Bioinformatics, also known as computational biology, is the study of biological systems through computational and statistical models. Molecular Biology is the study of the molecular components of living things. This major requires knowledge of biology, computer science, and information technology.

At Rensselaer

Rensselaer is one of the few universities to offer an undergraduate program in this emerging field. Most of the instructors maintain active research programs in different aspects of computational biology, from database analysis to molecular simulations.

Your Future

Graduates of our Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology major are encouraged to continue their studies in one of the growing number of graduate programs in computational biology worldwide. Those who enter the workplace instead are hired into the pharmaceutical industry, medical informatics, agricultural bioinformatics, database management, and the biotech industry.

Research

You’ll learn to think like researchers and learn the essential tools to carry out research in bioinformatics and molecular biology. All students are required to complete a “culminating experience” for graduation, which may include research. Select students may perform their bioinformatics research in faculty labs as an independent study course or summer internship.

Curriculum

In this major, you typically emphasize either computational biology, which requires more mathematics, statistics, and computer science courses, or molecular biology, which requires more molecular-level life-science courses.

View the curriculum for a B.S. in Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology.

A student may become a candidate for a second baccalaureate degree when he or she has completed: (1) the equivalent of at least two terms (30 credit hours) of additional work beyond the requirements of a single degree, and (2) the courses in the department in which the student is registered and such other courses as are required for the second degree.

Admissions

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