College: Arts and Sciences
Degree: BS
Specialized Admission: No
Address: King Life Sciences Building, suite 1067
Phone: (850) 644-5053
Email: advisor@bio.fsu.edu
*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*
Computational biology is an actively advancing, promising field of study. The purpose of this interdisciplinary major is to provide a top-notch educational program for students interested in the areas of computational biology and bioinformatics. The program seeks to achieve two goals: 1) to develop an understanding of the issues associated with developing biologically meaningful computational models, and 2) to give students the broad-based education that is needed to create a set of models directed towards solving a practical biomedical problem. This major is offered through both the Biological Science and Computer Science departments. Students in the program should be sure to consult with the advisors in their home department to make sure they are taking the correct courses in the correct sequence.
Note to prospective transfer students: Prospective transfer students should contact as-admissions@fsu.edu (Arts and Sciences Admissions) with specific questions about admissions and mapping requirements.
Common program prerequisites are periodically reviewed and revised by the state of Florida. Please visit https://dlss.flvc.org/admin-tools/common-prerequisites-manuals for a current list of state-approved prerequisites. The following lists the common program prerequisites or their substitutions, necessary for admission into this undergraduate major:
BSC X010 (3,) General Biology I or equivalent
BSC X011 (3) General Biology II or equivalent
CHM X045, X045L (3, 1) General Chemistry I & Lab or equivalent
CHM X046, X046L (3, 1) General Chemistry II & Lab
PHY X048/X048L (5) General Physics A with Lab
PHY X049/X049L (5) General Physics B with Lab
MAC X311 (4) Calculus I
MAC X312 (4) Calculus II
Interested students are encouraged to contact the participating departments regarding completion of these courses.
Note: State-wide common prerequisites are always under review. For the most current information and for acceptable alternative courses, visit the “Common Prerequisites Manual.” This is available from the “Student Services” section of http://www.flvc.org .
Requirements for graduation in the College of Arts and Sciences include:
The College of Arts and Science requires proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate (2220 or equivalent) level or sign language through the advanced (ASL2160C or equivalent) level.
Requirements for Progression to the Upper-Division Major
Students must complete at least 52 semester hours of credit with a minimum grade point average of 3.00, at least half the required General Education hours including two English and two mathematics, or an A.A. Degree.
Academic Performance Required for Retention and Graduation:
a) All courses applicable to the major, including biological science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer programming and statistics must be completed with a final grade of "C minus" or better;
b) Designation, continuation, and graduation with a major from the department of Biological Science requires a minimum combined 2.00 GPA in all courses, excluding the Term 1-4 State Common Program Prerequisites milestone courses, including biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer programming and statistics;
c) A student who has received more than one unsatisfactory grade (U, F, D minus, D, or D+) in courses required for the major, excluding the Term 1-4 State Common Program Prerequisites milestone courses, taken after enrolling at FSU, will be required to change to a major outside of the department of Biological Science.
d) A student with a major within the department of biological science who applies for readmission to the college must meet the degree requirements of the catalog in force on the date of readmission.
Course Repeat Policy in Biological Science
According to FSU Academic regulations, students may repeat courses in which they received a grade of "D" or "F" but will not be allowed additional credit for a course repeated in which the student originally made a "C minus" or better unless the course is specifically designated as repeatable to allow additional credit. Students will not be allowed to take non-repeatable coursework in the department of biological science if they have already earned a passing grade of C minus or higher at FSU or as transfer credit unless they petition for permission from the department.
Major Program of Studies at FSU: (45 hours)
All courses applicable to the major must be completed with a final grade of C minus or better.
Required Biological Science Courses: (17 hours)
BSC 2010 and BSC2010L (3, 1) Biological Science I and Lab
BSC 2011 and BSC2011L (3, 1) Biological Science II and Lab
PCB 3063 (3) Genetics
PCB 4674 (3) Evolution
Three (3) additional hours of biological science courses selected from any biological science course, except directed individual study (DIS) or internship, at the 3000-4000 level.
