Degree Requirements
The following are the list of degree requirements for computational biology majors within the School of Computer Science. For the requirements for Mellon College of Sciences undergraduates, please consult the Course Catalog.
| Math/Stats Core: 48 units | ||
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10 Units |
| 21-122 | Integration and Approximation | 10 Units |
| 15-151 (or 21-127 [1]) | Mathematical Foundations for Computer Science | 10 Units |
| 36-217 (or 15-359[2] or 36-225 [3] or 21-325) | Probability Theory and Random Processes | 9 Units (or 12 Units) |
| 36-226(or 36-326[4]) | Introduction to Statistical Inference | 9 Units |
| General Science Core: 22 units | ||
| 09-105 (or 09-107) | Introduction to Modern Chemistry I | 10 Units |
| 33-121 (or 33-141) | Physics I for Science Students | 12 Units |
| Biological Core: 36 units | ||
| 03-121 | Modern Biology | 9 Units |
| 03-220 | Genetics | 9 Units |
| 03-232 (or 03-231[5]) | Biochemistry I | 9 Units |
| 03-320 | Cell Biology | 9 Units |
| Computer Science Core: 47 units | ||
| 15-128 (or 03-201 or 02-202 [6]) | Freshman Immigration Course | 1 Unit |
| 15-122 | Principles of Imperative Computation | 10 Units |
| 15-251 | Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science | 12 Units |
| 15-351 (or 15-451 [7]) | Algorithms and Advanced Data Structures | 12 Units |
| 10-401 | Introduction to Machine Learning | 12 Units |
| Computational Biology Core: 42-51 units | ||
| 02-250 | Introduction to Computational Biology | 12 Units |
| 02-261 (or 03-343) | Quantitative Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory | 9 Units (or 12 Units) |
| 02-402 | Computational Biology Seminar | 3 Units |
| 02-510 | Computational Genomics | 12 Units (or 9 Units) |
| 02-512 (or 02-530) | Computational Methods for Biological Modeling and Simulation | 9 Units (or 12 Units) |
| Major Electives: 45-60 units | ||
| 02-3XX | CB electives at 300 level or above [8] (includes a few courses outside of 02-XXX; list updated each year.) | 18-24 Units |
| 03-3XX | Biology electives at 300 level or above | 9-12 Units |
| 15-XXX, 10-XXX | Computer Science or Machine Learning electives | 18-24 Units |
| General Education: 63 units | ||
| 76-101 | Interpretation and Argument | 9 Units |
| Elective Cognition, Choice and Behavior | 9+ Units | |
| Elective Economics, Political and Social Institutions | 9+ Units | |
| Elective Cultural Analysis | 9+ Units | |
| Non-technical Electives (x 3) | 9+ Units (x 3) | |
| Free Electives: 33-57 units Suggested electives: |
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| 21-241 (or 21-242) | Matrix Algebra | 10 Units |
| 15-213 | Introduction to Computer Systems | 12 Units |
| Additional lab courses | ||
| Courses satisfying concentration within SCS | ||
| Courses satisfying pre-med requirements | ||
| Total units: 360 | ||
Computing @ Carnegie Mellon
All CMU students must take 99-10x Computing @ Carnegie Mellon.
1 This course is an alternative to 15-151 if and only if 15-151 is not being offered.
2 This course is not counted toward the units in this category because it counts as a Computer Science/Machine Learning Elective. This course has 21-259 has a prerequisite.
3 This course has 21-259 has a prerequisite.
4 Requires students to take 36-226 instead of 15-359.
5 Students taking 03-231 (including pre-med students) will take organic chemistry as a prerequisite, which will satisfy a biology elective requirement.
6 Students at CMU-Q may replace 15-128 with the Undergraduate Colloquium, either 03-201 or 02-202.
7 Students taking 15-451 will need to take 15-210 (Parallel and Sequential Data Structures and Algorithms) as well as 15-150 (Functional Programming) in order to satisfy pre-requisites; these courses will count as Computer Science/Machine Learning Electives.
8 Undergraduate research (02-500 or 03-500 if performed in computational biology) can be counted as a major elective.