Where biology meets Big Data
This Program is Perfect For
- Individuals with backgrounds in related life sciences who want to gain practical skills in analyzing biological data
- Computer scientists and data professionals branching into biology
- Career-driven learners targeting biotech, pharma, or software industries
Courses
Program Requirements
Total: 6–7 courses (minimum 18 quarter units)
- 4 required courses (12 quarter units)
- 2–3 elective courses (minimum 6 quarter units)
- End with certificate of completion review.
1. Required Course(s):
- Online Traditional Complete online with instructor-set deadlines.
Online Traditional courses have a structured learning environment and fixed deadlines. This course is largely self-study with instructor guidance and includes online learning modules, assignments, and/or quizzes. All course materials and assignments will be available on Canvas, our learning management system.
For this section, student access begins on September 8, but you may still enroll until October 14. All course work must be completed by 11:59 pm on December 9, 2025.
Electronic Course Materials: You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
- Live-Online Attend via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
This class is offered in an online synchronous format. Students are expected to log into this course via Canvas at the start time of scheduled meetings and participate via Zoom, for the duration of each scheduled class meeting.
No meeting on February 18, 2026. To see all meeting dates, click "Full Schedule" below.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
- Online Traditional Complete online with instructor-set deadlines.
黑料不打烊
Online Traditional courses have a structured learning environment and fixed deadlines. This course is largely self-study with instructor guidance and includes online learning modules, assignments, and/or quizzes. All course materials and assignments will be available on Canvas, our learning management system.
For this section, student access begins on January 6. All course work must be completed by 11:59 pm on April 7, 2026.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
Required Tools and Materials: An internet capable computer that has at least 100 gigabytes of free hard disk space.
- Live-Online Attend via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
This class is offered in an online synchronous format. Students are expected to log into this course via Canvas at the start time of scheduled meetings and participate via Zoom, for the duration of each scheduled class meeting.
To see all meeting dates, click "Full Schedule" below.
Students are expected to have computers with Python 3.x, Jupyter Notebooks, libraries: Pandas, Matplotlib and Numpy installed. Installing the Anaconda distribution of Python, gives access to Jupyter Notebooks and all the required libraries. Instructions will be provided.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
Required Text:
"Murach's Python for Data Science", 2nd Edition, by Scott McCoy, published by Murach Books, May 2024. ISBN 978-1943873173
Recommended Text:
"Python for Data Analysis", 3rd Edition, by Wes McKinney, published by O'Reilly Media, Inc. - ISBN 9781098103989
2. Elective Courses:
- Flexible Attend in person or via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
This class meets simultaneously in a classroom and remotely via Zoom. Students are expected to attend and participate in the course, either in-person or remotely, during the days and times that are specified on the course schedule. Students attending remotely are also strongly encouraged to have their cameras on to get the most out of the remote learning experience. Students attending the class in-person are expected to bring a laptop to each class meeting.
To see all meeting dates, click "Full Schedule" below.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
Recommended Texts:
Data Analysis with Open Source Tools, Philipp J. Janert, O'Reilly Media, 2010. ISBN-10: 0596802358, ISBN-13: 978-0596802356.
R Cookbook, Paul Teetor, O'Reilly Media, 2011. ISBN-10: 0596809158, ISBN-13: 978-0596809157.
The Art of R Programming: A Tour of Statistical Software Design, Norman Matloff, No Starch Press, 2011. ISBN-10: 1593273843, ISBN-13: 978-1593273842.
R in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference, Joseph Adler, O' Reilly Media, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-1449312084 ISBN-10: 144931208X
- Flexible Attend in person or via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
This class meets simultaneously in a classroom and remotely via Zoom. Students are expected to attend and participate in the course, either in-person or remotely, during the days and times that are specified on the course schedule. Students attending remotely are also strongly encouraged to have their cameras on to get the most out of the remote learning experience. Students attending the class in-person are expected to bring a laptop to each class meeting.
To see all meeting dates, click “Full Schedule” below.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
- Online Self-Paced Work online at your own pace.
Note: Based on the requirements for special programs, such as CMU, students may complete this course early and receive a letter grade before the official end date. Click here for details.
Online Self-Paced courses have a structured learning environment where students are allowed to complete the work at their own pace. Students may complete the coursework early or use the entire duration of the course. This course is largely self-study with instructor guidance and includes online learning modules, assignments, and/or quizzes. All course materials and assignments will be available at the beginning of the course on Canvas, our learning management system.
For this section, student access begins on September 8, but you may still enroll until October 14. All course work must be completed by 11:59 pm on December 9, 2025.
Electronic Course Materials: You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
System Requirements: Students are required to have access to a computer with a 8GB of RAM preferred (4GB minimum) and the ability to install software. For further details, see
Recommended Text:
Murach's MySQL, 3rd Edition, Joel Murach, Mike Murach & Associates, 2019. ISBN-10: 1943872368 ISBN-13: 978-1943872367
Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours, 5th Edition, Ryan Stephens, et al., Sams Publishing, ISBN-10: 0672335417 ISBN-13: 978-0672335419
- Flexible Attend in person or via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
Students may enroll until the second meeting.
