Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB) Ph.D. Program
BCB Ph.D. Program
Overview: The Doctor of Philosophy in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB) is an interdisciplinary program at the intersection of the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, Computing and Informatics, and Engineering. It is expected that students entering the program will have completed an undergraduate major in either a life science or a quantitative discipline. The degree includes additional training and demonstrated competence in both life sciences and scientific programming. The program is structured to provide students with the skills and knowledge to develop, evaluate, and deploy bioinformatics and computational biology applications. The program is designed to prepare students for employment in academia and in the biotechnology sector, where the need for knowledgeable life scientists with quantitative and computational skills has exploded in the past decade.
Key Research Areas
- Microbial Genomics & Public Health
- Plant Genomics
- Software & Algorithm Development
- Evolutionary Genomics
For more information, or if you have questions, please email: bioinformatics@charlotte.edu or the Graduate Program Director: Dr. Jessica Schlueter
Admission requirements and applications
The following are application required documents:
- Transcripts. Unofficial transcripts from all prior higher education institutions. *Official transcripts are required upon admission and acceptance of enrollment.
- GRE general test. *The GRE can be waived for applicants who have obtained, or will complete prior to enrollment, a MS degree from an accredited U.S. institution with a GPA of 3.2 or higher; applicants who have obtained, or will complete prior to enrollment, a BS degree from an accredited U.S. institution with a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
- Recommendations. Three references (academic or professional).
- Personal Statement
Application deadlines
January 1 (Fall admission); September 1 (Spring admission)
program structure
In addition to a Research Advisor, all Ph.D. students are assigned an Academic Advisor to identify courses and help students stay on track to meet program milestones. The doctoral program is 72 credit hours.
Gateway courses: BINF 8100 Biological Basis or BINF 8111 Programming I *Gateway course requirements can be waived depending on previous academic coursework and/or experience.
Core courses: BINF 8112 Programming II, BINF 8200 Statistics for Bioinformatics, BINF 8201 Molecular Sequence Analysis, and choice of core elective.
Research Rotations: Each Ph.D. student must complete two research rotations in the first-year.
Bioinformatics Seminar: Taken every semester until the doctoral student advances to candidacy after completing the proposal defense milestone. Visit the Larry Mays Seminar Series to see past and future events.
Doctoral Dissertation Research credits
Electives: Electives courses are selected with the assistant of research and academic advisors.
financial support
The BCP doctoral program only admits students for whom financial support can be guaranteed for five-years of studies. In general, the financial support consists of a tuition and health insurance award and an assistantship (teaching assistantship and research assistantship).
Additional information on funding graduate education cab be found here.
bioinformatics assembly of students (bias)
BiAS is a graduate student organization that focuses on providing Bioinformatics graduate students with resources and support to help students while they are in their graduate program and assist with aiding students to build a strong foundation and network for their future careers.
Past BiAS activities include:
- Peer tutoring
- Industry lunch & learn sessions
- Social activities on and off campus
- Group volunteering
- Journal club