Bioinformatics, Bachelor of Science (College of Information Science & Technology)

The Bioinformatics program in the College of Information Science and Technology (IS&T) specifically equips students with a strong foundation in computer science, scripting/programming, algorithms, database development, data management, and reproducible workflow implementation. In addition, fundamental courses in biology, genetics, molecular biology, chemistry, statistics, and discrete mathematics provide students with the ability to analyze and interpret many different types of data. The program curriculum is designed to meet the current demand for professionals equipped with bioinformatics computing skills. The national demand for bioinformatics professionals exceeds current supply, and individuals with the interdisciplinary training that a bioinformatics degree provides are in high demand.

Graduates of our IS&T Bioinformatics degree program go on to careers in software development and engineering, database development and implementation, and positions in the agricultural sector, among other career pathways; our graduates also pursue graduate research and other professional degrees, including medical school (with the addition of only a few courses). The interdisciplinary nature of our program also allows our graduates to transition easily into informatics-adjacent careers in health informatics, public health, and health information technology. Students also have the opportunity to take up to nine graduate credits toward a College of IS&T Master’s degree in Biomedical Informatics through our Fast Track program.

Program Educational Objectives

The goals of the Bioinformatics program in the College of IS&T are stated as Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) and are based on the needs of the program’s constituencies. PEOs describe the career and professional accomplishments that our program is preparing graduates to achieve. PEOs are used to align the program with the requirements of accrediting bodies such as the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which accredits programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.

Graduates of the UNO IS&T Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics program will:

1.    Prepare a portfolio demonstrating strong analytic, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.
2.    Apply the scientific method to draw evidence-based conclusions in digital health and biosystems-related areas.
3.    Demonstrate proficiency in communication of digital health and biosystems-related topics in both written and oral formats.
4.    Exhibit commitment to strong ethical and moral standards in the field.
5.    Demonstrate professional competency on current real-world digital health and biosystems-related perspectives.
6.    Demonstrate ability to design, implement, deliver, and manage technical solutions to digital health and biosystems-related problems.
7.    Apply skills such as reading primary literature, developing testable hypotheses, designing experiments, and analyzing algorithms.
8.    Demonstrate proficiency in statistical and quantitative methods in the field.

Student Group

The Mav Club for Bioinformatics (MCBI) provides students with a space to participate in their local UNO community, build fellowship, and support one another in a more informal way. The Club has a student president and a faculty advisor who work together to offer monthly academic seminars as well as recreational events and opportunities for students to socialize informally.

Fast Track

The School of Interdisciplinary Informatics (SI2) has developed a Fast Track program for highly qualified and motivated students providing the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in an accelerated time frame.  With Fast Track, students may count up to 9 graduate credit hours towards the completion of their undergraduate program as well as the graduate degree program. Students will work with both undergraduate and graduate advisors to ensure graduate classes selected will count toward both programs, should a student wish to earn a graduate degree in a separate  College of Information Science & Technology (CIST) area than their undergraduate degree.

Program Specifics:

• This program is available for undergraduate students pursuing any CIST undergraduate degree desiring to pursue an MS in either the same or a related CIST field. 
• Students must have completed no less than 60 undergraduate hours.
• Students must have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0.
• Students must complete the Fast Track Approval form and obtain all signatures and submit to the Office of Graduate Studies prior to first enrollment in a graduate course.
• Students will work with their undergraduate advisor to register for the graduate courses.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduate coursework to remain in good standing.
• Students remain undergraduates until they meet all the requirements for the undergraduate degree and are eligible for all rights and privileges granted undergraduate status including financial aid.
• Near the end of the undergraduate program, formal application to the graduate program is required. All applicants will need to meet any other admission requirements established for the MS in selected CIST program. The application fee will be waived if the applicant contacts the Office of Graduate Studies for a fee waiver code prior to submitting the MS application.
  • Admission to Fast Track does NOT guarantee admission to the graduate program. 
  • The admit term must be after the completion term of the undergraduate degree.

Contact

For more information, contact the College of IS&T Academic Advising Office at 402.554.3819.

Website

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 120 credit hours is required for a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioinformatics. Thirty of the last 36 hours must be University of Nebraska at Omaha courses. Registering for courses without having taken the stated prerequisites could result in administrative withdrawal.

To obtain a Bachelor of Science in Bioinformatics, a student must fulfill the University, College and Departmental requirements. Some courses may satisfy requirements in more than one area, but credit is awarded only once, thereby reducing the total number of credit hours for the degree to 120. (This total does not include prerequisites.)

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A minimum grade of C is required for CIST 1400 and CSCI 1620 as a prerequisite for all subsequent CSCI courses.

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CIST 3110 counts toward a Humanities requirement.

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This course will satisfy UNO’s General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement. 

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BIOI 1000 counts toward a Natural and Physical Sciences requirement.

