Ph.D in Information Technology (Bioinformatics Track)

The Ph.D. in Information Technology (Bioinformatics Track) is an interdisciplinary program at the intersection of the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, Computing and Informatics, and Engineering. It is expected that students entering the program will have completed an undergraduate major in either a life science or a quantitative discipline. The degree includes additional training and demonstrated competence in both life sciences and scientific programming. The program is structured to provide students with the skills and knowledge to develop, evaluate, and deploy bioinformatics and computational biology applications. The program is designed to prepare students for employment in academia and in the biotechnology sector, where the need for knowledgeable life scientists with quantitative and computational skills has exploded in the past decade.

The Bioinformatics Track follows all of the common requirements of the Information Technology Ph.D. program with the exception stated below.

Program Contacts:

Dr. Dennis Livesay, Faculty Director
Elise Marshall, Graduate Program Coordinator

IT PhD program - Bioinformatics Track Requirements:

1. Course Work

All students must take the following courses:

    •    ITSC 8101 Energy and Information in Biological Modeling
    •    ITSC 8110 Introduction to IT Research
    •    ITSC 8111 Bioinformatics Programming I
    •    ITSC 8112 Bioinformatics Programming II
    •    ITSC 8200 Statistics for Bioinformatics
    •    ITSC 8201 Molecular Sequence Analysis
    •    ITSC 8202 Computational Structural Biology
    •    ITSC 8203 Genomics, Transcriptomics, and Proteomics
    •    ITSC 8211 Design and Implementation of Biological Databases
    •    (x2) ITSC 8880 Individual Study (lab rotation)

All students must take ITSC 8699 Graduate Research Seminar every semester until advancing to PhD candidacy (unless they are taking ITSC 8110).  Students with exceptionally strong backgrounds in specific disciplines may be excused from one or more of the required didactic classes (except ITSC 8110) at the discretion of the bioinformatics track coordinator.

2. Qualifying Exam

Must be passed prior to 5th semester. The qualifying exam for the bioinformatics track is composed of three components: (i.) written exam, (ii.) oral exam, and (iii.) original written research contribution. Qualifying exam committee will have the same members in any given semester. The written component will have four sections (Molecular Sequence Analysis, Structural Bioinformatics, Functional Genomics, and Research Methods). The material covered by the qualifying exam will be based on material covered in the required courses listed in section 1. Each student must pass three sections in order to advance; failure to pass three requires that the student attempt the failed sections the following semester. Passed sections carry forward from one exam to the next and three attempts are permitted. After passing the three written sections, students must pass an oral exam over the same topics, for which three attempts are also permitted. Students must pass both the written and oral components of the exam. (Note: if you pass the written component, but not the oral, you only have to retake the oral component.) Students must also prepare an “original written research contribution,” which can be a write-up from one of your lab rotations (assuming it was given a passing grade), a research paper submitted to or already published in a journal, etc. Students not passing all components of the qualifying exam by the end of the fifth semester must leave the program.

3. Dissertation Proposal

See section entitled “Ph.D. Candidacy” at http://www.coit.uncc.edu/coit_new/phd/phd_reqs.cfm

4. Dissertation (the same for all IT PhD students)

See section entitled “Dissertation” at http://www.coit.uncc.edu/coit_new/phd/phd_reqs.cfm

Students will be required to demonstrate competence, by coursework, examinations, or projects, in the areas of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, genetics, statistics, and computer science related to core concepts in bioinformatics. The student's advisor and at least one other dissertation committee member must be faculty in the Bioinformatics Program. Students in this track must also take at least 6 hours of Pre-dissertation Research (ITSC 8990) under the direction of Bioinformatics track faculty members. A major goal of this course will be to prepare the student for the Qualifying Examination.

Core Requirements:

Plans of Study for Bioinformatics Ph.D. students are developed on an individual basis, by the student and his or her advisory committee. However, Bioinformatics Ph.D. students and their advisors may wish to consult the Professional Science Masters Core Requirements, above, for guidance in selecting the initial Plan of Study to complement the student's undergraduate background. 8000-numbered versions of course offerings are open to Ph.D. students.

Sample plan of study:

Year One

 Year Two

Year Three

 Year Four