Policies
When declaring a bioinformatics major, students must declare whether they will be advised within the Department of Computer Science or the Department of Biological Science. They will be advised within this department until they complete their degree.
It is advised that students get involved in undergraduate research experiences by the start of their junior year, and be spread over multiple terms. All research experiences must be approved beforehand by the student’s bioinformatics adviser. If the research is supervised by a Biological Sciences faculty member, then the student should register for BIOSC 1903. If the research is supervised by a Computer Science faculty member, then the student should register for CS 1950. If the research is supervised by a faculty member outside of these departments, then the student should register for BIOSC 1903 if they are advised within the Department of Biological Sciences, and CS 1950 if they are advised within the Department of Computer Science.
Bioinformatics majors wishing to count a course (not on the approved list of electives) as a bioinformatics elective, should email a request to count this course as an elective, including an explanation why the course is relevant to the student’s bioinformatics related interests, to Kirk Pruhs and Paula Grabowski before enrolling in the course.
Advising
Bioinformatics advising is housed in both the Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Computer Science. For advising information, contact:
Department of Computer Science
Kirk Pruhs: kirk@cs.pitt.edu
Phone: 412-624-8844
Department of Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences Advising
Christine Berliner: christin@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-624-4819