Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science - Concentration in Bioinformatics

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science is based on current recommendations of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for liberal arts institutions. The program is designed both to provide a solid foundation in the fundamentals of computer science, and to provide practical, hands-on experience with computing systems, as the current technology job market dictates. Bachelor of Arts students complete a 34-credit computer science component, supplemented by a mathematics component rooted in calculus. For most students, the program requires completion of 14 three-credit courses along with one one-credit lab. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field of study combining aspects of Biology, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Undergraduates enrolled in degree programs in any one of these three disciplines can obtain the designation of a Concentration in Bioinformatics by completing the following courses: Core Requirements: •BIOL4200 Introduction to Bioinformatics •BIOL5240 Computational Foundations of Bioinformatics •MATH2226 Probability for Bioinformatics (students may also substitute MATH4426 Probability or BIOL2300 Biostatistics or BIOL2310 Biostatistics Honors) Elective Requirements: •Any one additional biology course at the level of BIOL2200 or above. BIOL2200 is recommended. Students with high school AP Biology may take BIOL3040 Cell Biology, BIOL3050 Genetics, BIOL3150 Intro to Genomics, BIOL4140 Microbiology, or BIOL4400 Molecular Biology instead. •Any three computer science courses at the level of CSCI1101 or above. CSCI1101 and CSCI1102 are recommended. Upper-level courses well-suited to the concentration include CSCI1127 Introduction to Scientific Computation, CSCI3345 Machine Learning, and CSCI3383 Algorithms.