MS in Genomics and Bioinformatics

Contact Director Dr. Jack Vanderhoek Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Ross Hall, Room 230 2300 Eye Street NW Washington DC. 20037 (202)-994-2929 bcmjyv@gwumc.edu Co-Director Dr. Sidney W. Fu Director, The Genomics Core Facility Associate Director, The McCormick Genomics Center Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology & of Surgery Ross Hall, Room 522A 2300 Eye Street NW Washington DC. 20037 (202)-994-4767  sfu@gwu.edu			Apply Now Spring and Fall Application 2010   Core And Other Relevant Courses Biochemistry 236, 237 Fundamentals of Genomics and Proteomics Biochemistry 238 Experimental Genomics Research and Assistantships

Graduate Program Requirements

Masters Degree Program of Study

1. Three core courses - CSci 210, 211, 212
2. No area of concentration is necessary.
3. Seven additional courses that can be taken for graduate credit.
4. At least 8 of the 10 courses (24 of 30 credits) must be taken at the 200 or above level
5. Normally no more than two courses may be taken outside of the department.
6. At least 3.0 GPA to meet graduation requirements.
7. Student who receives 2 (or more) grades of F will be dismissed from the program.
8. Student who receives three (or more) grades below B- will be dismissed from the program.
   

Doctoral Degree Program of Study

• Direct Doctorate
1. 54 credit hours of course work available for graduate credit.
2. 24 credit hours of dissertation research credits (CSci 399).
   
3. Specific Course requirements (for the 54 credit hours of course work):
   
1. The three core courses - Csci 210, 211, 212.
2. Seminar Course requirement: At least one Advanced Topics Course.
3. Breadth Requirement: At least one course from each of the following three areas: (1) Theory and algorithms, (2) Systems and Architecture, and (3) Applications. Current areas of focus are partitioned amongst these three areas.
• Theory and algorithms Current areas: (i) Algorithms and Theory.
• Systems and Architecture current areas: (i)Computer architecture, networks and parallel and distributed computing, (ii) Software engineering and systems.
• Applications current areas: (i) Database and information retrieval systems, (ii) Multimedia Animation, (iii) Graphics and User Interfaces, (iv) Computer Security and information assurance, (v) Machine intelligence and cognition.
4. A maximum of fifteen credits outside of the department.
5. At most four courses at the 100 level which can be taken for graduate credit.
   
4. Exam Requirements:
1. Pass the Preliminary examination within 4 semesters of starting the program.
• Students are allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
• Failure to pass the exam by the end of the 4th semester will lead to dismissal from the doctoral program.
2. Pass the Qualifying Exam (also known as Doctoral Qualifying Exam Part 1) by the end of the sixth semester of the doctoral program.
• Student is allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
• Failure to pass this exam by the end of their sixth semester will lead to dismissal from the doctoral program.
3. Pass the Thesis Proposal Exam (also known as Doctoral Qualifying exam Part 2) after passing Qualifying Exam.
4. Colloquium Attendance Requirement: Must attend at least 6 talks -- department colloquiums, seminars, and student thesis and proposal defenses -- and submit short report on each to the Thesis Proposal Committee, using specific forms for this purpose. At least three such reports must be submitted in order to pass the Thesis proposal exam.
   
5. Complete a Thesis Dissertation and successfully defend it to the Thesis Committee.
• The doctoral thesis advisor must be a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department.
• The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least four members in addition to their advisor(s) and co-advisors. The committee must have a presiding chair who must be a regular full-time faculty member in the Computer Science department. At least three members of the committee, not including advisor(s) and co-advisors, shall be regular full-time faculty of the Computer Science department. At least one member of the committee must be an external reviewer -- the external reviewer can be any person who holds a doctoral degree (or is a recognized expert in the field) and who is a not a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department. A co-advisor may not serve as the designated external member.
  
6. Must submit for publication at least one paper to a refereed venue at the time of their Thesis defense.
7. Scholarship requirements:
   
• At least 3.0 GPA to meet graduation requirements.
• Student who receives two (or more) grades of F will be dismissed from the program.
• Student who receives three (or more) grades below B- will be dismissed from the program.
  
