B.S. in Bioinformatics
The bioinformatics major at Loyola provides students with the training and opportunities to become leaders in this ground-breaking discipline, with career advancement and post-graduate possibilities for years to come. Graduates in bioinformatics will:
- Acquire technical skills at the interface of biology, computer science, chemistry and mathematics
- Learn biological and chemical laboratory techniques
- Develop computer programming capabilities
- Use mathematical and statistical techniques to analyze results from laboratory experiments and computer outputs
- Understand key problems, proposed solutions and future challenges of the bioinformatics field
- Demonstrate effective and ethical decision-making abilities in facing issues relating to human health and animal treatment
Degree Requirements
Students pursuing the B.S. in bioinformatics must complete 26 courses in biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics and statistics, totalling 72 credit hours. The following courses are required:
Biology • BIOL 101 General Biology I (3 credits)
• BIOL 282 Genetics (3 credits)
• BIOL 283 Genetics Laboratory (2 credits)
• BIOI 366 (BIOL 366) Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry (3 credits)
• BIOI 387 (BIOL 387) Genomics (3 credits)
• BIOI 388 (BIOL 388) Bioinformatics (3 credits)
• BIOI 390 (BIOL 390) Molecular Biology Laboratory (4 credits) [or BIOL 391 (5 credits)]
Chemistry
• CHEM 101 General Chemistry I (3 credits) [or CHEM 105 (4 credits)]
• CHEM 111 General Chemistry Lab I (1 credit) [not required with CHEM 105]
• CHEM 102 General Chemistry II (3 credits) [or CHEM 106 (4 credits)]
• CHEM 112 General Chemistry Lab II (1 credit) [not required with CHEM 106]
• CHEM 223 Organic Chemistry I (3 credits) [or CHEM 221 (4 credits)]
• CHEM 224 Organic Chemistry II (3 credits) [or CHEM 222 (4 credits)]
• BIOI 386 (CHEM 365) Proteomics (3 credits)
• COMP 163 Discrete Structures (3 credits)
• COMP 170 Introduction to Programming (3 credits)
• COMP 171 Scripting Languages (1 credit)
• COMP 271 Data Structures (3 credits)
• BIOI 353 (COMP 353) Database Programming (3 credits)
• BIOI 363 (COMP 363) Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3 credits)
• BIOI 383 (COMP 383) Computational Biology (3 credits)
Mathematics and Statistics
• MATH 131 Elements of Calculus I (3 credits) [or MATH 161 (4 credits)]
• MATH 132 Elements of Calculus II (3 credits) [or MATH 162 (4 credits)]
• STAT 335 Introduction to Biostatistics (3 credits)
• BIOI 337 (STAT 337) Quantitative Methods in Bioinformatics (4 credits) [or STAT 336 (3 credits]
Research
• BIOI 398 Bioinformatics Internship or BIOI 399 Bioinformatics Research (≥ 1 credit)
Required courses within the major also satisfy the following university Core Curriculum requirements: scientific literacy (6 credits) and quantitative analysis (3 credits).
Sample Course Schedules
These course schedules display how students may complete the bioinformatics major in addition to their university Core requirements in four years of study:
- Non-Pre-Health Majors (PDF)
- Pre-Health Majors (PDF)
