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Bioinformatics
Certificate Program

Bioinformatics

Where biology meets Big Data

Establish Candidacy View Individual Courses
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certificate Description

Build your computational and scientific foundation

Big data is everywhere and its presence across multiple industries will continue to stimulate job growth in pharma, biotech, and software industries. This certificate program is designed in consultation with industry leaders to meet the need for biologists and computer scientists to analyze and interpret today’s deluge of biological information. Tailor your studies to your particular needs and interests while learning the tools and methods of bioinformatics. Life scientists delve into data tech and computer scientists gain a background in molecular biology.

Bioinformatics certificate program objectives

  • Use public domain bioinformatics tools, including Genbank and the Protein Data Bank (PDB).
  • Employ statistical design of experiment (SDOE) to analyze experimental data and factors affecting outputs.
  • Distinguish key molecular biology techniques—gene cloning, manipulation and sequencing; PCR; RNA interference; and gene expression analysis.
  • Complete a computational biology project using Java.
  • Recognize sequence analysis techniques such as Hidden Markov Models and RNA analysis.
  • Query and read DNA sequences from Fasta files.
   

   

Additional informational resources

Bioinformatics Career Skills for 2024

Explore our professional certificate program designed to equip you with the precise skills demanded by today's bioinformatics employers. This video introduces the latest courses you'll need to succeed. (2024)

Who are the students in the bioinformatics program?

Often they are the experienced programmers who have an interest in biology or they are already in a lab and interested in the flexibility and new options that learning new data tools can offer. Janani Rangarajan, M.S., bioinformatician and program chair, tells you about her students. (2021)

Bioinformatics: What are companies looking for?

Janani Rangarajan, M.S., bioinformatician and program chair, discusses the tools and technologies used to make meaning from health data, the foundation for cures and vaccines being discovered each day. The webinar begins with a very brief overview of upcoming courses in the Bioinformatics certificate program and jumps right into Q&A.

• An 8-Part Video Q&A with Janani Rangarajan, M.S., Bioinformatician and Program Chair
• A 5-Part Deep Dive Into the Technologies & Biology of Bioinformatics

Accompanying lecture slides

See our instructors in action

Program Overview

Estimated Cost: Starting at $5,480. (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 6–7 courses (minimum 18 quarter units). Take 4 required courses (12 quarter units) and 2–3 elective courses (minimum 6 quarter units). End with certificate of completion review.
Minimum Hours of Instruction: 180 hours of instruction.
Estimated Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 12 months.
Modality: This is a fully online program with live-online & self-paced course formats.
Special Programs: This program is not approved for workforce or international students.

Courses

Syllabus Library Detail View
Course Quarter Units Fall Winter Spring Summer
1. Required Courses(s): Four Total & Equal to 12 Units
Bioinformatics Tools, Databases and Methods 3.0
Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology 3.0
Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools - A Hands-On Approach 3.0
Python for Data Analysis 3.0 Summer Flexible
2. Electives: Total of Six Units
Data Analysis, Introduction 3.0 Fall Flexible Winter Flexible Summer Flexible
Gene Therapy: Hacking the Genome 1.5
Genomics and Next Generation DNA Sequencing: Methods and Applications 3.0
Principles of Drug Discovery and Development 4.0
Relational Database Design and SQL Programming 3.0 Fall Flexible Winter Flexible Spring Flexible
Statistics 5.0
3. Completion Review:
Bioinformatics Certificate Completion Fee None
4. Related Course(s) (Not Part of Certificate Program)
Personal Development Seminar: Concepts in Next-Gen Sequence Analysis 0.5 CEUs

Meet Our Instructors

Abizar A Lakdawalla

Abizar A Lakdawalla

VP., Product Development, Apton Biosystems
Darryl A. Leon

Darryl A. Leon

Director, Software Portfolio Strategy, Agilent Technologies
Edward James Rozhon

Edward James Rozhon

Program Chair | Retired Sr. Manager, Clinical Operations, Genentech
Guido Bordignon

Guido Bordignon

Professor, Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology, UCSC
Janani Rangarajan

Janani Rangarajan

Statistical Data Analyst, Gilead Sciences | Program Chair
Michelle C Rosenaur

Michelle C Rosenaur

Technology Trainer
Parthasarathy M Padmanabhan

Parthasarathy M Padmanabhan

Data Engineering Lead, New Relic | Program Chair
Paul A Saunders

Paul A Saunders

Biotechnology Consultant
Robert Knight

Robert Knight

Mathematics and Statistics Professor
Ruth A Arthur-Asmah

Ruth A Arthur-Asmah

Sr. Manager, Digital Health, Nordic Global
Sara Saatchi

Sara Saatchi

Professor

Certificate Inquiry Form

Contact Us

Speak to a student services representative.

Call (408) 861-3860

Envelope extension@ucsc.edu

Requisite Knowledge

Please review the course descriptions to ensure that you have taken the necessary prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education. You can learn more about each course in the Syllabus Library.

Molecular biology knowledge

Familiarity with the principles of modern molecular biology is required to begin the Bioinformatics certificate. You can satisfy this requirement with an introductory course in molecular biology (taken within the last five years) or by demonstrating equivalent work experience.

Statistics knowledge

UCSC Extension offers Statistics.

Programming knowledge

Basic familiarity with the Python programming language is required to begin the Bioinformatics certificate. You can satisfy this requirement with an introductory course in Python (taken within the last five years) or by demonstrating equivalent work experience. UCSC Extension offers Python Programming for Beginners.

Genomics and next Generation DNA sequencing knowledge

Basic familiarity with genomics and next generation DNA sequencing is required for Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools—a Hands-On Approach. You can satisfy this requirement with a similar course or by demonstrating equivalent work experience. UCSC Extension offers Genomics and Next Generation DNA Sequencing: Methods and Applications.

Advisory Board

Rangarajan-Janani.png

Certificate Program Chair

JANANI RANGARAJAN, M.S., is a QA statistical data analyst at Gilead Sciences where she supports the Quality Risk Management department with data analysis for plant-wide interdepartmental KPIs.
Learn more.

Certificate Program Advisory Committee

DAVID BERNICK, Ph.D.
Assistant Adjunct Professor​, Project Scientist/Lecturer
Biomolecular Engineering, UC, Santa Cruz

GREGORY FRANK, Ph.D.
Biosciences Instructor, UCSC Extension
Consultant
GDF-Consulting

ROBERT KNIGHT, MS, DPM
Founding CEO
MyClassText.org
Statistics Instructor, UCSC Extension

ABIZAR LAKDAWALLA, Ph.D., MS, DMLT
Director, Proxeom​
Senior Advisor, INanoBio
Partner, ZB AngelFunds
Bioinformatics Instructor, UCSC Extension

EDWARD ROZHON, Ph.D.
Biosciences Instructor / Program Chair
Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, and Clinical Trials Design and Management Programs

Establish Candidacy

Steps for Establishing Candidacy

Establish Candidacy

Grade Requirements

Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.

See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.