MS-CB Curriculum

Curriculum Overview

The first half of the program contains the foundation and competency courses. These courses include the necessary fundamentals in mathematics, biology, and computer science, and provide training in quantitative biology and bioinformatics. The second half of the program is dedicated mainly to thesis research. Students will join one of our top-notch research labs to work on an independent project, develop more specialized expertise, and increase skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and science communication.

Typical Training Timeline

Fall Term

Data Structures and Algorithms for Computational Biology

Dynamic Models in Biology

Cellular and Molecular Biology

Applied Machine Learning    

MS-CB Thesis Research Exploration 1

Spring Term

Analysis of Next-Generation Sequencing Data

Functional Interpretation of High-Throughput Data

Quantitative Genomics & Genetics

Career Development in Computational Biology

MS-CB Thesis Research Exploration 2

Responsible Conduct of Research  

Possible Elective

Summer Term

MS-CB Thesis Research 1

Possible Elective

Fall 2 Term

MS-CB Thesis Research 2

Elective

Winter 2 Term (January-February)

MS-CB Thesis Research 3

Electives

Electives can be chosen among WCGS and Cornell Tech offerings, with prior program director approval. These include courses on biomedical entrepreneurship, optimization methods, biostatistics, health informatics, signal processing, Bayesian estimation, magnetic resonance imaging, genomic innovation, etc.