Data Science BS with Genomics and Bioinformatics Concentration

Overview

Science and technology are the foundations of our future. The Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) is focused on the understanding of fundamental scientific principles and the application of these principles to solving complex problems, using computing technology.

Data Science is an interdisciplinary field of study about methods and systems to extract knowledge or insights from large quantities of data coming in various forms. The Bachelor of Science in Data Science is designed for students interested in developing expertise in data science.

Data Science students must select one of the following concentrations:

  • Computation and Modeling
  • Computational Analytics
  • Genomics and Bioinformatics

The Concentration in Genomics and Bioinformatics provides a strong background in mathematics, computational thinking and biological data analysis, and will enable students to analyze large quantities of data to discover new knowledge and facilitate decision making. This specialization is intended for students interested in biology, ecology, evolution, human health and disease, and precision medicine. Over the past decade, the emergence of next-generation sequencing technologies has facilitated the rapid growth of genomic data; however, undergraduate training in big data management, big data processing and big data analysis has not kept up with this rapid growth in large-scale biological data generation.

Campus Location: Main

Program Code: ST-DTSC-BS

Distinction in Major

To graduate with distinction in this major, a student must satisfy the following criteria:

  • achieve a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and
  • achieve a minimum 3.5 major GPA.

Accelerated Programs

Accelerated programs provide a pathway for students to pursue both an undergraduate degree and an advanced degree in a shorter amount of time. Below is a list of available accelerated programs for students in the BS in Data Science.

Undergraduate Contact Information

Jamie Payton, Chair
Science Education and Research Center, Room 304
215-204-8450

Gene Kwatny, Vice Chair
Science Education and Research Center, Room 304
215-204-8450

Andrew Rosen, Faculty Advisor
Science Education and Research Center, Room 349
215-204-3193
andrew.rosen@temple.edu

Caryn Babaian, Faculty Advisor
Science Education and Research Center, Room 602
215-204-1814
caryn.babaian@temple.edu

Sudhir Kumar, Program Director
Science Education and Research Center, Room 601A
215-204-1647
s.kumar@temple.edu

Learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Data Science.

These requirements are for students who matriculated in academic year 2024-2025. Students who matriculated prior to fall 2024 should refer to the Archives to view the requirements for their Bulletin year.

Bachelor of Science Requirements

Summary of Requirements for the Degree

  1. University Requirements (123 total s.h.)
    • Students must complete all University requirements including those listed below.
    • All undergraduate students must complete at least two writing-intensive courses for a total of at least six credits at Temple as part of their major. The specific writing intensive course options for this major are:
      BIOL 2297Research Techniques in Genetics 13
      CIS 4496Projects in Data Science3
    • Students must complete the General Education (GenEd) requirements.
      • See the General Education section of the Undergraduate Bulletin for the GenEd curriculum.
      • Students who complete CST majors receive a waiver for 2 Science & Technology (GS) and 1 Quantitative Literacy (GQ) GenEd courses.
    • Students must satisfy general Temple University residency requirements.
  2. College Requirements
    • A minimum of 90 total credits within the College of Science & Technology (CST), the College of Liberal Arts (CLA), and/or the College of Engineering (ENG).
      • A minimum of 45 of these credits must be upper-level (courses numbered 2000 and above).
    • Complete a one-credit first-year or transfer seminar.
      • SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar for every entering first-year CST student.
      • SCTC 2001 CST Transfer Seminar for every entering transfer CST student.
  3. Major Requirements for Bachelor of Science (82 s.h.)
    At least 9 courses required for the major must be completed at Temple. At least 3 CIS courses must be completed at Temple.
    Introductory Science Requirements
    Select one of the following:4
    CHEM 1031
    & CHEM 1033
    		General Chemistry I
    and General Chemistry Laboratory I
    CHEM 1951
    & CHEM 1953
    		Honors General Chemical Science I
    and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I
    Select one of the following:4
    CHEM 1032
    & CHEM 1034
    		General Chemistry II
    and General Chemistry Laboratory II
    CHEM 1952
    & CHEM 1954
    		Honors General Chemical Science II
    and Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II
    Calculus Requirements
    MATH 1041Calculus I4
    or MATH 1941 Honors Calculus I
    MATH 1042Calculus II4
    or MATH 1942 Honors Calculus II
    Math Methods in Computing Requirements
    CIS 1166Mathematical Concepts in Computing I4
    or CIS 1966 Honors Mathematical Concepts in Computing I
    CIS 2166Mathematical Concepts in Computing II4
    Probability and Statistics Requirements
    MATH 3031Probability Theory I3
    MATH 3032Mathematical Statistics3
    Programming Requirements
    CIS 1068Program Design and Abstraction4
    or CIS 1968 Honors Program Design and Abstraction
    CIS 2168Data Structures4
    Common Specialty Course Requirements
    CIS 3715Principles of Data Science4
    CIS 4496Projects in Data Science3
    Concentration Requirements
    BIOL 1111Introduction to Organismal Biology4
    or BIOL 1911 Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology
    BIOL 2112Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology4
    or BIOL 2912 Honors Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
    BIOL 2207Genetics3
    BIOL 2297Research Techniques in Genetics (WI) 13
    BIOL 3101Evolution3
    BIOL 3111Genomics in Medicine3
    Select one of the following:4
    CHEM 2201
    & CHEM 2203
    		Organic Chemistry I
    and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
    CHEM 2211
    & CHEM 2213
    		Organic Chemistry for Majors I
    and Organic Majors Laboratory I
    CHEM 2921
    & CHEM 2923
    		Organic Chemistry for Honors I
    and Organic Honors Laboratory I
    Select one of the following:4
    CHEM 2202
    & CHEM 2204
    		Organic Chemistry II
    and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
    CHEM 2212
    & CHEM 2214
    		Organic Chemistry for Majors II
    and Organic Majors Laboratory II
    CHEM 2922
    & CHEM 2924
    		Organic Chemistry for Honors II
    and Organic Honors Laboratory II
    Genomics and Bioinformatics Elective Requirements
    Select from the following list:9
    BIOL 2227
    		Principles of Ecology
    BIOL 2311
    		Human Evolution
    BIOL 3112
    		Fundamentals of Genomic Evolutionary Medicine
    BIOL 3114
    		Evolutionary Ecology
    BIOL 3128
    		Genomics and Infectious Disease Dynamics
    BIOL 3201
    		Human Genetics
    BIOL 3225
    		Evolutionary Genetics and Phylogenetics
    BIOL 3241
    		Genomics and Evolutionary Biology of Parasites and Other Dependent Species
    BIOL 3321
    		Plant Community Ecology 2
    BIOL 3322
    		Biology of Plants
    BIOL 3324
    		Molecular Biology 3
    BIOL 3328
    		Virology 3
    BIOL 3368
    		Biology of Cancer 3
    BIOL 3379
    		Biotechnology 3
    BIOL 3403
    		Genomic Biology 3
    CEE 3048
    		Probability, Statistics & Stochastic Methods
    CIS 4523
    		Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
    or CIS 5523
    		 Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining
    Total Credit Hours82
    1