This class meets simultaneously in a classroom and remotely via Zoom. Students are expected to attend and participate in the course, either in-person or remotely, during the days and times that are specified on the course schedule. Students attending remotely are also strongly encouraged to have their cameras on to get the most out of the remote learning experience. Students attending the class in-person are expected to bring a laptop to each class meeting.
2 "no meetings" TBA. To see all meeting dates, click "Full Schedule" below.
Electronic Course Materials: You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
System Requirements: Students are required to have access to a computer with a 8GB of RAM preferred (4GB minimum) and the ability to install software. For further details, see
*Students attending onsite are required to bring a laptop.
Required Tools and Materials: MySQL software
Recommended Text: Sams Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours; Stephens, Plew, and Jones; Pearson Education, 2011.
ISBN: 978-0132603911.
- Online Self-Paced Work online at your own pace.
Note: Based on the requirements for special programs, such as CMU, students may complete this course early and receive a letter grade before the official end date. Click here for details.
Online Self-Paced courses have a structured learning environment where students are allowed to complete the work at their own pace. Students may complete the coursework early or use the entire duration of the course. This course is largely self-study with instructor guidance and includes online learning modules, assignments, and/or quizzes. All course materials and assignments will be available at the beginning of the course on Canvas, our learning management system.
For this section, student access begins on November 4, but you may still enroll until December 9. All course work must be completed by 11:59 pm on February 3, 2025.
Electronic Course Materials: You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
System Requirements: Students are required to have access to a computer with a 8GB of RAM preferred (4GB minimum) and the ability to install software. For further details, see
Recommended Text:
Murach's MySQL, 3rd Edition, Joel Murach, Mike Murach & Associates, 2019. ISBN-10: 1943872368 ISBN-13: 978-1943872367
Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours, 5th Edition, Ryan Stephens, et al., Sams Publishing, ISBN-10: 0672335417 ISBN-13: 978-0672335419
- Online Self-Paced Work online at your own pace.
黑料不打烊
Online Self-Paced courses have a structured learning environment where students are allowed to complete the work at their own pace. Students may complete the coursework early or use the entire duration of the course. This course is largely self-study with instructor guidance and includes online learning modules, assignments, and/or quizzes. All course materials and assignments will be available at the beginning of the course on Canvas, our learning management system.
For this section, student access begins on January 6, but you may still enroll until February 10. All course work must be completed by 11:59 pm on April 7, 2026.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
Note: Based on the requirements for special programs, such as CMU, students may complete this course early and receive a letter grade before the official end date. Click here for details.
System Requirements: Students are required to have access to a computer with a 8GB of RAM preferred (4GB minimum) and the ability to install software. For further details, see
Recommended Text:
Murach's MySQL, 3rd Edition, Joel Murach, Mike Murach & Associates, 2019. ISBN-10: 1943872368 ISBN-13: 978-1943872367
Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours, 5th Edition, Ryan Stephens, et al., Sams Publishing, ISBN-10: 0672335417 ISBN-13: 978-0672335419
- Flexible Attend in person or via Zoom at scheduled times.
黑料不打烊
This class meets simultaneously in a classroom and remotely via Zoom. Students are expected to attend and participate in the course, either in-person or remotely, during the days and times that are specified on the course schedule. Students attending remotely are also strongly encouraged to have their cameras on to get the most out of the remote learning experience. Students attending the class in-person are expected to bring a laptop to each class meeting.
No meetings on January 19 and February 16, 2026. To see all meeting dates, click “Full Schedule” below.
You will be granted access in Canvas to your course site and course materials approximately 24 hours prior to the published start date of the course.
System Requirements: Students are required to have access to a computer with a 8GB of RAM preferred (4GB minimum) and the ability to install software. For further details, see
*Students attending onsite are required to bring a laptop.
Recommended Text:
Teach Yourself SQL in 24 Hours, 5th Edition, Ryan Stephens, et al., Sams Publishing.
3. Completion Review:
Please enroll in the Bioinformatics Certificate Completion Fee only once all of the certificate requirements have been met and your final grades are posted.
Recommended course sequence
After completing the prerequisites, it is recommended that you start with Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools—a Hands-On Approach and Experimental Methods in Molecular Biology. Courses may then be taken in any sequence, unless otherwise specified in the individual course description.
Substitutions
To receive your certificate
Upon completion of the course sequence you may request your Bioinformatics Certificate Completion Review.

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 .
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
黑料不打烊 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. 黑料不打烊 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. 黑料不打烊 Extension offers Genomics and Next Generation DNA Sequencing: Methods and Applications.
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.
See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.
Instructors
Certificate Program Advisory Committee
DARRYL LE?N, Ph.D.
Director of Software Strategy, Agilent Technologies
Instructor | Chair of the Bioinformatics Certificate Program, 黑料不打烊 Extension
See more.
, M.A.
Vice President of Engineering, Software : IoT- Cloud, AI, NLP, Data science, Bio-Rad Laboratories
, Ph.D.
Sr. Research Scientist, Google
, M.S.
Director Bioinformatics, Natera
, Ph.D., M.A.
SVP Research, Seer
, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Bioinformatics and Data Engineering, Korro Bio
