Bioinformatics

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Bioengineering: Bioinformatics addresses the flow of the vast amount of information (genetic, metabolic and regulatory) in living systems, providing an integrated understanding of the systems properties of cells and organisms.

Bioengineering: Bioinformatics is one of four Bioinformatics majors that have been developed and offered since fall 2002, by the Departments of Bioengineering, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Computer Science and Engineering and the Division of Biological Sciences at UCSD. Students wishing to major in Bioinformatics may enter through any of these departments/Division.  Effective fall 2014, the Bioengineering: Bioinformatics major is in "impacted" status.  This major emphasizes systems engineering and model-based approaches to interpreting, integrating, and using bioinformatics data. It provides training in molecular biology, systems engineering analysis, and mathematical and computer sciences.

Bioinformatics allows a new understanding of cellular functions, protein structure and design, evolutionary biology, regulatory networks, the molecular basis of disease, the generation of novel therapeutics, patient-specific designer drugs, and customized proteins.

Freshman Year

• BILD 94:Professional Issues in Bioinformatics (1 unit --- if course is not offered, contact the BENG Student Affairs Office.)
• CHEM 6A:General Chemistry I
• CHEM 6B:General Chemistry II
• CHEM 6C:General Chemistry III
• CHEM 7L:Introductory Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory
• CSE 11:Introduction to Computer Science and Object-Oriented Programming: Java
• CSE 12:Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design
• MATH 20A:Calculus for Science and Engineering
• MATH 20B:Calculus for Science and Engineering
• MATH 20C:Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering OR MATH 31BH: Honors Multivariable Calculus
• HSS:Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses

Sophomore Year

• BILD 1:The Cell
• BILD 2:Multicellular Life
• BILD 3:Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
• CHEM140A:Organic Chemistry I
• CHEM140B:Organic Chemistry II
• MATH 20D:Introduction to Differential Equations
• MATH 15B or CSE 21:Mathematics for Algorithm and Systems
• PHYS 2A:Physics-Mechanics
• PHYS 2B:Physics-Electricity and Magnetism
• PHYS 2C:Physics-Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, and Optics
• HSS:Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses

Junior Year

• BENG 191: Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units --- recommended, not required)
• BIBC 102 or CHEM 114B:Metabolic Biochemistry
• BICD 100:Genetics
• BICD 110:Cell Biology
• BIMM 100 or CHEM 114C:Molecular Biology
• BIMM 101 or CHEM 112B:Recombinant DNA Techniques
• CSE 100 or MATH 176:Advanced Data Structures
• CSE 101 or MATH 188:Design and Analysis of Algorithms
• MATH 20F:Linear Algebra OR MATH 31AH:Honors Linear Algebra
• MATH 186:Probability Statistics for Bioinformatics
• HSS:Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
• TE:Technical Elective Course (one 4-unit upper division course)

Senior Year

• BENG 130:Molecular Physical Chemistry
• BENG 181:Molecular Sequence Analysis
• BENG 182:Biological Databases
• BENG 183:Applied Genomic Technologies
• BENG 184:Computational Molecular Biology
• BENG 191:Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering (2 units, if not taken in junior year --- recommended, not required)
• BIBC 103:Biochemical Techniques
• BIMM 185:Bioinformatics Laboratory (Advanced)
• HSS: Humanities/Social Science College General Ed. Courses
• TE: Technical Elective Courses (two 4-unit upper division courses)

Requirements

UC College Preparatory Courses ("a-g" courses)

• Must be completed with a C grade or better.
• Complete at least 11 of the 15 courses before your senior year of high school.
• California residents: courses must be on your high school's UC-approved course list.
• There is no pre-approved course list for schools outside of California.
• International applicants: read the Freshman Admission for International Students webpage for additional information.

Scholarship Requirement (GPA you must earn)

• California residents: You must earn a GPA of 3.0 or better with no grade lower than C.
• Non-California residents: You must earn a GPA of 3.4 or better with no grade lower than C.

GPA is based on “a-g” courses taken during 10th and 11th grades. See Subject Requirement for “a-g” course explanation.

You must submit scores from either:

• ACT Plus Writing OR
• SAT Reasoning Test with critical reading, math and writing; scores must be from same sitting
• 2 SAT Subject Tests closely related to your major are recommended for engineering, biological or physical sciences majors. If taking math subject test, Math Level 2 is required. All tests must be taken by December of your senior year (the year before you plan to enroll).
• Only your highest scores from a single sitting will be considered.
• When you report your ACT or SAT scores to one campus they will be shared with every UC campus to which you've applied.
• Official test scores must be reported no later than January for students applying for the fall term.

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate

• If you complete Advanced Placement courses, we recommend that you complete the related AP examination to demonstrate subject mastery.
• Similarly, International Baccalaureate scores can be used to showcase academic mastery.
• To receive unit credit toward the baccalaureate degree, you must submit an official copy of your AP or IB scores directly from the testing agency. This can be done in the summer following high school graduation.

Other Entrance Exams

• Entrance exams taken after high school graduation are not considered.

International Students

• If your native language is not English and your secondary/high school education was in a country where English is not the language of instruction, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examination (academic modules) and have the scores reported to the UC San Diego Office of Admissions. A minimum score of 83 is required for the TOEFL, or a minimum score of 7 is required for the IELTS.

• Attestat/Certificate of (complete) General Secondary Education

Scholarships

• Regents Scholarship
• UCSD Athletic Scholarship
• Merit-based Scholarships