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College of Sciences
Department of Biological Sciences

Bioinformatics

Handling and analyzing big data continues to be a significant challenge in biological sciences. Bioinformatics emerged in response to this need. This field includes methods to analyze extremely large data sets of genomic information such as DNA sequences and expressions from DNA microassays.

Students studying bioinformatics will be concerned both with the management of biological data and with the means for drawing inferences from these. They will learn to search for pattern and meaning in genomic data and will develop new statistical methods of analysis.

Academic preparation will focus on all quantitative aspects of genomic science—mathematical, statistical and computational analysis. Theoretical research will focus on applications of genomic data in areas such as human identification for forensic and parentage issues, detection of genes affecting disease and economic traits in plants and animals, prediction and determination of the structure of proteins, and gene discovery.

Unique and exceptional resources at NC State include the Bioinformatics Research Center and the Genomic Sciences Laboratory.

View the Participating BioSci Faculty

Degrees

Course Requirements (total of 32 credits)

Genomic Sciences Core (12 credits)

  • ST 590A: Intro. Bioinformatics (3 cr)
  • GN 735: Functional Genomics (3 cr)
  • GN 701: Molecular Genetics or BCH 703 Macromolecular Synthesis and Regulation (3 cr)
  • PP 810: Genomics Journal Club (1 credit, to be taken twice)
  • GN 850: Professionalism and Ethics

Bioinformatics Core (20 credits)

  • ST 590C: Bioinformatics II (3 cr)
  • CSC 530: Computational Methods for Molecular Biology (3cr)
  • ST 512: Experimental Statistics II (3 cr)
  • ST 810: Bioinformatics Consulting (2cr)
  • Electives (9 cr)

Course Requirements (total of 72 credits)

Genomic Sciences Core (12 credits)

  • ST 590A: Intro. Bioinformatics (3 cr)
  • GN 735: Functional Genomics (3 cr)
  • GN 701: Molecular Genetics or BCH 703 Macromolecular Synthesis and Regulation (3 cr)
  • PP 810: Genomics Journal Club (1 credit, to be taken twice)
  • GN 850: Professionalism and Ethics

Bioinformatics Core (60 credits)

  • ST 590C: Bioinformatics II (3 cr)
  • CSC 530: Computational Methods for Molecular Biology (3cr)
  • ST 512: Experimental Statistics II (3 cr)
  • ST 501: Fundamentals of Statistical Inference I (3cr)
  • ST 502: Fundamentals of Statistical Inference II (3cr)
  • ST 810: Bioinformatics Consulting (2cr)
  • PP 810: Genomics Journal Club (1 credit, taken two additional times)
  • Research and Electives (32 cr)

Students should have an undergraduate major in the biological or physical sciences, mathematics, statistics or computer science.

Students in Bioinformatics should have completed undergraduate courses in calculus and linear algebra and courses comparable to each of the following: CSC 114 (Introduction to Computing – C++), ST 511 (Experimental Statistics for Biological Sciences I) and GN 411 (Principles of Genetics).
Alternatively, accepted students must take these courses as prerequisites outside the credit requirements for the degree.

Additional Information

Please visit the program site for more detailed information, https://brc.ncsu.edu/genomics/bioinformatics.