The Ph.D. degree in Bioinformatics and Genomics prepares graduates for research careers in academia, government, and industry. Students who do not select one of the two optional specializations (Algorithms and Computation or Statistical Genomics) may choose elective courses (13 credits) in addition to the required courses (22 credits).
To be awarded a Ph.D. degree, a student must successfully complete:
-
Required Courses:
Courses in bioinformatics, genomics, statistics, and molecular evolution. Additionally students will attend courses in colloquium, critical analysis, and ethics (22 credits).
-
Elective Courses:
Advanced courses from diverse areas (13 credits).
-
Rotations:
Students will participate in three lab rotations, eight weeks duration each, before selecting their doctoral adviser(s).
-
Qualifying Examination:
Administered at the end of the first year, it includes a written report and an oral examination of candidate’s knowledge of bioinformatics and genomics research gained over the first year.
-
Teaching Requirement:
Students are required to complete one semester of teaching in a selected course.
-
Comprehensive Examination:
Administered generally before the start of the third year, it consists of student’s dissertation proposal and an oral presentation.
-
Dissertation Defense:
Submission of a written dissertation, and its defense before the dissertation committee, are the program’s final requirements.
Sample Schedule
Options
Students may pursue a doctoral program with no options or select one of the available options: Algorithms and Computation or Statistical Genomics.
Doctoral Minor
A student may elect to choose a minor with the permission of his or her doctoral committee. A minor consists of no fewer than 15 graduate credits of integrated or articulated work in one field related to, but different from, that of the major. A minor normally may be taken only in one of the approved graduate degree programs offered at Penn State, or in a formal graduate minor program that has been approved by the Graduate Council. The minor field chosen must have the approval of the departments or committees responsible for both the major program and the minor field. At least one faculty from the minor field must be on the candidate's doctoral committee.
The following courses may be taken towards obtaining a doctoral minor:
- BGEN 551 Genomics (3)
- MCIBS 554 Foundations in Data Driven Life Sciences (3)
- STAT 555 Statistical Analysis of Genomics Data (3)
- BGEN 541 Critical Analysis of Bioinformatics and Genomics Research Topics (3)
- BMMB 852 Applied Bioinformatics (2)
- STAT 500 Applied Statistics (3) or BIOL 405 Molecular Evolution (3)