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Science - Biology-Computational-Biology-Track

  • Degree: Bachelor
  • Campus: Beirut, Debbieh, Tripoli
  • Faculty: Science
  • Department: Biological Sciences

Program Description

Computational Biology is a multidisciplinary program, combining biology, and information technology, to explore biological data. This program offers a comprehensive education for the intersection of biological sciences, mathematics and computer science. This program will provide a knowledge for the emerging technologies within the rapidly evolving fields of Computational Biology. Graduates will incorporate computational approaches in Life sciences, and will acquire the skills necessary to analyze biological data and model biological systems. 


Chairperson: Prof. Mahmoud Khalil

Associate Professors: Dr. Jamilah Borjac, Dr. Dalia El Badan

Assistant Professors: Dr. Ghada Khawaja, Dr. Rana El Hajj, Dr. Nawal Hakawaty, Dr. Noura Abu Zeinab

Part-Time Lecturers: Dr. Zeina Soayfane, Dr. Safaa Baydoun, Prof. Mazen Kurdy


The mission of the Computational Biology Track program is to provide students with a strong interdisciplinary foundation in both biological and computational sciences. Graduates will be equipped with the skills needed to analyze biological data, build complex biological systems using updated computational approaches. This curriculum also develops the scientific and technological skills needed by the students to excel in various careers. By providing the opportunities for the students to engage in biological and computational approaches, they will be prepared for employment in technological, research and academic institutions.

The Computational Biology track:

  • Provides undergraduate students with knowledge and understanding of biological concepts and principles.
  • Offer in-depth knowledge in bioinformatics.
  • Provides an opportunity for the students to earn and apply the theoretical knowledge of computational biology and address the real-world biological challenges.
  • Provide students with a strong foundation of the fundamental principles in biology and computer science.
  • Equip students with the proficiency in programming languages and computational techniques, and integrate them in Biology.
  • Prepares students for career options in computational biology, bioinformatics, and related fields.
  • Develops the critical thinking abilities of students and foster the learning experience.
  • Promotes the capacity for

a- Knowledge and understanding:

  1. Develop critical thinking skills by implementing the scientific method through bioinformatics data analysis.
  2. Explain and complete simple applications of the computational biology methods used for DNA, RNA, and protein analysis.
  3. Understand the central dogma of biology and the tools needed for the high throughput biological next-generation sequencing proteomics datasets can help answer fundamental questions about the biology of DNA, RNA, and proteins.
  4. Define systems biology and explain its importance in understanding biology; undertake basic data analyses in systems biology.
  5. Identify common formats for biological data and be able to convert among different formats
  6. Identify the modelling and optimization of those programming languages most commonly used in the field of Life Sciences, so as to develop and evaluate techniques and/or computational tools.
  7. Integrate omics and clinical data for a better understanding of biological phenomena.
  8. Accredit appropriate knowledge, skills and practices in the areas of organism and biosystems biology.

b- Intellectual abilities:

  1. Apply reasoning about core biological concepts with emphasis on the cellular and molecular scale of biology.
  2. Demonstrate comprehension of basic concepts of biological literacy.
  3. Interpret computational biology analyses individually and in collaborative learning environments.
  4. Apply mathematical foundations, algorithmic principles and theories of computer science within the modelling and design of biological systems.
  5. Apply computational methods to solving problems in the ambits of molecular biology, genomics and medical and population genetics research.
  6. Demonstrate the ability to pursue further education as independent professional learning.

c- Professional and Practical Competencies:

  1. Analyze and evaluate bioinformatics data to discover patterns, critically evaluate conclusions and generate predictions for subsequent experiments.
  2. Design, implement and evaluate computer-based systems, processes, components or programs in relation to the contexts of molecular and cellular biology and genomics research.
  3. Acquire a knowledge of biology from the scale of the cellular through to the organism, with an interdisciplinary vision and with special emphasis placed on biomedical applications.
  4. Manage and exploit all types of biological and biomedical information to transform this into knowledge.

d- General and transferable skills:

  1. Work effectively autonomously or collaboratively within a team.
  2. Communicate information relating to computational biology in both written and oral forms.
  3. Develop written and oral communication skills that are crucial to articulating research goals and reporting research results.
  4. Develop computational skills relevant to solving problems in biology.
  5. Develop relevant skills in math, statistics and biology that enable success in the field of computational biology.
  6. Develop analytical skills that will allow them to identify important problems in computational biology and to identify solutions.
  7. Participate in the development of a computational biology research project, defending both the current state of the question in hand and possible strategies for carrying it out.
  8. Work competently in a group on biological concepts in relation to computational biology and bioinformatics.
  9. Summarize fundamental bioinformatics software tools, know when to apply them, and be able to use them.

To obtain the bachelor’s degree in Computational biology, students must successfully complete a total of 97 credit hours and obtain an Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3), where the standard study duration is 6 semesters.

  1. Bioinformatics analyst in a research institution, University, laboratory, pharmaceutical company: to analyse biological data such as DNA sequencing.
  2. Biostatistician.
  3. Software Developer in companies.
  4. Data analyst in research institutions.
  5. Consultant in research organizations and pharmaceutical companies.


