Pruning – the CCB can select the most crucial topics from the suite of courses generally taught;
Maturity – graduate students have already learned effective study habits and can work at a faster pace than undergraduates;
Commitment – students who wish to pursue this area of learning are willing to work hard get up to speed.

To enter the Certificate program you must have a B.S. degree, working knowledge of some computer language (such as C or C++), course work in probability and statistics (comparable to MATH 3800), and at least one of the following background requirements:

Bioscience: B.S. in Biology or coursework in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Computer Science: B.S. in Computer Science or coursework in algorithms, data structures, database systems, and programming.
Applied Mathematics: B.S. in Mathematics or coursework in linear algebra, differential equations, and mathematical modeling.

All courses for the certificate must be completed with a grade of  B- or better.  Additionally, an overall gradepoint average of 3.0 (out of 4.0) must be obtained.

Depending on which background requirement you fulfill (see admission requirements) you will be required to take either two of the preparatory courses or one preparatory course plus an approved elective.   Please read Elective Courses for CCB Certificate Program for a list of recommended electives and instructions for obtaining approval for an elective.  The preparatory courses are as follows:

BIOL 5099: Biology for Computer Scientists, Engineers, and Mathematicians.  This course introduces the language and underlying concepts of biology: the foundations of life, evolution, genetic code, and biochemical processes.  This course cannot be applied toward a graduate degree in Biology. 

CSC 5098: Computer Science for Bioscientists.  The course provides a broad but detailed overview of the computer science field to graduate students in the biosciences, with an emphasis on web technologies, programming languages, algorithms, and database systems.   Prereq: working knowledge of a programming language (e.g. Java, Perl, etc.).  This course cannot be applied toward a graduate degree in Computer Science or Mathematics.

MATH 5198: Mathematics for Bioscientists. This is a crash course of basic and relevant topics covered in Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (MATH 3195), Applied Graph Theory (MATH 4408), and Continuous Modeling (MATH 4791).   Prereq:  Calculus II (MATH 2411).  This course cannot be applied toward a graduate degree in Mathematics or Computer Science.

Students from Bioscience backgrounds typically take both C SC 5098, and MATH 5198.  Students from Math or Computer Science backgrounds typically take  BIOL 5099 and an approved elective. 

All participants in the Certificate program must complete all three of the following courses.

MATH 5396: Introduction to Bayesian Statistics. 
MATH 5610: Computational Biology.
CSC 5840 or MATH 5840:  Independent Study: Complex programming project.  Prerequisite: completion of 9 credit hours of coursework toward the certificate.   A proposal for the independent study must be submitted and approved prior to registration (this process may take several weeks).   Please read the Certificate Project Rules and Guidelines for instructions on selecting advisors, writing the proposal, and registering for the independent study.

All coursework for the Certificate program must be completed no later than 3 years after admission to the program.  Extensions to this time limit require approval by the CCB Director, who may impose additional requirements.
All applicants to the Certificate program are required to grant permission to the CCB to contact the applicant’s employer (after the applicant has completed the Certificate program) as a means to evaluate the Certificate program’s contribution to job performance.

For application forms and more information contact Theresa Ferg, Administrative Certificate Coordinator at ccbcertificate@cudenver.edu or 303-556-8897, or download the Non-degree Application plus the supplement (MSWord document).

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
The certificate program may be taken as a stand alone program or in conjunction with an advanced degree program. Students are encouraged to enroll in both a degree program and the certificate program for the following reasons:

If enrolled in just the certificate program, a student is considered a non-degree student. As such, if the student then applies to graduate school, only 6 credit hours from the certificate program will be transferred to an advanced degree program.

To have all certificate program credits (15 credit hours) count toward an advanced degree program, the student MUST be enrolled in a graduate program (see list under Degree Programs) plus the certificate program at the same time.

Generally, transfer of credits into the certificate program is not allowed. Therefore, it is not possible to transfer credits from an advanced degree program into the certificate program. An exception is, if a required course is not available at UC Denver during the academic year but is available on another campus or at another university, the credit earned from the equivalent course may be transferred to the certificate program; however, YOU MUST OBTAIN APPROVAL from the Certificate Program BEFORE ENROLLING in the equivalent course.