About the Bachelor of Science in Computational Biology
All undergraduates accepted to the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University are able to choose between four majors: computational biology, computer science, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction. For more information on the different majors, please visit the School of Computer Science Undergraduate Programs Overview.
Success in computational biology requires significant technical knowledge of fundamental computer science as well as a broad biological intuition and general understanding of experimental biology. However, most importantly, it requires students who can integrate their knowledge by making connections between the two fields.
As much as any other field, making the interdisciplinary connections required to truly integrate biological and computational knowledge often requires a student to conduct research. We don't just encourage undergraduate research to our majors; we promise it to all students who are interested.
There is significant industry demand for excellent computational biology students, in biotech firms, biomedical research, as well as in pharmaceutical research. Both established companies and the hundreds of recent startups in this field struggle to find computationally sophisticated employees who have a strong foundation in the life sciences. By receiving their training in the world-famous School of Computer Science, our students will receive a degree that is unparalleled at any other institution.
Students completing the major will also be ideally prepared for Ph.D. programs across a range of biomedical areas. Students who choose to complete pre-med requirements will be very well-prepared to attend medical school; the next generation of physicians will need to better understand the computational approaches needed for automated medical testing, automated medical imaging, and the revolution in personalized medicine.
Degree Requirements
Students completing the Bachelor of Science in Computational Biology follow certain policies that apply to all SCS students; please consult the SCS policies page for a complete listing of these expectations.
Students must complete a minimum of 360 units for the degree in computational biology.
The following degree requirements apply to undergraduates matriculating in fall 2024. For students in previous years of entry, please consult past CMU course catalogs.
Math/Stats Core
21-120 and 21-122 | Differential and Integral Calculus and Integration, Differential Equations, and Approximation | 20 units |
15-151 | Mathematical Foundations for Computer Science (or 21-127 if not offered) | 10 units |
36-218 |
Probability Theory for Computer Scientists |
9 units |
or 36-226 | Introduction to Statistical Inference | |
or 36-326 | Mathematical Statistics (Honors) | |
or 36-235 | Probability and Statistical Inference I | |
or 15-259 | Probability and Computing | |
21-241 | Matrices and Linear Transformations | 9-10 units |
or 21-242 | Matrix Theory | |
Total Units |
48-49 |
General Science Core
09-105 | Introduction to Modern Chemistry I | 10 units |
or 09-107 |
Honors Chemistry: Fundamentals, Concepts and Applications |
|
33-121 |
Physics I for Science Students |
12 units |
or 33-141 |
Physics I for Engineering Students |
|
Total Units | 22 |
Biological Core
03-151 | Honors Modern Biology | 10 units |
or 03-121 | Modern Biology | 9 units |
03-221 | Genomes, Evolution, and Disease: Introduction to Quantitative Genetic Analysis | 9 units |
03-232 |
Biochemistry I |
9 units |
or 03-231 |
Honors Biochemistry (Students taking 03-231, including pre-med students,will take organic chemistry as a prerequisite, which will satisfy a biology elective requirement.) |
|
03-320 |
Cell Biology |
9 units |
Total Units | 36-37 |
Computer Science Core
07-128 |
First-year Immigration Course (This course may be replaced by 03-201 or 03-202 if, and only if, 15-128 is not offered) |
1 unit |
15-122 |
Principles of Imperative Computation |
10 units |
15-251 |
Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science |
12 units |
15-451 |
Algorithm Design and Analysis |
12 units |
or 15-351 |
Algorithms and Advanced Data Structures |
|
10-315 |
Introduction to Machine Learning (SCS Majors) |
12 units |
Total Units | 47 |
Computational Biology Core
02-180 and 02-181 |
Great Ideas in Computational Biology I and Great Ideas in Computational Biology II |
10 units |
02-261 |
Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory (Computational Biology majors must take 12 unit version of this course) |
12 units |
or 02-262 |
Computation and Biology Integrated Research Lab |
12 units |
02-402 |
Computational Biology Seminar |
3 units |
02-510 |
Computational Genomics |
12 units |
02-512 |
Computational Methods for Biological Modeling and Simulation |
12 units |
Total Units | 51 |
Major Electives
02-3xx | CB Electives at 300 level or above | 18-24 units |
03-3xx | Biology electives at 300 level or above (09-217 or 42-202 also count as biology electives) | 9-12 units |
SCS-2xx | These electives can be from any SCS department; 200-level or above, at least 9 units each. 15-150 is an acceptable 100-level course counting in this category, but the following exceptions are not allowed in this category: 02-201, 02-223, 02-250, 02-261, 02-262, 11-423, 15-351, 16-223, 17-200, 17-333, 17-562.) | 18-24 units |
Total Units | 45-60 |
General Education (Humanities and Arts)
Expectations for Humanities & Arts courses are shared between the Computer Science and Computational Biology undergraduate programs. For specific courses that may be used to satisfy each elective, please see the SCS General Education Requirements page.76-101 | Interpretation and Argument | 9 units |
or 76-102 | Advanced First Year Writing: Special Topics | |
or two of: 76-106, 76-107, 76-108 |
Writing Minis | |
Cognition, Choice, and Behavior Elective |
9 units | |
Economics, Political, and Social Institutions Elective |
9 units | |
Cultural Analysis Elective |
9 units | |
Non-technical Electives (x3) |
27 units | |
Total Units |
63 |
Free Electives
A free elective is any Carnegie Mellon course. However, a maximum of 9 units of Physical Education, Military Science (ROTC) and/or Student-Led (StuCo) courses may be used toward fulfilling graduation requirements.
