Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics
Why Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics?
The Department of Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz offers interdisciplinary M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics, welcoming students from a wide variety of academic fields. A typical cohort includes students with backgrounds in molecular biology, genetics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics. The unifying theme of our programs is applying quantitative approaches to address fundamental questions in biology and biomedical science.
Our coursework equips students with technical skills such as programming, which are essential for independent and advanced scientific discovery. All incoming students complete rigorous core coursework and engage in a rich academic environment through seminars and group meetings, with Ph.D. students further enhancing their training through laboratory rotations. Students work closely with faculty while undertaking capstone projects (M.S.) or dissertation research (Ph.D.), and have first-hand access to state-of-the-art computational tools and laboratory facilities, including cluster computing and high-throughput sequencing facilities.
The Ph.D. program prepares students to lead independent research programs in academic or industry settings. The Ph.D. program accepts students through the BMEB track of the umbrella Program in Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (PBSE). The program duration is typically five to seven years.
For more information about our graduate programs, contact the graduate advisor.
4+1 Pathway to BME
The bioinformatics concentration of the Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics (BME) B.S. provides excellent preparation for a graduate program in bioinformatics. We offer a contiguous B.S./M.S. degree pathway that allows those students to complete the M.S. somewhat sooner than students with a less-tailored preparation.
To apply for the combined pathway, students apply to the M.S. program through the normal graduate admission process in the fall of their senior year. If admitted into the graduate program, they are automatically included in the combined 4+1 pathway.
Biomolecular Engineering at UC Santa Cruz spans multiple research areas
Bioinformatics / computational biology
Biotechnology / infectious diseases / immunoengineering
Computational and experimental systems biology
Nanotechnology / technology development
Stem cell research
Graduate studies in genomics
The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute is an organized research unit (ORU) that has affiliated faculty throughout campus whose graduate students work on a variety of genomics-related projects. To become a part of the Genomics Institute, prospective students must first apply to a UCSC graduate program and then select a Genomics Institute affiliated faculty member as their main advisor.
Although we have affiliate labs throughout campus, the two main programs that contribute graduate students to the Genomics Institute are the graduate programs in Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics and Biomolecular Sciences and Engineering.
Meet your BME advising team
Drop-in advising hours
Tuesday – Thursday, 1:00pm – 3:00pm, in person (location: E2-595)
Wednesday, 1:00-pm – 3:00pm, in person (location: Westside Research Park)
Graduate Director
