This certificate is based upon a set of core courses that currently support the Biology, MS; the Biosciences, PhD; the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, MS; and the Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, PhD degree programs. Students completing this certificate will receive the most up-to-date advanced education available in the region. Completion of the certificate will enhance the careers of those students who are already working in this area, and can also serve as a useful intermediate step towards later enrollment in master's or doctoral programs.
Courses are generally offered in the late afternoon or in the evening to accommodate students with full-time employment outside of the university.
This certificate may be pursued on a part-time or full-time basis.
Admissions
University-wide admissions policies can be found in the Graduate Admissions Policies section of this catalog.
To apply for this program, please complete the George Mason University Admissions Application.
Prospective students should hold an undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or current employment in clinical or translational research, diagnostics lab, or biological data analysis field.
To be considered for admission, applicants must submit the George Mason University Admissions Application, all undergraduate transcript(s), three letters of recommendation, a statement of interest, and GRE general scores or MCAT scores.
Policies
Students may not enroll initially in any College of Science master's or doctoral program and later transfer into this certificate program.
For policies governing all graduate programs, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.
Premium Tuition
This certificate charges students a differential tuition rate of $100 per credit hour, which is added to the standard graduate tuition rate (regardless of in or out of state status).
Certificate Requirements
Total credits: 15
This certificate may be pursued on a full-or part-time basis.
Students should refer to the Admissions & Policies tab for specific policies related to this program.
Required Core Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 562 | Personalized Medicine | 3 |
| BIOL 572 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| or BIOL 666 | Human Genetics Concepts for Health Care | |
| BIOS 743 | Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 6 credits from any of these electives: | 6 | |
| Advanced Topics in Immunology | ||
| Cancer Genomics | ||
| Advanced Topics in Molecular Genetics | ||
| Selected Topics in Genetics | ||
| Pathogenic Microbiology | ||
| Advanced Eukaryotic Cell Biology | ||
| Seminar in Molecular, Microbial, and Cellular Biology | ||
| Systems Biology | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Bioinformatics Methods | ||
| Molecular Biotechnology | ||
| Gene Expression Analysis | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| 1 | Credit for these two courses may only be applied toward the certificate's elective courses if the research topic is relevant to personalized or translational medicine. |