Life sciences
VCU entered a new era when it implemented, as one of its highest priorities, VCU Life Sciences, created in response to the need to prepare students for the anticipated growth in new life sciences jobs in the coming decades. The skills identified for these jobs require highly inter- or multidisciplinary approaches, often falling between the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. The way that the life sciences are understood and taught is likely to be fundamentally different, with increasing emphasis on systems biosciences as an important complement to more traditional, purely reductive approaches.
VCU Life Sciences offers two undergraduate degree programs — environmental studies and bioinformatics. Each program is administered by a specialty center functioning as a department within VCU Life Sciences.
Because bioinformatics is a broad field attracting students from varied backgrounds and with interests in biology, chemistry, math or computer science, the bioinformatics program offers three tracks: biological/genomic, computational and quantitative/statistical bioinformatics. While students in the program receive some interdisciplinary training in all these topics, the tracks allow students to concentrate primarily on whichever topic — molecular biology, computer science or statistics — fits best with their interests and strongest skills.
The bioinformatics program has its own competitive admissions process, and not all students qualified for admission to VCU are accepted into the bioinformatics program. Students initially denied admission into bioinformatics who are granted general admission to VCU may seek advising regarding other attractive majors available to them or how further academic preparation and achievement could help them reapply more successfully to bioinformatics at a later date.
To prepare students effectively and efficiently for entry into career positions requiring graduate science training, VCU Life Sciences also offers master’s degree programs in both environmental studies and bioinformatics, with options including a thesis-based M.S. and a professional science master’s degree.
In addition to the curriculum requirements existing for each academic degree program, all students seeking a baccalaureate degree within VCU Life Sciences are required to fulfill the general education requirements.
Degree programs
Transfer policies
Transfer students who plan to enroll in the undergraduate programs in the VCU Life Sciences must meet the admission requirements of the university.
Transfer students applying for the bioinformatics major are expected to specify which track they wish to choose (biological/genomic, computational, quantitative/statistical). To be considered for the bioinformatics program, transfer students should present a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or better in all hours attempted at all accredited colleges attended, with a preferred GPA of at least 3.0 overall in their math, science and/or computer science courses. Students with fewer than 30 semester/45 quarter hours are also evaluated on their high school academic performance and, if under 22 years of age at the time of enrollment, SAT or ACT scores.
Transfer students from VCCS and RBC will follow existing articulation agreements with VCU and enroll in the recommended courses. Preference is given to applicants who exceed the minimum GPA requirements and have excelled in math, science and/or computer science.
Additional information
Questions concerning the transferability of courses into VCU Life Sciences should be directed to the appropriate program director.
Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU Life Sciences
Center for the Study of Biological Complexity
Bioinformatics Program Coordinator
1000 West Cary Street
P.O. Box 842030
Richmond, Virginia 23284-2030
Phone: (804) 828-0559
Fax: (804) 828-1961
E-mail: hsemery@vcu.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU Life Sciences
Center for Environmental Studies
Director of the Undergraduate Program in Environmental Studies
1000 West Cary Street
P.O. Box 843050
Richmond, Virginia 23284-3050
Phone: (804) 828-7202
Fax: (804) 828-1622
E-mail: jcfox@vcu.edu
