Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics

Mission

The BS in Bioinformatics integrates theory and practice across biological and computing disciplines while upholding the tradition of liberal arts education.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the BS in Bioinformatics program shall:

Apply the acquired knowledge of computing and biological principles in Bioinformatics related careers or postgraduate studies.
Critically assess and conduct basic bioinformatics research projects individually or as part of a team and communicate their findings in an effective manner.
Recognize cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues inherent in the discipline of Bioinformatics.

Student Outcomes

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

Apply computational and mathematical knowledge in order to structure and analyze biological data.
Design and implement efficient and robust algorithms, databases, processes or programs that meet the desired needs.
Work effectively and interactively in teams, with people from different backgrounds, in order to accomplish a common goal.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and social issues related to biological experimentation as well as computing.
Communicate their work, in writing as well as orally, to a range of audiences.
Analyze the local and global impact of the bioinformatics field on individuals and society.
Apply statistical research methods and bioinformatics techniques in the contexts of molecular biology, genomics, and medical research.
Demonstrate a good understanding of general biology, and biological data generation technologies.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements, documentation, test scores, and submission deadlines are the same for all undergraduate programs, with two main exceptions:

Lebanese students applying for entry into the freshman class must submit permission from the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese Ministry of Education.
Lebanese students who graduated from non-Lebanese programs must submit the equivalence to the Lebanese baccalaureate from the Ministry of Education.

Curriculum

The BS in Bioinformatics may be completed in three years with a required total of 100 credits.

Bioinformatics Requirements (33 credits)
Biology Requirements (12 credits)
Chemistry Requirements (9 credits)
Physics Requirements (3 credits)
Biochemistry Requirements (4 credits)
Mathematics Requirements (6 credits)
Major Electives (9 credits)
LAS Requirements (24 credits)

Bioinformatics Requirements (33 credits)

BIF205 Biostatistics (3 cr.)
BIF243 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (3 cr.)
BIF243B Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming Lab (1 cr.)
BIF244 Introduction to Script Programming (3 cr.)
BIF245 Objects and Data Abstraction (3 cr.)
BIF245B Objects and Data Abstraction Lab (1 cr.)
BIF310 Algorithms and Data Structures (3 cr.)
BIF310B Algorithms and Data Structures Lab (1 cr.)
BIF375 Database Management Systems (3 cr.)
BIF415 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 cr.)
BIF345 Cell and Molecular Biology (3 cr.)
BIF524 Data Mining (3 cr.)
BIF599 Capstone Project (3 cr.)

Biology Requirements (12 credits)

BIO201/BIO201B General Biology I/Lab (4 cr.)
BIO202 General Biology II (4 cr.)
BIO321 Genetics (3 cr.)
BIO322 Genetics Lab (1 cr.)

Chemistry Requirements (9 credits)

CHM201 Chemistry Principles (3 cr.)
CHM311 Organic Chemistry I (3 cr.)
CHM312 Organic Chemistry II (3 cr.)

Physics Requirements (3 credits)

PHY301 Classical Physics for Life Sciences (3 cr.)

Biochemistry Requirements (4 credits)

BCH301 Introduction to Biochemistry (4 cr)

Mathematics Requirements (6 credits)

MTH201 Calculus III (3 cr.)
MTH207 Discrete Structures I (3 cr.)

Major Electives (9 credits)

BIF Electives (a minimum of 2 courses) (6-9 credits)

BIF425 Functional Genomics (3 cr.)
BIF435 Structural Bioinformatics (3 cr.)
BIF455 Computational Drug Design (3 cr.)
BIF498 Topics in Bioinformatics (3 cr.)
BIF513 Computational Biology (3 cr.)
BIF515 Machine Learning (3 cr.)

Non-Major Science Electives (min. 0-max. 3 credits)¹

MTH301 Linear Algebra (3 cr.)
MTH304 Differential Equations (3 cr.)
MTH307 Discrete Structures II (3 cr.)
BIO410 Biotechnology (3 cr.)
BIO632 Advances in Epigenetics and Therapeutics (3 cr.)
CSC443 Web Programming (3 cr.)

Pre-med Requirement (3 credits)

PHY305 Modern Physics for Life Sciences (3 cr.)

LAS Requirements (24 credits)

¹ Advised only for students who would like to pursue graduate studies in Computer Science

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (17 credits)

BIO201 General Biology I (3 cr.)
BIO201B General Biology I Lab (1 cr.)
ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
CHM005 Preparatory Chemistry (3 cr.)
MTH201 Calculus III, MTH207 Discrete Structures I, or LAS Course (3 cr.)
BIF243 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (3 cr.)
BIF243B Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming Lab (1 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

BIO202 General Biology II (3 cr.)
BIO202B General Biology II Lab (1 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)
MTH201 Calculus III, MTH207 Discrete Structures I, or LAS Course (3 cr.)
BIF245 Objects & Data Abstraction (3 cr.)
BIF245B Objects and Data Abstraction Lab (1 cr.)
BIF415 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 cr.)

Summer (6 credits)

MTH201 Calculus III, MTH207 Discrete Structures I, or LAS Course (3 cr.)
LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (17 credits)

BIO321 Genetics (3 cr.)
BIO322 Genetics Lab (1 cr.)
PHY301 Classical Physics for Life Sciences (3 cr.)
CHM311 Organic Chemistry I (3 cr.)
BIF310 Algorithms & Data Structures (3 cr.)
BIF310B Algorithms and Data Structures Lab (1 cr.)
LAS (3 cr.)

Spring (16 credits)

BCH301 Introduction to Biochemistry (4 cr.)
CHM312 Organic Chemistry II (3 cr.)
BIF205 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 cr.)
BIF244 Introduction to Script Programming (3 cr.)
LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (15 credits)

BIF345 Cell and Molecular Biology (3 cr.)
BIF375 Database Management Systems (3 cr.)
BIF524 Data Mining (3 cr.)
Bioinformatics Elective (3 cr.)
Bioinformatics Elective (3 cr.)

Spring (12 credits)

Bioinformatics Elective (3 cr.)
BIF599 Capstone Project (3 cr.)
LAS Elective (3 cr.)
LAS Elective (3 cr.)