• Post Masters Degree
1. 30 credit hours of course work available for graduate credit.
2. 24 credit hours of dissertation research credits (CSci 399).
3. Specific Course requirements (for the 54 credit hours of course work):
   
1. Seminar Course requirement: At least one Advanced Topics Course.
2. Breadth Requirement: At least one course from each of the following three areas: (1) Theory and algorithms, (2) Systems and Architecture, and (3) Applications. Current areas of focus are partitioned amongst these three areas.
• Theory and algorithms Current areas: (i) Algorithms and Theory.
• Systems and Architecture current areas: (i)Computer architecture, networks and parallel and distributed computing, (ii) Software engineering and systems.
• Applications current areas: (i) Database and information retrieval systems, (ii) Multimedia Animation, (iii) Graphics and User Interfaces, (iv) Computer Security and information assurance, (v) Machine intelligence and cognition.
3. A maximum of 9 credits outside of the department.
4. At most two courses at the 100 level which can be taken for graduate credit.
5. The three core courses (CSci 210,211,212) cannot count towards the course requirments.
   
4. Exam Requirements:
1. Pass the Preliminary examination within 4 semesters of starting the program.
• Students are allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
• Failure to pass the exam by the end of the 4th semester will lead to dismissal from the doctoral program.
2. Pass the Qualifying Exam (also known as Doctoral Qualifying Exam Part 1) by the end of the sixth semester of the doctoral program.
• Student is allowed two attempts to pass the exam.
• Failure to pass this exam by the end of their sixth semester will lead to dismissal from the doctoral program.
3. Pass the Thesis Proposal Exam (also known as Doctoral Qualifying exam Part 2) after passing Qualifying Exam.
4. Colloquium Attendance Requirement: Must attend at least 6 talks -- department colloquiums, seminars, and student thesis and proposal defenses -- and submit short report on each to the Thesis Proposal Committee, using specific forms for this purpose. At least three such reports must be submitted in order to pass the Thesis proposal exam.
   
5. Complete a Thesis Dissertation and successfully defend it to the Thesis Committee.
• The doctoral thesis advisor must be a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department.
• The Dissertation Committee must consist of at least four members in addition to their advisor(s) and co-advisors. The committee must have a presiding chair who must be a regular full-time faculty member in the Computer Science department. At least three members of the committee, not including advisor(s) and co-advisors, shall be regular full-time faculty of the Computer Science department. At least one member of the committee must be an external reviewer -- the external reviewer can be any person who holds a doctoral degree (or is a recognized expert in the field) and who is a not a regular full-time faculty in the Computer Science department. A co-advisor may not serve as the designated external member.
  
6. Must submit for publication at least one paper to a refereed venue at the time of their Thesis defense.
7. Scholarship requirements:
   
• <>At least 3.0 GPA to meet graduation requirements.
• <>Student who receives two (or more) grades of F will be dismissed from the program.
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• Student who receives three (or more) grades below B- will be dismissed from the program.
  

Dissertation Writing Guidelines

Five-Year Bachelor and Master Degrees in CS

This program provides an opportunity for students to complete a conventional four year undergraduate degree in Computer Science and then, with one additional year of study, earn a Masters degree in Computer Science. Course work for the bachelor's degree differs from the standard bachelor degree requirements only in that the student must take two graduate level courses as part of their electives in the bachelor's program requirements. Admission to the graduate portion of the program is highly selective and requires a minimum overall GPA of 3.2 and a minimum technical GPA of 3.3 (the technical GPA is the GPA of all the Computer Science courses). Application to the program is normally made after the completion of the fifth semester, and before the start of the seventh semester. The bachelor's degree is awarded after completion of the required bachelor's degree coursework by the eighth semester. The fifth year of study, leading to the Master of Science (Computer Science), consists of eight courses selected from the graduate level courses. After completing the fifth year of course work, students receive the M.S. (C.S) degree. See the graduate programs bulletin, or webpages, for details on the graduate portion of the program.

Applying for admission to the five-year program

Application Deadlines and Requirements:

• Students must apply for application to the Five year program after they have completed their fifth semester (or equivalent in the case of students transferring into GWU) of the Bachelor's curriculum.
• Applications must be submitted no later than one week after the start of their 7th semester of the Bachelor's degree curriculum (or equivalent in the case of students who transferred into GWU).
• Admission decisions to this program will normally be made after the start of the 6th semester of their curriculum and no later than two weeks after the start of the senior year (7th semester).
• To be considered for admission, students should have completed at least 9 credits of upper division courses that are required for the BS program (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th semester required CS curriculum courses in the BS program).
• Transfer students (who have transferred to GWU from another school) must include their grades in Computer Science courses from their transfer institution on the application form. These grades will be included in computing their technical GPA
• For further details consult your undergraduate advisor.

