This is a copy of a document written by Logan and Miler that appears (possiby in updated form) on the GCB Wiki. This is current as of 8/30/07.

What Courses To Take?

This section is mainly aimed at new students planning their first semester and beyond. Since we're an interdisciplinary program with students from varying backgrounds and research interests, it's not always obvious what courses students should take. For starters, incoming students typically take GCB 531 in their first semester, and GCB 536 in their second semester. That leaves two other course slots to choose from in each semester. Below is an overview of courses typically taken in each of the three core areas. For course descriptions, follow the links to individual pages, which should ultimately lead to entries in the official course register.

Statistics

Courses Mentioned: BIOL 446, STAT 430/510, STAT 431/511, STAT 512, STAT 550, BSTA 630, ENM 503

GCB Requirements: one course from this list

There are a few different flavors of probability/statistics classes, and the choice of which one(s) to take should depend equally on your background and your research interests. You probably shouldn't attempt to take a course for which you have none of the prerequisites, but this is not to say that you should sit through a class in which you already know two-thirds of the material as an alternative to taking a more advanced class that is more appropriate for your research, where you might have to do a little bit of extra work to fill the gaps in your knowledge. Below are listed some of the common entry point classes for GCB students. There are plenty of interesting, more advanced classes out there, but you would typically not take those until after taking one of the classes below. Additionally, the textbook Statistical Methods in Bioinformatics by Warren Ewens and Greg Grant is an excellent reference for students in the program. It covers many of the topics students tend to use in their research or see on the Prelim Exam.

1. BIOL 446: Statistics for Biologists
   This is an excellent introduction to probability and statistics for students who have had little or no exposure to either. Basically no prerequisites to worry about for GCB students. However, students from computational backgrounds would probably find the course too slow.
   
   
2. STAT 510 (STAT 430): Probability
   This is a course in probability theory, which students usually take before taking a full-on statistics class. If you're a math/engineering major, you've probably already had this. If you're a computer scientist, it may be something you've picked up in bits and pieces. Students in the latter category could skip this course and jump into STAT 511 - this is not necessarily an ideal situation, but if you're more interested in the hypothesis testing and the like, and feel you can pick up what you need along the way, then it might be the way to go. That said, 510 is useful knowledge to have, especially if you're going to take a more theoretical route in your research.
   
   
3. STAT 511 (STAT 431): Statistics
   Your standard intro statistics class, assuming knowledge of probability theory and a solid grounding in math (calculus, linear algebra (less important)).
   
   
4. BSTA 630: Statistical Methods for Data Analysis I
   This is geared toward the biostatistics graduate students, and as such is somewhat of a more clinical treatment of the material than the comparable statistics department offering. You probably would want a grounding in probability theory and exposure to linear algebra and multivariate calculus, but this is on par with what you'd need for STAT 511.
   
   
5. ENM 503: Introduction to Probability and Statistics
   This course is naturally geared toward engineers, but it claims to cover a fair amount of probability theory along with the statistics, at a more advanced level than BIOL 446 - as such, it's an attractive alternative to 446 or the comparable Stat Dept. offerings. Calculus is the only prerequisite, though you should be very comfortable with math to choose this over BIOL 446
   
   
6. STAT 512 (BSTA 621): Mathematical Statistics
   For students who want a more rigorous mathematical treatment of statistical theory, this or the more advanced STAT 550 is the way to go. This is a good background to have if you're interested in machine learning. You'll want a solid background in math (advanced calculus) and probably some linear algebra and probability theory to feel comfortable in this class. STAT 512 is the first in a two-part series that biostatistics students take. Statistics graduate students jump straight into the second part (STAT 550); there's probably some amount of overlap, but that's not necessarily a bad thing given the difficulty of the material. Traditionally, students are required to have taken basic probability and statistics before attempting this; it is feasible to jump straight in, but possibly not entirely comfortable, depending on your math background.
   
   
7. STAT 550: Mathematical Statistics
   See comment for STAT 512. You will definitely want to be comfortable with calculus analysis (limits, sums, ...) before attempting this.

Biology

Courses Mentioned: BIOL 527, BIOL 421/528, BIOM 600, BIOM 555, BMB 508

GCB Requirements: CAMB 550; at least one of BIOM 600, BIOM 555, or BMB 508; you are strongly encouraged to take more than one, especially if you have a minimal biology background.