Free Electives | 29-54 units |
Total Units | 29-54 |
Computing
99-101 | Computing @ Carnegie Mellon | 3 units |
Total Units | 3 |
Last Updated: August 2024
Sample Course Sequence for Computational Biology Majors
The following is an example four-year course sequence for computational biology majors. Note that our suggested courses during the first year fall are aligned with the sample course sequence for Computer Science majors. All students interested in computational biology should take 03-151 (Honors Modern Biology) in their first fall and 02-251 (Great Ideas in Computational Biology) in their first spring.
Some suggestions listed below are quite flexible. For example, physics and chemistry can be taken at any point in the student's first three semesters, and some of the computer science courses below can be replaced by other courses within the School of Computer Science, depending on a student’s individual interests.
Other courses, such as cell biology, biochemistry, computational genomics, and biological modeling and simulation, are only offered in either the fall or the spring.
We discuss a tailored plan with our majors to ensure that courses are taken at the appropriate times, while affording each student the flexibility to explore their other interests at CMU.
Year 1
Before you arrive at CMU, you will take 99-101, Computing at Carnegie Mellon, and 15-051, a Discrete Math primer, in your own time. These short courses are provided to incoming students for free.
Fall
07-128 | First-year Immigration Course | 1 unit |
15-112 | Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science (if needed) | 12 units |
15-131 | Great Practical Ideas for Computer Scientists (optional) | 2 units |
15-151 | Mathematical Foundations for Computer Science | 10 units |
03-151 | Honors Modern Biology | 10 units |
21-122 | Integration and Approximation | 10 units |
Total units | 45 |
Spring
02-180 and 02-181 | Great Ideas in Computational Biology I and Great Ideas in Computational Biology II | 10 units |
15-122 | Principles of Imperative Computation | 9 units |
09-105 | Introduction to Modern Chemistry I | 10 units |
21-259 | Calculus in Three Dimensions (optional) | 9 units |
76-101 | Interpretation and Argument | 9 units |
Total units | 50 |
Year 2
Fall
02-261 | Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 12 units |
21-241 | Matrices and Linear Transformations | 10 units |
33-121 | Physics I for Science Students | 12 units |
36-218 | Probability Theory for Computer Sciences | 9 units |
15-150 | Principles of Functional Programming (optional) | 10 units |
Total units | 53 |
Spring
02-xxx | Computational Biology Elective | 12 units |
15-251 | Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science | 12 units |
03-232 | Biochemistry I | 9 units |
03-221 | Genomes, Evolution, and Disease: Introduction to Quantitative Genetic Analysis | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Humanities and Arts Elective | 9 units |
Total units | 51 |
Year 3
Fall
02-512 | Computational Methods for Biological Modeling and Simulation | 9 units |
03-320 | Cell Biology | 9 units |
10-315 | Introduction to Machine Learning (SCS Majors) | 12 units |
15-210 | Parallel and Sequential Data Structures and Algorithms (optional) | 12 units |
xx-xxx | Humanities and Arts Elective | 9 units |
Total units | 48 |
Spring
02-402 | Computational Biology Seminar | 3 units |
02-510 | Computational Genomics | 12 units |
03-xxx | Biology Elective | 9 units |
15-451 | Algorithm Design and Analysis | 12 units |
xx-xxx | Humanities and Arts Elective | 9 units |
Total units | 45 |
Year 4
Fall
02-xxx | Computational Biology Elective | 12 units |
xx-xxx | Humanities and Arts Electives | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Free Elective | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Free Elective | 9 units |
Total units | 39 |
Spring
xx-xxx | Humanities and Arts Elective | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Free Elective | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Free Elective | 9 units |
xx-xxx | Free Elective | 9 units |
Total units | 36 |