How to apply: To apply for admission to the Five-year programs you must submit the following information before the application deadline:

• Fill out a graduate admissions application form (available in the Computer Science Department) and submit it to the Department . Leave the program code blank, but indicate that you are applying for the 5-year programs. Letters of reference are required if you wish to be considered for fellowships.
• Fill out the information in the summary sheet and submit it to the Department as the cover sheet along with the application form above.
• Transfer students (who have transferred to GWU from another school) must include the transcript(s) that show the grades in all Computer Science courses taken at another institution. These grades will be included in computing their technical GPA
• Fill out the SEAS Five-year programs application form available at http://www.graduate.seas.gwu.edu/news/five_years.php

Curriculum

• Five-Year Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Master of Science (Computer Science)
• Five-Year Bachelor of Arts (Computer Science)/Master of Science (Computer Science)

Bachelor of Arts

The B.A. program is a 120-credit program designed for students who desire to combine a concentration in Computer Science with a second major, or set of secondary fields (minors), in natural science, liberal arts, or business. The program provides 36 semester credits of Computer Science, along with electives in mathematics, science, literature, humanities, social sciences, and creative arts. Students are required to elect a second major or two Secondary Fields. 33 semester credits are allocated to electives that support this requirement.

For those who want broad and diverse knowledge and skills in CS, engineering, science, business, humanities and social sciences, the BA Program is the right the choice. If you prefer to have to have depth and focus in computer science, then you may prefer the BS Program.

• When did you enter the program?
• in or after Fall 2008
  
• in or after Fall 2006
  
• in Fall 2005
  
• Fall 2002 through Spring 2005
  
• Fall 2001 and Spring 2002
  
• Fall 2000 and Spring 2001
  
• Fall 1996 and Spring 2000
  
• Degree options in the BA curriculum:
• Medical-Preparation Options
  
• Bioinformatics Options
  
• Biomedical Computing Options
  
• Options in Digital Media

Read about the BS curricula.

Bachelor of Science

The B.S. program is a 126-semester-credit (41-course) professional program which is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET. This program provides a year of general education, strength in mathematics and science, and a 57-credit (19-course) major program in Computer Science including a 2-course Senior Design Project that closely models "industrial-strength" project development.

Educational Outcomes for the GW Computer Science BS Curriculum:
Students graduating from our program will be able to start a professional career or enter graduate school and show proficiency in:

1. Software system design, software development and project management.
2. The fundamentals of computer science to include discrete structures, data structures, algorithms, and theory of computing.
3. Computer architecture, translators, networks, operating systems, and databases.
4. Oral and written communication.
5. Understanding of the overall social and professional context in which computing activities take place.

• Basic BS Curriculum in effect for students entering in or after Fall 2008
• Basic BS Curriculum in effect for students entering in or after Fall 2006
• Basic BS Curriculum in effect for students who entered from Fall 2002 through Fall 2006
  
• Basic BS Curriculum in effect for students who entered in Fall 2001 and Spring 2002
  
• Basic BS Curriculum in effect for students who entered in Fall 2000 and Spring 2001
  
• Basic Curriculum in effect for students who entered between Fall 1996 and Spring 2000
• BA curricula
• Medical-Preparation Option
  
• Bioinformatics Option
  
• Biomedical Computing Option
  
• Computer Security and Information Assurance (CSIA) Option
  
• Option in Digital Media

Summary of Undergraduate Degrees

The Department of Computer Science offers a variety of ways to concentrate in this field at the undergraduate level. We have Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) programs, degree options in medical preparation and bioinformatics, and second-major and minor possibilities. This page summarizes the choices for you.

BA vs. BS, which one is for me?

The basic B.S. program is a 125-semester-credit professional program which is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of the ABET (formerly called Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) This program provides a year of general education, strength in mathematics and science, and a 57-credit major program in Computer Science including a 6-credit Senior Design Project that closely models "industrial-strength" project development. Choose the B.S. program if you want to have depth and focus in Computer Science.