I. University Requirements* Credits
* University Mandatory Courses 5
* University Elective Courses 11
II. Program Requirements Credits
Faculty Core Courses 15
Major Core Courses
Major Track Core Courses
43
6
Track Courses 15
Internship 2
Total 97

Faculty and Major Core Courses: 

*A total of 16 credits is required as University Requirements: 5 credits are selected from the University Mandatory courses list. At least one course from social sciences and one course from humanities should be selected among the university elective courses.
Faculty and Major Core Courses: 

Courses Crs. Pre-Co/requisites
BIOL 233 Biology 3
BIOL 233L Biology Laboratory 1 Co-Req: BIOL 233
BIOL 238 Human Physiology 3 Pre-Req: BIOL 233
CHEM 241 Principles of Chemistry 3
CHEM 241L Principles of Chemistry Laboratory 1 Co-Req: CHEM 241
PHYS 243 General Physics 3
PHYS 243L General Physics Laboratory 1 Co-Req: PHYS 243
MATH 250 Biostatistics 3
CHEM 234 Organic Chemistry 3
CHEM 234L Organic Chemistry Laboratory 1 Co-Req: CHEM 234
CMPS 241 Introduction to Programming  3 (Major Track Core Course)
MATH 241Calculus and Analytical Geometry 3 (Major Track Core Course)
BIOL 332 Immunology 2 Pre-Req: BIOL 233
BCHM 331 Biochemistry 3 Pre-Req: CHEM 234
BCHM 331L Biochemistry Laboratory 1 Co-Req: BCHM 331
BIOL 333 Microbiology 3 Pre-Req: BIOL 233
BIOL 333L Microbiology Laboratory 1 Co-Req: BIOL 333
BIOL 334 Cell and Molecular Biology 3 Pre-Req: BIOL 233
BIOL 334L Cell and Molecular Biology Laboratory 1 Co-Req: BIOL 334
BIOL 336 Plant Physiology 3 Co-Req: BIOL 334
BIOL 336L Plant Physiology Laboratory 1 Pre-Req: BIOL 233
BIOL 338 Genetics 3 Co-Req: BIOL 336
BCHM437Endocrinology3Pre-Req: BCHM 331
BIOL 433Developmental Biology3Pre-req: BIOL 233
BIOL433L Developmental Biology Laboratory Co-req: BIOL433
BIOL435Seminar in Biology1
BIOL 432 EcologyPre-req: BIOL 233
BIOL 432LEcology LaboratoryCo-req: BIOL 432
BCHM 434 Biotechnology 3 Pre-Req: BIOL 334
CBIO 444 Internship 2

Computational Biology Track Courses: 

Courses Crs. Pre-Co/requisites
CBIO 301 Applied Bioinformatics 3
CMPS 242 Object Oriented Programming 3 Pre-Req: CMPS241
CMPS 342 Database System (Design and Development) 3 CBIOL 301, CMPS242
MATH 348 ANumerical Methods 3 Pre-Req: MATH241
CMPS 452 Introduction to Data Mining 3 CMPS342 & MATH250

Study Plan:

Course Code Course Title Credits Hours Distribution Course Type
First Semester
BIOL231 Biology I 3 (3crs.: 3lec.) FC
BIOL231L Biology I Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:3Lab) FC
CHEM241 Principles of Chemistry 3 (3Crs.:3Lec) FC
CHEM241L Principles of Chemistry Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:3Lab) FC
MATH241 Calculus and Analytical Geometry 3 (3 Cr.: 3Lec.,0 Tut., 0 Lab.) FC
PHYS243 General Physics 3 (3Crs.:3Lec) FC
PHYS243L General Physics Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:3Lab) FC
------- University Requirements 4 (4 Crs.) CUR
Second Semester
BIOL238 Human Physiology 3 (3Crs.:3Lec) MJC
CHEM234 Organic Chemistry 3 (3Crs.:3 Lec) MJC
CHEM234L Organic Chemistry Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:3Lab) MJC
CMPS241 Introduction to Programming 3 (3Crs.:2 Lec.,2Lab) FC
MATH250 Biostatistics 3 (3 Crs.: 2Lec., 2 Lab.) FC
------- University Requirements 4 (4 Crs.) CUR
Third Semester
BCHM331 Biochemistry  3 (3Crs.:3Lec) MJC
BCHM331L Biochemistry Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2Lab) MJC
BIOL333 Microbiology  3 (3Cr.:3 Lec) MJC
BIOL333L Microbiology Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2 Lab) MJC
BIOL334 Cell And Molecular Biology 3 (3Crs.:3 Lec) FC
BIOL334L Cell And Molecular Biology Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2 Lab) MJC
CMPS242 Object Oriented Programming 3 (3Crs.:2Lec,3Lab) MJC
------- University Requirements 2 (2 Crs.) CUR
Fourth Semester
BIOL332 Immunology  2 (2Cr.:2Lec) MJC
BIOL336 Plant Physiology 3 (3Cr.:3Lec) MJC
BIOL336L Plant Physiology Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2 Lab) MJC
BIOL338 Genetics  3 (3Cr.:3Lec) MJC
MATH348 Numerical Methods 3 (3 Crs.: 2Lec.,0 Tut., 2 Lab.) MJC
------- University Requirements 4 (4 Crs.) CUR
Fifth Semester
BCHM437  Endocrinology 3 (3Crs.:3Lec) MJC
BIOL433  Developmental Biology 3 (3Crs.:3Lec) MJC
BIOL433L Developmental Biology Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2Lab) MJC
CBIO301 Applied Bioinformatics 3 (3Crs.:2Lec,1Lab) DE
CMPS342 Database Systems 3 (3Crs.:2Lec,3Lab) MJC
------- University Requirements 2 (2 Crs.) CUR
Sixth Semester
BCHM434 Biotechnology  3 (3crs.: 3lec.) MJC
BIOL432 Ecology  3 (3Crs.:3Lec) MJC
BIOL432L Ecology Laboratory 1 (1Cr.:2 Lab) MJC
BIOL435 Seminar In Biology 1 (1Cr.:1Lec) MJC
CBIO444 Internship 2 (2 Crs: 2Lec) MJC
CMPS452 Introduction to Data Mining 3 (3Crs.:2Lec,3Lab) DE