Bioinformatics Programs and Classes at Boulder

Introduction

Although Boulder offers many bioinformatics-related programs and courses, the relevant information is dispersed across many departments and can be difficult to verify.

The intent of this page is to gather all relevant details in one location. I have made every effort to confirm that the material presented here is up-to-date, correct, and complete, but please contact me if anything needs to change.

Classes

Disclaimer: I have not actually taken any of these classes, and the recommendations below are based on my reading of the catalog (and web pages, where applicable).

At the undergraduate level, I highlight a set of courses that I think would be really necessary for understanding what existing tools do and why they do them, in addition to courses that would provide a sufficiently wide introduction to biology to see what the interesting questions are.

At the graduate level, I highlight a set of courses that would be useful for getting to a stage where you would be able to develop new tools yourself.

Obviously, these are just guidelines: for instance, if you're primarily interested in the mathematics and algorithms you could get by with less biology (though you still need to know about the system you're modeling); conversely, if you're primarily interested in analyzing a particular biological phenomenon you can probably get by with less math.

Not all techniques are applicable to all problems: for example, formal language theory turns out to be useful for predicting RNA structure; combinatorics is useful for dealing with frequencies of motifs; and differential equations are useful for modeling metabolic pathways. Similarly, if you primarily plan to study plants, it would be a good idea to take some botany.

Directly relevant classes not in 2002 catalog (some from past years)

Possibly useful classes: undergraduate

Possibly useful classes: graduate

Undergraduate Programs

At the undergraduate level, the best option is to get a degree in either one of the lab sciences or in Math or CS. If going the lab science route, Applied Math has a minor with Probability and Statistics emphasis that would be extremely valuable. You should definitely take at least one class in statistics, one lab class in biology, one lab class in chemistry, and one class on algorithms.

Dual Masters in APPM/MCDB

Starting this year, Applied Math and MCDB are offering a 3-year, dual MA/MS program. Applicants must meet the admission requirements for both APPM and MCDB, and will take 21 credits in each department (including a thesis submitted to MCDB).

Application details and requirements can be found here.

For further information, contact James Meiss.

PhD Programs

Although CU Boulder has no specific Bioinformatics degree program, it is possible to conduct bioinformatics research in a range of different departments (see FAQ). Right now, the best options are probably to pursue a degree in MCDB or Biochemistry and to take math and programming classes on the side, or to puruse a degree in Applied Math (the Statistics track would provide an excellent background to most of the techniques needed for developing new methods). However, several other departments might provide a better match if you're interested in specific research questions in those fields.

Page last updated 8/22/02.

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