Computer Science with Biological subjects

Biology is the study of complex systems. After all, living things are among the most complex systems in all of science. All of this complexity generates vast amounts of data (think, for example, of the human genome project which sequenced the more than three billion base pairs in the DNA of a single human: Genetics, like Computer Science, is all about information), which over the last decade or two has given birth to a whole new science called “Computational Biology” or “Bioinformatics”. Computer Science lies at the heart of this “New Biology”. Below are two curricula^*, the first in Biomathematics (with some computing content) and the second in Bioinformatics (with a full major in Computer Science).

You can combine Biology with Mathematical subjects (including a limited amount of Computer Science, which we would highly recommend in this context), via the following curriculum choice in the  BSc in Mathematical Sciences: Focus Biomathematics – Option Molecular Biology. This curriculum contains 50% mathematical and 50% biological subjects, with an emphasis on Biochemistry (including both laboratory and computer techniques). We give a minimum credit version which includes Applied Mathematics 114 in the second year and Computer Science 214 in the third year, but for above average students we recommend the extra credit version which includes the full second year Computer Science and provides the option of doing a Computer Science module at third year level as well. The curriculum is preparatory for the Honours programme in Biomathematics.

The following curriculum, in the context of the BSc in Mathematical Sciences (focus Computer Science) is an alternative that is more focussed on computing, with roughly 75% mathematical and 25% biological content in the first two years. This time the emphasis is on Computer Science and Genetics, and the curriculum is less laboratory based (not containing any Chemistry). It also has the advantage of including a full major in Computer Science, so you will still be able to choose between a career in computing and a career in Bioinformatics. With this curriculum you can move on to the Honours programmes in either Computer Science or Genetics.

^* We list only one recommendation per curriculum; several variations are possible in the second and third years.

^** Biochemistry 355 is a selection module (students are selected according to performance in Biochemistry 214 and 244); students who are not selected will have to take an alternative module.