A Joint Program Offered by the
School of Engineering & Computer Science and
the Department of Biology
Bioinformatics is an exciting new discipline that combines molecular biology and computer science.
Q: How is the degree at Baylor unique?
The degree at Baylor is one of the first undergraduate Bioinformatics programs in the world.
Q: What types of courses are required?
Bioinformatics is a truly interdisciplinary program developed jointly
by the Biology and Computer Science Departments. It includes courses in
biology, computer science, mathematics, chemistry and the liberal arts.
Q: Is it a good major for premed students?
A major in Bioinformatics is an excellent choice for those wishing to pursue premedical studies because it provides students with a wide variety of career options. In addition to preparing them for medical school, graduates can seek employment in the field of computer science as a computer programmer or systems analyst, or in the health field as a medical technologist. Other options include graduate studies in bioinformatics, biology, or computer science.
Q: What is the primary focus of Bioinformatics?
The focus is on the development of large-scale computerized systems that are used to acquire, store, analyze, model and distribute vast amounts of DNA and protein sequence data being generated by the Human Genome Project.
Q: What is the Human Genome Project?
The Human Genome Project is a worldwide research effort begun in 1990 whose goal is to find all of the genes on every chromosome in the human body and to determine their biochemical nature by the year 2005. The current estimate is that there are approximately 100,000 genes and 3 billion nucleotide pairs in the human genome. Only a small percentage of the work has been completed.
Q: Why is the Human Genome Project important?
The project is vitally important to public health because its purpose is to further our understanding of human diseases and to assist in the identification of new targets for drug discovery.
Q: Who hires bioinformaticians?
Currently, there is tremendous demand, primarily from biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, for people trained in bioinformatics. One of the greatest needs is for people with in-depth programming and relational- and object-oriented database skills, as well as a knowledge of molecular biology and statistics.
