The Computational Biology Track

The Computational Biology Track is intended for students who wish to develop working knowledge of computational techniques and their applications to biomedical research. Recent advances in high-throughput technologies, e.g., for DNA sequencing and for measuring RNA expression via DNA microarrays, are changing the nature of biomedical research. They empower fundamental new understandings of biological mechanisms with far reaching applications to biological and medical sciences. To fulfill this promise, new computational techniques are needed to analyze genome sequences, protein structures, metabolic and regulatory pathways, evolutionary patterns and the genetic basis of disease. The computational-biology track seeks to provide state of the art understanding of this concomitant growth of high-throughput experimental techniques, computational techniques to analyze their data, the resulting new understandings of biological mechanisms and their applications to pharmacological and medical practice (from diagnosis to drug design).

1. Overall Requirements

Students must complete a total of 30 credits:

  • Fulfill the 12-credit core requirement.

  • 2 required courses (6 credits): COMS W4761 (Computational Genomics) and either COMS W4771 or SIEO W4150.

  • 6 elective credits at the 6000-level, at least 3 of these 6000-level credits must be selected from the list of Elective Track Courses (See Section 4).

  • 6 credits of general elective graduate courses, at 4000 level or above; at least 3 of these credits must be CS graduate courses.

  • At least 3 elective credits must be selected from courses in biological departments.

  • Students, who waive core or track requirements using previous courses, may complete the 30 graduate credits by expanding their electives selected from (a) the list of required track courses; (b) the list of elective track courses; or (c) other graduate courses.

2. Core Requirements

For the 12-credit core requirement, students take 4 courses from the following 6:

COMS W4115 Programming Languages & Translators
COMS W4118 Operating Systems
COMS W4156 Advanced Software Engineering
CSOR W4231 Analysis of Algorithms
COMS W4701 Artificial Intelligence
CSEE  W4824 Computer Architecture

3. Required Track Courses

Candidates are required to complete the following course:

 Course ID
Title
COMS-W4761 Computational Genomics

Candidates are required to complete one (1) of the following courses*:

 Course ID
Title
COMS W4771 Machine Learning
SIEO W4150 Probability and Statistics

Students who have completed equivalent courses with grades of at least 3.0 may apply those courses to satisfy these requirements and devote more credits to pursue elective courses.

4. Elective Track Courses

Students are required to take two courses from the following list, at least one of which must be a 6000-level course. Other courses on this list may be used as general electives or to replace core or required track courses when the student has received a waiver.

 Course ID
Title
COMS W4111 Introduction to Databases
COMS W4252 

Introduction to Computational
Learning Theory

COMS W4772 (E6772)

Advanced Machine Learning
COMS E6111 Advanced Database Systems
COMS E6901 Projects in Computer Science
COMS E6998 Computational Human Genetics
COMS E6998 Seminar on Biological Networks
COMS E6998 

Seminar in Evolutionary and
Comparative Genomics

COMS E6998 Biological Networks
COMS E6998
Comp Methods/High Thrghpt SEQ
COMS E6998 

Research Seminar in
Computational Genomics

COMS E6998
Search Engine Technology
COMS E6998
Adv. Topics in Machine Learning
COMS E6998
Intro/Distributed Data Mining
COMS E6998
Cloud Computing
COMS E6998
Algorithmic Graph Theory
BIOC W4512 Molecular Biology
BIOL W4031 Genetics I
BIOL W4032 Genetics II
BIOL W4034 Biotechnology
BIOL W4037 Bioinformatics of Gene Expression
BIOL W4041 Cell Biology
BIOL W4070 

The Biology and Physics of
Single Molecules

BIOL W4300 Drugs and Disease
BIOL W4073 Cellular and Molecular Immunology 
BIOL W4400Biological Networks
BIOL W4510 Molecular Systems Biology I
BCHM G4026

Biochemistry of Nucleic  
and Protein Synthesis

BCHM G4250 

Biochemistry and Molecular
Biophysics

BCHM G6300 

Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology of Eukaryotes I

BCHM G6301 

Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology of Eukaryotes II

BMEN E6480 

Computational Neural Modeling
and Neuroengineering

GEND G4050

Advanced Eukaryotic        
Molecular Genetics

STAT G6101 Statistical Modeling and Data Analysis
APMA E4400 Introduction to Biophysical Modeling
BINF G4014 

Computational Biology I:  
Functional and Integrative Genomics

BINF G4015 

Computational Biology II:
Proteins, Networks, Function        

5. General Electives


Candidates are required to complete at least 6 additional graduate credits at, or above, the 4000 level; at least 3 of these credits must be CS, the other 3 credits may be a technical or non-technical elective approved by the track advisor. Please complete a non-tech approval form, and once it is signed, forward it to Janine Maslov or Remi Moss. At most 3 credits overall of the 30 graduate credits required for the MS degree may be non-technical.

6. Track Planning

Please visit the Directory of Classes to get the updated course listings. If you would like to see how often the courses are offered, please visit the course page on the CS Department website.  

Not all courses are offered every semester, or even every year; a few courses are offered only once every two or three years or even less frequently. Among the core courses, 4115, 4118, 4701, and 4231 are normally offered every semester (fall and spring) but 4156 and 4824 are normally offered only one semester per year and which semester (fall vs. spring) may vary. Among the 4000-level track electives, only 4111 is normally offered every semester; none of the 6000-level track courses are offered every semester and some are not even offered every year. There are, however, typically one or more relevant 4995 and/or 6998 offerings each semester, and its generally possible to find a suitable 6901 project any semester. For more information, please see the SEAS Bulletin CS course-offering schedule (Please note that the course-offering schedule can change due to unforeseeable circumstances; thus, it should only be used as a reference).

7. Contact

Please direct all questions concerning the Computational Biology Track to Prof. Itsik Pe'er.

8. Graduation

Candidates preparing for graduation should submit a completed application for degree to the Registrar's Office and submit a track graduation form to C.S. Student Services (an example of a completed form is available here).

 

*Note: The list of electives may be updated to reflect changes in the schedule of course offerings.

**Please note that these course offerings are listed on a provisional basis only and may change from what is listed here.

Last updated 7/23/2012.