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cs @ gwu

Department of Computer Science
The George Washington University
801 22nd Street NW, Suite 704
Washington DC 20052

Voice: (202) 994-7181
Fax: (202) 994-4875
E-mail: cs@gwu.edu

Bioinformatics undergraduate degree option

B.S. (Computer Science) - Bioinformatics Option
B.A. in Computer Science and Biology

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary area at the intersection of biological, computer, and information sciences necessary to manage, process, and understand large amounts of data, for instance from the sequencing of the human genome, or from large databases containing information about plants and animals for use in discovering and developing new drugs.

Bioinformatics is one of the core areas in the growing field of Biotechnology. Bioinformatics has already revolutionized the biological and biomedical sciences. Because of its immediate and considerable impact, there have been heavy new demands placed on the workforce, leading to an absence of highly qualified individuals with training in the field. This particularly is true in the country and the Washington DC area. At area biotechnology companies such as Celera, Human Genome Sciences, MEDImmune, and Entremed, as well as all of the branches of the NIH, FDA, and other HHS related agencies, there is a steady demand for individuals with this specialized training. 

There is an absence of highly qualified individuals with training in the field of Bioinformatics, and the undergraduate programs offered in the CS department will provide basic knowledge required to work in this field as well as prepare the student to pursue graduate study in this growing field. This will also provide an option to feed into the MS Genomics and Bioinformatics program at GWU.
  • The Department of Computer Science offers two programs in Bioinformatics at the undergraduate level - a Bachelor of Arts (dual major in Computer Science and Biology) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science - Bioinformatics Option. The undergraduate programs will provide the student with a solid foundation in computing and biological sciences that is necessary to enter the field of Bioinformatics. The program also satisfies the premed requirements in terms of the science courses, and the B.S. degree program is designed to meet the Computer Science Accreditation Board's accreditation requirements. For more details see the curriculum details or speak with an undergraduate advisor.


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