Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
About
- Be able to formulate a research question, devise a plan to answer it, and independently implement it, as evidenced by passing their preliminary exam and the dissertation defense.
- Have a minimum of one paper submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. The manuscript should be directly related to their dissertation project, and they should have contributed a substantial part of the work and authorship. However, the expectation is that a typical dissertation consists of 2-4 independently publishable manuscripts.
- Be able to communicate science clearly as evidenced by oral presentations, poster presentations, and the writing of articles, grant proposals, or both.
- Be able to program: develop and encode methods for data discovery and/or analysis (as opposed to the exclusive deployment of existing software and tools for computational analyses).
- Be experts in both the biological and computational components of their fields of study.
- Meeting these expectations is built into BCB course requirements and POS committee expectations. The major professor, or the major professor and co-major professor jointly, must be competent to oversee the interdisciplinary research required of students. Care should be taken that each student supervised in the program shall be able to receive unhindered guidance in both fields, to best serve the programs requirements.
Requirements
Entry Requirements
Baseline Academic Requirements
Admission to the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering departmental graduate degree programs is contingent upon the following requirements, which will differ between degree programs:
All Degree Programs
- Undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale. Official documentation that meets the requirements of the Graduate College must be provided in the application. Students with a GPA below 3.0 may be admitted in some cases, with permission of the Graduate College.
- International (non-English speaking) students need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Minimum scores for admission are: TOEFL Paper (PBT) – 550; TOEFL Internet (iBT) – 79; IELTS – 6.5
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees
- The requirements listed for all degree programs above, plus:
- Bachelors of Science degree in engineering, OR Bachelors of Science degree, non-engineering with:
- Math through differential equations
- College-level physics, chemistry, and biology
- Documented competence in engineering sciences, for example: statics, mechanics of materials, dynamics, fluids, thermodynamics
For applicants with a non-engineering BS degree, the ABE Graduate Programs Committee, in concert with the ABE Engineering Curriculum Committee, will review an applicant’s academic record and transcripts with respect to above requirements.
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering M.E. Degree
- The requirements listed for all degree programs above, plus:
- Bachelors of Science degree in engineering
Industrial and Agricultural Technology M.S. and Ph.D. Degrees
- The requirements listed for all degree programs above, plus:
- Bachelors of Science degree in science, technology, or engineering
The Graduate Programs Committee, which is responsible for making decisions to admit students, will examine the complete application package, including GRE scores and GPA, when evaluating applications.
English Requirements
- PTEMin 53
- IELTSMin 7.5
- TOEFLMin 79
Fee Information
How to Apply
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Submit your application.
You can apply through the University of Iowa application, the Common Application, or the Coalition Application. We make admission decisions on a rolling basis beginning in September based on college-specific admission requirements.
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Pay the application fee.
The $40 application fee is non-refundable.
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Have your ACT or SAT scores sent by the testing agency.
Our institution code is 1356 for the ACT; 6681 for the SAT.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Iowa State University
United States of America, Ames