Required Scientific Computing Courses: (21 hours)
ISC3222 (3) Symbolic and Numerical Computation
ISC 3313 (3) Introduction to Scientific Computing
ISC4220C (4) Algorithms for Scientific Applications I
ISC 4221C (4) Algorithms for Scientific Applications II
ISC4304C (4) Programming for Scientific Applications
ISC4420 (3) Introduction to Bioinformatics
Required Research Experience: BSC4943 or BSC4970 (4, 2 each in two semesters)
Additional Elective Course (3 hours)
Three (3) additional hours chosen from Chemistry, Computer Science; Mathematics or Statistics, Physics and Scientific Computing selected from: CDA 3101, COP 4531, COP 4710, COT 4420, and CIS 4900, MAC 2313, MAP 4481, STA 4102, STA 4103, STA 4202, STA 4203, STA 4442, STA 4502, and STA 4702, PHY2054C, PHY2049C, ISC4223C, ISC4232C.
Collateral Courses: (27-28 hours)
All collateral courses must be completed with a final grade of C minus or better.
Mathematics/Statistics (15 hours)
MAC 2311 (4) Calculus with Analytical Geometry I
MAC 2312 (4) Calculus with Analytical Geometry II
MAD 2104 (3) Discrete Mathematics
STA 2171 (4) Statistics for Biology
Chemistry (8 hours)
CHM 1045 (3) and CHM 1045L (1) General Chemistry I and Lab
CHM 1046 (3) and CHM 1046L (1) General Chemistry II and Lab
Physics (4/5 hours)
PHY2053C (4) College Physics A, or
PHY2048C (5) General Physics A
Minor Requirements: The required collateral courses constitute a collateral minor; however, the student may select other minors in consultation with an advisor.
Digital Literacy: (0 hours beyond major)
BSC2011L Biological Science II Lab meets this requirement.
Oral Communication Competency: (3 hours)
Students must demonstrate the ability to orally transmit ideas and information clearly. This requirement may be met with a University approved college-level course.
Minimum Program Requirements - Summary
Total Hrs. Required 120
General Education 36*
Prerequisite Coursework 0 beyond other requirements
Major Coursework 45
Collateral Coursework 27
Minor Coursework 0 beyond collateral courses
Foreign Language 0-12 (depending on placement)
Digital Literacy 0 beyond major
Oral Communication Competency 3
Electives to bring total hours to 120
*Some coursework completed for this major may also apply toward General Education in the areas of Mathematics and Science.
Mapping is FSU’s academic advising and monitoring system. Academic progress is monitored each Fall and Spring semester to ensure that students are on course to earn their degree in a timely fashion. Transfer students must meet mapping guidelines to be accepted into their majors. View the map for this major at www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/.
1. A minimum of 45 hours at the 3000 level or above, 30 of which must be taken at this University.
2. Half of the major course semester hours must be completed in residence at this University.
3. The final 30 hours must be completed in residence at this University.
Salary Information:For more information go to: National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org) or the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Representative Job Titles Related to this Major: Computational Biologist, Bioinformatics Specialist, Biotechnologist, Pharmaceutical/Medical Researcher, Forensic Scientist, Molecular Medicine Specialist, Comparative Genomics Scientist, Genetic Engineer, Human Geneticist, and Genome Analyst, Programmer, Systems Analyst, Software Engineer, Data Processing System Manager, Network Administrator.
Representative Employers: Pharmaceutical Companies, Healthcare Providers, Medical Laboratories, Biotechnology Companies, Law Enforcement Agencies, Colleges and Universities, State and Federal Government, Software Development Companies.
ACADEMIC MAP (Effective Summer 2025 and after)
*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*
This map is a term-by-term sample course schedule. The milestones listed to the right of each term are designed to keep you on course to graduate in four years. The Sample Schedule serves as a general guideline to help you build a full schedule each term. The General Education and Elective courses must be selected to satisfy all area and multicultural requirements unless your program meets these requirements with major courses. Milestones are courses and special requirements necessary for timely progress to complete a major. Missing milestones will result in one of two types of map registration stops. The first level (Degree Map Off-track) is placed following grade posting if the student has missed a milestone (course and/or GPA) for the first time in the major. If a student is in non-compliance with milestones for two (2) consecutive semesters (excluding summers), a Major Change Required stop is placed on the student's registration.
