Students may pursue a Bachelor of Arts (AB) or a Bachelor of Science (ScB). Students pursuing the ScB have the option of electing a concentration in Computational Biology with one of three focus areas: Computer Sciences, Biological Sciences, or Applied Mathematics & Statistics. Both programs require a senior capstone experience that pair students and faculty in creative research collaborations.

What are the requirements for the concentration?

Prospective students are encouraged to review the concentration requirements in the Computational Biology Bulletin and may email ccmb@brown.edu if they have any questions. 

When do I need to declare my concentration by? 

Students must declare their first concentration by the middle of their fourth semester (the official date will be on that year's academic calendar). Students will not be able to preregister for their fifth semester courses until they have done so. If a student is double concentrating, they must declare their second concentration by the end of their penultimate semester. More information can be found here. 

How do I declare the concentration?

Once you have reviewed the Computational Biology concentration requirements, you can declare your concentration in ASK and fill out the Program Plan. If you have trouble with ASK, the OIT Knowledge Base is a very helpful resource and you can also reach out to the Academic Programs Manager with any questions. 

Do I need to identify a faculty advisor before declaring?

You may identify your own advisor if you wish or you can let us assign you an advisor.  If you don't list a preferred advisor, we will match you up with someone appropriate (based on a combination of your interests and the existing advising loads of the faculty).  Please note that even if you list a preferred advisor, we may need to assign you to someone else based on how many advisees your requested advisor is able to take on at the time you declare.

Do I need to complete a capstone?

Yes, all students enrolled in the computational biology concentration (both AB and ScB) are required to complete a capstone research project in their senior year under faculty supervision. The themes of such projects evolve with the field and the technology, but should represent a synthesis of the various specialties of the program. The requirements are either:

1. One semester of reading and research (i.e.: BIOL 1950/1960, CSCI 1970, APMA 1970) with a CCMB Faculty member or approved advisor resulting in an advanced research project.
2. A 2000-level Computational Biology course that covers an advanced topic within the Computational Biology field and includes an advanced research component. Please note that some 2000-level courses are not available to undergraduate students due to department restrictions but have 1000-level equivalents (such as BIOL 1545/2545) that can count for capstone credit with approval from the instructor and the student's faculty advisor. Please reach out to the CCMB Academic Programs Manager for more information.

How can I pursue Honors in this concentration? 

Please review the information on our Honors Designation page and reach out to ccmb@brown.edu with any questions.