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Students pursuing the pre-med requirements for the Bioinformatics degree take CHEM 2250, CHEM 2260 and CHEM 2274 in place of CHEM 2210 and CHEM 2214. Pre-Med majors also take either CHEM 4610 Biochemistry of Metabolism or two semesters of Biochemistry and the accompanying labs (CHEM 4650, CHEM 4654, CHEM 4660, and CHEM 4664) in place of CHEM 3650 and CHEM 3654 to satisfy the chemistry requirements for the BIOI major.

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CHEM 1140 and CHEM 1144 count toward the Natural and Physical Sciences lecture and lab requirement.

 Writing in the Discipline

All UNO students are required to take a writing-in-the-discipline course within their major. Bioinformatics degree students must take CIST 3000

Second Bachelor's Degree for Bioinformatics

General Requirements

Students who have satisfied the requirements for a first bachelor's degree other than Bioinformatics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha must complete a minimum of 30 additional semester hours at the University for a second bachelor's degree.

Bioinformatics Requirements (89 hours)

To obtain Bioinformatics as a second bachelor’s degree, students must complete academic requirements for the degree which include 24 credit hours of IS&T core courses, 11 credit hours of Math courses, 16 credit hours of Biology courses, 14 credit hours of Chemistry courses, and 24 credit hours of Bioinformatics courses. Students must consult an academic advisor in the College of IS&T prior to starting this program. Some transfer coursework may apply; however, 30 of the last 36 hours for the degree must be University of Nebraska at Omaha courses. 

Minor Offered:

• Bioinformatics Minor

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MATH  1950 - Satisfies General Education Quantitative Literacy requirement

This roadmap is a suggested plan of study and does not replace meeting with an advisor. Please note that students may need to adjust the actual sequence of courses based on course availability. Please consult an advisor in your major program for further guidance.

This plan is not a contract and curriculum is subject to change.

Additional Information About this Plan:
University Degree Requirements: The minimum number of hours for a UNO undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours. Please review the requirements for your specific degree program to determine all requirements for the program. In order to graduate on time (four years for an undergraduate degree), you need to take 30 credit hours each year.

Placement Exams: For Math, English, and Foreign Languages, a placement exam may be required. More information on these exams can be found at https://www.unomaha.edu/enrollment-management/testing-center/placement-exams/information.php

Please note that transfer credit or placement exam scores may change a suggested plan of study.

Overview

Graduates of UNO’s Bioinformatics (BIOI) program in the College of Information Science & Technology (IS&T) will be able to use their degree to investigate and apply technology to solve bioinformatics problems effectively. Due to a great demand for experts in bioinformatics, the job outlook for those with appropriate training is excellent. The Bioinformatics degree can also serve as a springboard to graduate work or other careers requiring informatics skills coupled with a biological background.  

In Nebraska, many current careers in Bioinformatics are classified by the Nebraska Department of Labor as H3 jobs (High Wage, High Skill, High Demand). According to their website, “Occupations are high wage when at least half of their wage measures are at or above the regional average for all occupations. Occupations that require some college, no degree, or a higher level of educational attainment are high skill, as well as occupations that require a high school diploma or equivalent plus long-term on-the-job training, an apprenticeship, or internship/residency. The number of annual openings, net change in employment, and growth rate determine whether an occupation is high demand. An occupation must be High Wage, High Skill, and High Demand to be an H3 occupation.”

Jobs in software development and engineering, biostatistics, and bioinformatics are all currently qualified as H3 jobs in Nebraska. Nationally, the need for people with degrees in Bioinformatics is even more apparent, with institutions such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) integrating the large need for a trained and competent biomedical data science workforce as a central theme in their current strategic plan. The College of IS&T’s Bioinformatics degree program is one of the only programs in the Midwest that provides this type of preparation at the undergraduate level.

Examples of careers for graduates of our undergraduate Bioinformatics degree program include:

•    Bioinformatics Specialist *
•    Statistician/Biostatistician*
•    Software Application Developer*
•    Bioinformatics Scientist/Analyst
•    Scientific Curator
•    Computational Biologist
•    Database Programmer
•    Database Administrator*
•    Consultant
•    Data Scientist/Wrangler
•    Software Engineer
•    Research Scientist*
•    Biotech Entrepreneur
*Classified by the Nebraska Department of Labor as an H3 Career

Bioinformatics Curriculum Advisory Committee

The College of IS&T's Bioinformatics (BIOI) and Biomedical Informatics (BMI) faculty hosts an annual BIOI/BMI Curriculum Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting. The CAC is designed to involve alumni and community stakeholders from industry, academia, government, and non-profit organizations to aid the BIOI Undergraduate Program Committee (UPC), BMI Graduate Program Committee (GPC), and BMI Doctoral Program Committee (DPC) in decisions regarding curriculum for each committee’s respective program. The CAC’s objectives are:

• To review the program curriculum and provide recommendations on how to develop or change programs to address the needs of students in making them “workforce ready.”
• To discuss opportunities and potential pathways for students to transition into the workforce through formal (internships, apprenticeships) and informal means.
• To provide input to curriculum committees on how to manage or improve student recruitment to our programs.
• To provide input to curriculum committees on how to manage or improve student retention in our programs.
• To support and encourage involvement of the Omaha metropolitan community in our BIOI/BMI programs.