students.
Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in biology, computer science, or a related field, with a minimum GPA of 3.25. Admission also requires minimum GRE scores of 1,100 (verbal plus quantitative) and 4.00 (analytical writing). Applicants should have taken courses in molecular biology, cell biology, biochemistry, genetics, calculus, physical chemistry, computer programming and data structures, and probability and statistics. Students with deficiencies in one or more of these areas may be admitted provisionally and required to take additional courses from the undergraduate curriculum. To apply, prospective students should forward a completed Mason graduate application, two copies of official transcripts from each college and graduate institution attended, a current résumé, and an expanded goals statement to the COS Graduate Admissions Processing Center. Applicants should also include three letters of recommendation and an official report of scores obtained on the GRE-GEN. The GRE-SUB is recommended if it is given in the student’s undergraduate major. The GRE requirement for admission to the doctoral programs will be waived if the student holds a master’s degree from a U.S. institution. TOEFL scores are required of all international applicants.
The program requires 72 credits beyond the baccalaureate degree, with a minimum of 48 credits in course work and 24 credits of dissertation research. For those holding master’s degrees, the 72 required credits may be reduced by up to 30 credits, depending on graduate courses completed. The curriculum is divided into four areas: 12 credits of fundamental biosciences courses; 13 credits of core bioinformatics courses; 23 credits of electives or independent research; and 24 credits of dissertation research. The course work is organized as follows:
Students whose undergraduate record does not include basic biochemistry will be required to take a basic course prior to BINF 701 Biochemical Systematics (Biochemistry). If the undergraduate record is otherwise insufficient, students may be required to take prerequisite courses, some of which may not be applicable to the 48-credit course total for the bioinformatics PhD. By the end of the semester when course work is completed, the student must form a doctoral committee, which will supervise the candidacy exam. The exam includes written and oral components. On passing the candidacy exam and submitting an acceptable dissertation proposal, the student is advanced to doctoral candidacy.