The B.A. program is a 122-credit program designed for students who desire to combine a concentration in Computer Science with a second major, or set of secondary fields (minors), in natural science, liberal arts, or business. The program provides 36 semester credits of Computer Science, along with electives in mathematics, science, literature, humanities, social sciences, and creative arts. Students are required to elect a second major or two Secondary Fields. 33 semester credits are allocated to electives that support this requirement. Choose the B.A. program if you have varied interests and want to pursue them side-by-side with a Computer Science concentration.

Tracks for Computer Science Majors:

To provide a significant depth in a particular area of computer science, students need to opt for a technical track. To provide an opportunity to acquire the vision and skills likely to enable them to stay current with our rapidly-evolving field and to establish the relevance of their studies in our global and changing environment, students need to opt for a non-technical track. The technical track should comprise at least three but usually no more than four specialized courses with a well-defined unifying theme. The non-technical track should comprise the equivalent of at least three but typically no more than four courses that serve a clearly-defined purpose in broadening the individual student�s outlook in an endeavor that is not narrowly focused on the discipline of computer science. Courses beyond the limit of four specified for a track but that contribute to the aims of the track may still be taken, but will serve to fulfill the role of elective courses. Note: The B.A. degree requires that the student complete a second major or two secondary fields (minors) outside engineering. Thus, the non-technical track is a new requirement only for students in the B.S. degree program.

Options in Medical Preparation, Bioinformatics, Computer Security and Information Assurance, Digital Media, and Biomedical Computing

Medical Preparation option

If you are interested in combining a Computer Science major with preparation for admission to a school of medicine, consider the Medical Preparation options in the B.A. and B.S. programs. In these options, you add additional natural science material to your course requirements.

Bioinformatics option

The emerging field of Bioinformatics combines the disciplines of Computer Science and Biochemistry, and focuses on the use of computers to characterize the molecular components of living things. If you choose this option in either the B.S. or the B.A. program, you will study a number of subjects in Biology and Chemistry, including molecular biology and genetics, and take specific coursework in Bioinformatics. Both options also meet the requirements for medical school admission, and the B.A. option in Bioinformatics meets the requirements for a second major in Biology.

Read more on the exciting Bioinformatics field.

Computer Security and Information Assurance option

The exciting and important field of Computer Security and Information Assurance gives you a solid technical education in securing and preserving the integrity of stand-alone computer systems and computer networks while being mindful of related societal issues such as privacy and intellectual property protection. If you choose this option, you take specific coursework in these topics.

Digital Media option

Digital Media encompasses audio, video, the World Wide Web and other technologies that can be used to create and distribute digital content. Graphics is the use of computers to create virtual worlds from which visuals can be generated and with which humans can interact. You can choose between two degree options. The Bachelor of Science (BS) concentrates on the technology. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) allows you to explore the use of digital media and computer graphics in the arts, sciences, engineering, business, medicine, and in a number of other disciplines. The expanded breadth is made available through the opportunity to take a number of related courses from other departments. Read more on the Digital Media option.

Biomedical Computing option

Biomedical Computing is at the intersection of health care and computer science. It involves all aspects of the analysis, management, and visualization of information in biomedical applications. The technology is based on computer science, but the field demands knowledge of the problems that need to be solved in medicine and health care.

Second Majors and Minors in Computer Science

Students in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) and the Elliott School of International Affairs (ESIA) are eligible to declare a second major in Computer Science. Read more information on the curriculum requirements for a second major.

A student in one of the other GW schools can declare a Secondary Field in Computer Science. A SEAS student who is not majoring in Computer Science can elect a minor.

Five-Year Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Computer Science

The five year program provides an opportunity for students to complete a conventional four year undergraduate degree in Computer Science and then, with one additional year of study, earn a Masters degree in Computer Science. Course work for the bachelor's degree differs from the standard bachelor degree requirements only in that the student must take two graduate level courses as part of their electives. Application to the graduate portion of the program is ordinarily made after the fifth semester, and students must be accepted for the graduate portion prior to the start of the seventh semester. For further details consult the department website and advisor. The bachelor's degree is awarded after completion of coursework required by the eighth semester.

The fifth year of study, leading to the Master of Science (Computer Science), consists of eight courses selected from the graduate level courses. After completing the fifth year of course work, students receive the M.S. (C.S) degree. See the graduate programs bulletin for details on the graduate program.
Guide to transferring