Computational biology is a new and promising field of study. The purpose of this interdisciplinary major is to provide a top-notch educational program for students interested in the areas of computational biology and bioinformatics. This program seeks to achieve two goals: 1) to develop an understanding of the issues associated with developing biologically meaningful computational models, and 2) to give students the broad-based education that is needed to create a set of models directed towards solving a practical biomedical problem
Mapping Coordinator: Shellie Camp
Email: scamp@fsu.edu
Sample Schedule and Required Milestones by Term
| Sample Schedule: Term 1 hrs |
| ENC1101 Freshman Composition3 |
| MAC1140 Pre-Calculus Algebra 3 |
| MAC1114 Analytic Trigonometry3 |
| CHM1045 General Chemistry I and CHM1045 Lab4 |
| GE History3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 1 |
| Complete ENC1101 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete 1st GE Mathematics ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Sample Schedule: Term 2 hrs |
| ENC2135 Research, Genre, and Context 3 |
| MAC2311 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I4 |
| CHM1046 General Chemistry II and CHM1046 Lab4 |
| GE Core Social Science3 |
| Elective or Writing Competency3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 2 |
| Complete ENC2135 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete MAC1140 or MAC1114( ≥ C minus ) |
| Summer hrs |
| PHY2048C General Physics A with Lab5 |
| MAC2312 Calculus with Analytical Geometry II4 |
| Sample Schedule: Term 3 hrs |
| Elective or Oral Communication Competency3 |
| ISC3313 Introduction to Scientific Computing3 |
| BSC2010 Biological Science I and BSC2010 Lab 4 |
| GE Core Humanities3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 3 |
| Complete CHM1045 and CHM1045 Lab ( ≥ C minus ) in each |
| Complete BOTH MAC 1114 and MAC 1140 ( ≥ C minus ) in each |
| Sample Schedule: Term 4 hrs |
| BSC2011 Biological Science II and BSC2011 Lab 4 |
| ISC3222 Symbolic and Numerical Computation3 |
| MAD2104 Discrete Mathematics3 |
| GE Civic Literacy requirement3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 4 |
| Complete MAC2311 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete BSC2010 and BSC2010 Lab ( ≥ C minus ) in each |
| Complete CHM1046 and CHM1046 Lab ( ≥ C minus ) in each |
| Sample Schedule: Term 5 hrs |
| STA2171 Statistics for Biology4 |
| GE Ethics3 |
| ISC4304C Programming for Scientific Applications4 |
| PCB3063 Genetics3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 5 |
| Complete MAD2104 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete ISC3313 or other C++ course ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete BSC2011 and BSC2011L ( ≥ C minus ) in each |
| Civic Literacy requirement |
| Sample Schedule: Term 6 hrs |
| Foreign Language 1 4 |
| Bio Elective 3 |
| PCB4674 Evolution3 |
| GE Diversity or other Elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 6 |
| Complete ISC3222 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Start Foreign Language |
| Sample Schedule: Term 7 hrs |
| Foreign Language II4 |
| ISC 4221C Algorithms for Scientific Applications II or ISC4220C Algorithms for Scientific Applications I 4 |
| BSC4943r Practicum in Computational Biology2 |
| Additional major elective3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 7 |
| Complete ISC4221 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete ISC4304 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Complete PCB3063 ( ≥ C minus ) |
| Begin BSC4943r |
| Complete Pre-Graduation check |
| Sample Schedule: Term 8 hrs |
| Foreign Language III4 |
| ISC4420 Introduction to Bioinformatics 4 |
| BSC4943r Practicum in Computational Biology2 |
| Elective or remaining GE writing, formative experience3 |
| Required Milestones: Term 8 |
| Apply for graduation in 1st two weeks |