1. The Novice
   If you've never taken a college-level biology class or even AP Biology in high school, you might want to take BIOL 527, which is an undergraduate level genetics/molecular biology class masquerading as a graduate-level course. Frankly, it will cover material that you will see again, and at a very basic level at that. So we would really discourage you from taking it.
   The better alternative is to start out with BIOL 528, a molecular genetics course that nominally requires BIOL 527 as a prerequisite. Again, this is an undergrad course being cross-listed as a graduate course, so no graduate student should have much trouble with it, even without BIOL 527. At the same time (or possibly during the summer before) you should skim through the textbook used for BIOL 527, which is Snustad & Simmons' Principles of Genetics to get more fundamental explanations for the more difficult concepts. This will be a difficult experience, but hey, you're here to learn, right?
   In the spring, you should take CAMB 550, Principles of Genetics. You may also be prepared to take BIOM 555 (Control of Gene Expression). An alternative would be to take BIOL 402, a biochemistry course. This is good preparation for either BMB 508 or BIOM 600, which you could take the following year.
   
   
2. Intermediate
   If you don't have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in biology, you fall into this category. If you're not comfortable with molecular biology, you can take BIOL 528, bearing in mind that there is some amount of overlap with the more advanced BIOM 555 (Control of Gene Expression), which is offered in the spring. Alternatively, you can take BIOM 600, a cell biology course that the majority of BGS students take in their first or second years. BIOM 600 is frankly an infinity of information crammed into a finite-length course. Not everyone enjoys the experience, but the material is fundamental and definitely worth having. You may also consider taking BMB 508 if you think it will be applicable to your research, though it may be a bit more work if you don't have much of a biochemistry background (though not nearly as much as BIOM 600).
   
   
3. Advanced
   You have the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in biology. This presumeably means that you're comfortable with biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology. BIOM 600 is still worth taking, because an undergraduate class on Cell Biology is not a replacement for this course. BMB 508 (Macromolecular biophysics) is also an option. You could also consider looking into some upper-division seminars from CAMB, BMB or Biology, if you can convince the advising committee that you have sufficient cell biology under your belt or it's irrelevant to your research interests. If you go that route, you should be planning on taking BIOM 555 in the spring (one of BIOM 600, 555, and BMB 508 is required of all GCB students).

Computer Science

Courses Mentioned: CIT 591, 592, 594, 596; CIS 502, 520, 550, 677; BIOL/GCB 536

GCB Requirements: at least one of CIS 502, CIS 520, CIS 550, or another appropriately advanced computer science course. Students without a computer science undergraduate degree or equivalent should plan on taking CIS 502. All students take BIOL 536.

1. The Novice
   This is a difficult position to be in, as it takes a lot of work to become comfortable with both the practical and theoretical side of computer science. A couple of students have taken parts one and two of the CIT java programming series (CIT 591 & 594), which is at best semi-useful -- i.e., they learned something, but it wasn't the most efficient path toward knowledge. Another possible first course is CIT 592, which is not a programming class but rather a discrete math / computer science theory class -- it's a useful "gateway" class to get you in the computer science mindset. Both theory (thinking computationally) and programming (designing computational things) are crucial for any GCB student, though students (as well as faculty) don't always agree which should be tackled first -- some argue that starting with theory is best, while others say that starting with practical programming is best. Be aware that all three of the core CIS courses (502, 520, and 550) tend to be focused on theory, so you should not expect to get practical programming experience from these courses.
   Regardless of what you do in the fall, in the spring, you have to take BIOL 536, computational biology, and it is highly suggested you do a programming project for that course. You might also consider taking CIT 596, Theory of Computation, which is not necessarily all relevant, but again is excellent mental preparation for CIS 502, an algorithms course, which you should take the following spring -- the computational portion of the Prelim Exam covers a lot of basic algorithms and related analysis that are covered in this class.
   
   
2. Intermediate
   You are probably well prepared to take CIS 550, databases, in the fall. If you have a strong math background, you could also take CIS 520, a machine learning course. You should definitely take CIS 502 in the spring.
   
   
3. Advanced
   Plan on taking one of the 500-level CIS courses listed above. There are also relevant upper-division seminars that are offered occasionally such as CIS 677 (advanced algorithms) that you might consider. You should probably focus on filling any holes in your CS education by taking broadly-applicable fundamental CS courses, rather than anything too specialized right away.

Other Comments

One issue that has made life trickier for some first year students is balancing the overall course load. BIOM 555, BIOM 600, CIS 502, and CIS 520 are all heavy workload classes and generally only one of these should be taken at a time, especially in the first semester. Many students who took BIOM 600 and CIS 520 at the same time were very stressed and unhappy as a result. Thus, no one should be advised to take two such core courses in their first semester.