PhD in Bioinformatics

The post-bachelor’s PhD requires a total of 64 course credits, consisting of the 36 required credits listed below, or their equivalents, and additional elective lecture, laboratory, and research credits. The precise course of study will be determined in consultation with faculty advisors and will reflect the student’s background and interests. Although participants in the program will not necessarily take the same set of core courses, all students must demonstrate mastery of core subject matter in biophysical chemistry, biology, and computation/mathematics. In order to be admitted to PhD candidacy, students must demonstrate mastery of the core subject matter (no lower than a B in each of the core courses) and successfully complete a qualifying examination.

The post-master’s PhD requires 38 credits of coursework, consisting of an appropriate combination of lecture, laboratory, and research, as recommended by the student’s thesis advisor. Other requirements are the same as for the post-bachelor’s PhD.

Required Core Courses (36 cr total)

• ENG BE 562 Computational Biology: Genomes, Networks, Evolution (4 cr)
• ENG BE 768 Biological Database Systems (4 cr)
• ENG BE 777 Computational Genomics I (4 cr)
• ENG BF 690 Bioinformatics Challenge Project (2 cr each; 4 total)
• ENG BF 751 Molecular Biology and Biochemistry: Molecules and Processes (4 cr)
• ENG BF 752 Legal and Ethical Issues of Science and Technology (4 cr)
• ENG BF 778 Physical Chemistry for Systems Biology (4 cr)
• ENG BF 810 Laboratory Rotation System (1 cr each; 3 total)
• ENG BF 820 Research Opportunities in Bioinformatics (1 cr)
• ENG BF 821 Bioinformatics Graduate Seminar (2 cr each; 4 total)

Fulfillment of core course equivalents will be determined based on documented previous academic and/or work experience. The student and his or her advisors will petition the curriculum committee for such equivalencies. When either past work or an alternate course has been accepted as a core equivalent, the student’s advisors will recommend another course to fulfill the 36 core credit hours. Advanced elective courses should be taken in place of any waived course requirements.

Electives:

For the post-bachelor’s PhD degree: In addition to the core courses listed above, students are required to complete at least one additional elective course (i.e., non-research). The remainder of the 64 credits may be satisfied by completing additional electives and/or research credits (BF 900 and/or BF 901). A minimum of 2 research credits is required.

For the post-master’s PhD degree: In addition to the core courses listed above, at least 2 credits of research (BF 900/901) are required. (Note: BF 900 is taken as research credit for PhD students who have not yet passed the qualifying examination. After admission to PhD-candidate status, students enroll in BF 901 for research credit.)

Advisors

Upon entry into the Bioinformatics Program, each student will be appointed an academic advisor from the Bioinformatics faculty. The advisor will act as the student’s primary academic advisor until the student selects a research advisor(s).

Qualifying Examination

All Boston University graduate students must pass a qualifying exam in order to advance to the level of PhD candidacy. In the Bioinformatics Program, this exam takes the form of an oral qualifying exam. The goal of the exam is for the student to demonstrate his or her general proficiency in bioinformatics, as well as command of the area(s) in which he or she intends to conduct research.

Each student in the Bioinformatics Program will select a Qualifying Committee (QC) of four faculty members in the program, typically by sometime during the first semester of their second year. It is strongly encouraged that the QC include both faculty members with biological/experimental expertise and faculty members with computational expertise. The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) must approve the committee membership and will be an ex-officio member of the committee.

Students must schedule their qualifying exam by March 31 of their second year, and must take the exam by June 30. Students who fail to pass the exam on their first try are allowed a second attempt, to be scheduled and completed by the end of the first semester of their third year.

Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement for the Bioinformatics degree. However, basic mastery of spoken and written English as determined by oral presentations, written reports, and publishable manuscripts is a requirement for the PhD.

Thesis

The PhD requires original research and its presentation in a form suitable for publication in an archival journal. Two thesis advisors, one predominantly an experimental researcher and the other predominantly a computational researcher, will guide progress toward the degree. The two thesis advisors and the Qualifying Exam Committee will normally constitute the Thesis Committee. The Thesis Committee will review the student’s progress annually and will also be responsible for judging both the thesis prospectus and the completed thesis.