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2022-2023

Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (and accelerated masters)

VCU

Community college:
A.A.&.S. or A.S. in Science (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

A.A.&.S. or A.S. in Science

Program description

The bioinformatics curriculum blends foundational courses in biology, math, chemistry and computer science with a core of hands-on, problem-solving bioinformatics courses. It allows undergraduates an unusual opportunity to learn computational biology and data science by actually doing it--reading scientific papers, doing experiments, creating bioinformatics programs, and designing individual and team research investigations. The program includes general training in biology, computer science, and statistics to create a solid bioinformatics core, as well as focused training in a chosen concentration.


In the biological/genomic sciences concentration, students are primarily motivated by biology and have chosen this concentration to focus on upper-level biology topics such as advanced molecular biology and biochemistry.

In the computational sciences concentration, students are primarily motivated by computer science and have chosen this concentration to focus on upper-level computer science courses designed to improve students’ programming skills and understanding of algorithms.


In the quantitative/Statistical Sciences concentration, students are primarily motivated by problem-solving using math and statistics and have chosen this concentration to focus on mathematical and statistical theory and methods for quantitative modeling and analysis.

Career opportunities

Our students learn how to use bioinformatics tools to solve scientific problems through project-based, experiential courses. These experiences mimic what doing molecular/computational science is actually like and provide excellent training for technician-level jobs (universities, institutes, biotech, or IT industry), for training in graduate school or in the health professions. Students interested in a health profession usually specialize in the Biological/Genomic Concentration. 

Some students are interested in working close to the health system, while others are more interested in the programming/data analyst route. The technical, analytical and communications skills practiced in the program can transfer to other occupations as well. 

Students with the Master of Science degree typically have greater opportunities than those with the Bachelor's degree as the Master's allows the student to gain more relevant skills, content knowledge, and project experience. In this case, greater opportunities refers to both roles with higher pay and although Master of Science graduates typically begin their careers in entry-level positions, they are working at a higher technical level and they will have the qualifications for leadership positions in the future.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Agricultural & Food Technician
  • Bioinformatics Technician
  • Biological Data Analyst
  • Biological Technician
  • Clinical Research Associate (CRA)
  • Computational Biologist
  • Computer Programmer
  • Genomic Data Scientist
  • Mathematical Technician
  • Operations Research Analyst
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Biostatistician
  • College Professor
  • Microbiologist
  • Software Developer
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 151 or STAT 210
  • MATH 200
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Bioinformatics with concentration in Biological/Genomic Sciences, Computational Sciences, Quantitative/Statistical Sciences

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2022-2023

Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (and accelerated masters)

Virginia Community College System (A.A.&.S. or A.S. in Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math, english and CHM 111-112 requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore GRASP financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the three different concentrations of the B.S. degree: biological/genomic, computational sciences, and quantitative/statistical sciences.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Center for Biological Data Science, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Center for Biological Data Science-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Complete your math, english and CHM 111-112 requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Explore GRASP financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
  • Explore the three different concentrations of the B.S. degree: biological/genomic, computational sciences, and quantitative/statistical sciences.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Center for Biological Data Science, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Participate in the VCU STEM Transitions: Transfer Success Program after you’re admitted to VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Center for Biological Data Science-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2022-2023

Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (and accelerated masters)

Virginia Community College System (A.A.&.S. or A.S. in Science)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
Students who earn this associate degree before enrolling at VCU will be eligible for a waiver of VCU's general education requirements.
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
MTH 263 Calculus I MATH 200 4 Major (Ancillary)
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 212 3 Major (Ancillary)
BIO 101 General Biology I Note: students who complete BIO 101 will not be required to take BNFO 251 Phage Discovery I at VCU. BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Ancillary)
BIO 102 General Biology II Note: students who complete BIO 102 will not be required to take BNFO 252 Phage Discovery II at VCU. BIOL/Z 152 4 Major
CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHEM/Z 101 4 Major (Ancillary)
CHM 112 General Chemistry II CHEM/Z 102 4 Major
CHM 241 Organic Chemistry I CHEM 301 3 Major
CHM 242 Organic Chemistry II CHEM 302 3 Major
Complete general education and elective requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 24 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Your GPA Doesn't Transfer With You Although you worked hard to earn your grades at your current institution, they will only be considered by VCU for an admission decision. Once you enroll at VCU, your GPA will reset to 0.0, and your new GPA will be determined by your level of success in your classes at VCU.
Bachelor of Science: Bioinformatics with a concentration in biological/genomic sciences
BIOL 300 Cellular and Molecular Biology 3 Major
BIOL 310 Genetics 3 Major
BNFO 101 Introduction to Scientific Computing 1 Major
BNFO 201 Computing Skills and Concepts for Bioinformatics 3 Major
BNFO 301 Introduction to Bioinformatics 3 Major
BNFO 411 Ethical Issues in Life Sciences 2 Major
BNFO 420 Applications in Bioinformatics 3 Major
CMSC 255 Introduction to Programming 4 Major
STAT 321 Introduction to Statistical Computing 3 Major
BNFO/BIOL 540 Fundamentals of Molecular Genetics 3 Major
BNFO/BIOL 541 or BIOZ 476 Laboratory in Molecular Genetics or Molecular Capstone Laboratory 2 Major
CHEM 403 Biochemistry I 3 Major
Select concentration electives (see VCU advisor for course options) 10 Major
PHYS 207 or PHYS 201 University Physics I or General Physics I 4 to 5 Major (Ancillary)
Open electives 12 to 13 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 60
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 120
The accelerated B.S. and M.S. program allows qualified students to earn both the B.S. and M.S. in Bioinformatics in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program. Minimum qualifications for entrance to the accelerated program include completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours; an overall GPA of 3.0; and a GPA of 3.0 in bioinformatics degree course work. Applicants should have completed a substantial amount of course work toward the B.S. degree and maintained a strong academic record. Students who are interested in the accelerated program should consult with the program director to the M.S. in Bioinformatics program during their junior year after they have completed 75 credits and before they have completed 90 credits toward the B.S. degree. Applicants to this accelerated program must have junior or senior status in VCU’s B.S. in Bioinformatics program. Successful applicants would enter the accelerated program in the first semester of their senior year.