    This course has a co-requisite of BIOL 2207.

    2

    This course requires an additional prerequisite of BIOL 2227.

    3

    This course requires an additional prerequisite of BIOL 3204.

Suggested Academic Plan

Bachelor of Science in Data Science with Concentration in Genomics and Bioinformatics

Suggested Plan for New Students Starting in the 2024-2025 Academic Year

Plan of Study Grid
Year 1
FallCredit Hours
CIS 1068
or CIS 1968
 Program Design and Abstraction
or Honors Program Design and Abstraction
 4
MATH 1041
or MATH 1941
 Calculus I
or Honors Calculus I
 4
SCTC 1001 CST First Year Seminar 1
ENG 0802
or ENG 0812
or ENG 0902
 Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
or Analytical Reading and Writing: ESL [GW]
or Honors Analytical Reading and Writing [GW]
 4
Elective 2
 Credit Hours15
Spring
CIS 1166
or CIS 1966
 Mathematical Concepts in Computing I
or Honors Mathematical Concepts in Computing I
 4
MATH 1042
or MATH 1942
 Calculus II
or Honors Calculus II
 4
IH 0851
or IH 0951
 Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY]
 3
Elective 4
 Credit Hours15
Year 2
Fall
CHEM 1031
or CHEM 1951
 General Chemistry I
or Honors General Chemical Science I
 3
CHEM 1033
or CHEM 1953
 General Chemistry Laboratory I
or Honors Chemical Science Laboratory I
 1
CIS 2166 Mathematical Concepts in Computing II 4
CIS 2168 Data Structures 4
IH 0852
or IH 0952
 Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
or Honors Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ]
 3
Elective 1
 Credit Hours16
Spring
BIOL 1111
or BIOL 1911
 Introduction to Organismal Biology
or Honors Introduction to Organismal Biology
 4
CHEM 1032
or CHEM 1952
 General Chemistry II
or Honors General Chemical Science II
 3
CHEM 1034
or CHEM 1954
 General Chemistry Laboratory II
or Honors Chemical Science Laboratory II
 1
CIS 3715 Principles of Data Science (S) 4
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Year 3
Fall
BIOL 2112
or BIOL 2912
 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
or Honors Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
 4
MATH 3031 Probability Theory I 3
Select one of the following: 4
CHEM 2201
& CHEM 2203
 Organic Chemistry I
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I		  
CHEM 2211
& CHEM 2213
 Organic Chemistry for Majors I
and Organic Majors Laboratory I		  
CHEM 2921
& CHEM 2923
 Organic Chemistry for Honors I
and Organic Honors Laboratory I		  
GenEd Breadth Course 3
Elective 2
 Credit Hours16
Spring
BIOL 2207 Genetics 3
BIOL 2297 Research Techniques in Genetics [WI] 3
MATH 3032 Mathematical Statistics (S) 3
Select one of the following: 4
CHEM 2202
& CHEM 2204
 Organic Chemistry II
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II		  
CHEM 2212
& CHEM 2214
 Organic Chemistry for Majors II
and Organic Majors Laboratory II		  
CHEM 2922
& CHEM 2924
 Organic Chemistry for Honors II
and Organic Honors Laboratory II		  
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours16
Year 4
Fall
BIOL 3101 Evolution (F) 3
BIOL 3111 Genomics in Medicine (F) 3
Data Science: Genomics & Bioinformatics Elective 3
Data Science: Genomics & Bioinformatics Elective 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3
 Credit Hours15
Spring
CIS 4496 Projects in Data Science [WI] 3
Data Science: Genomics & Bioinformatics Elective 3
GenEd Breadth Course 3-4
Elective 6-5
 Credit Hours15
 Total Credit Hours123
(F) - Fall only course
(S) - Spring only course

Accelerated Programs

Students may opt to pursue an accelerated +1 program, enabling them to complete both a bachelor's degree and master's degree in less time than the traditional route.

The following accelerated programs may be of interest to students in the Data Science BS with Genomics and Bioinformatics Concentration:

College of Science and Technology