Bachelor of Science - Informatics

The Bachelor of Science degree in Informatics aims to prepare students to apply their informatics expertise to an emphasis area of interest. By providing a broad foundation in computing and data analysis, consisting of computer science, programming, software engineering, statistics, and mathematics expertise, with in-depth study in an emphasis area, this program prepares graduates for a broad range of interdisciplinary careers in industry, government, and academic organizations or further post-graduate study. This program focuses on the practical application of computing and data analysis expertise to a broad range of domains. Study in this program is initially grounded in rigorous coursework that gives students the opportunity to master foundational computing and data analysis skills as well as gain in-depth knowledge in a scientific area closely associated with their emphasis, i.e. biology for the bioinformatics emphasis, ecology for the ecoinformatics emphasis, and astronomy for the Astroinformatics emphasis.

Continued study in the Informatics program is focused on undergraduate research and problem-based learning closely supervised by a faculty mentor with specialized expertise. Students in the bioinformatics emphasis will focus on applications and building expertise in cellular and molecular biology, including genetic and genomic analyses and the study of microbiology and disease mechanisms. Students in the ecoinformatics emphasis will have opportunities to study ecosystem and microorganism dynamics with applications in conservation and managing global environmental change. Students electing the Astroinformatics emphasis will focus on applications in solar system mechanics, object motion, and observation and imaging analyses. During their junior and senior years in the program, students will embed in the research lab of a faculty mentor working on problems appropriate to each student’s emphasis and research interests. As a member of a collaborative research group, students will have the opportunity to strengthen their computing and data analysis skills, gain extensive hands-on experience in informatics applications and emphasis-appropriate tools and methods, and develop innovative methods to help answer critically-important scientific questions. Furthermore, this experience will result in tangible outcomes, such as software packages and tools, scientific papers, and conference presentations, all of which support students’ future career goals in either industry, government, or academia and post-graduate study.

The program is strengthened by the broad range of collaborations and partnerships with many other academic units and research centers, including: Center for Bioengineering Innovation, Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research, Department of Biological Sciences, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, and School of Forestry. The faculty also work with regional research collaborators such as Translational Genomics Research Institute, Northern Arizona Healthcare, and Flagstaff Medical Center, North Country HealthCare, United States Geological Survey, and Northern Arizona Planetary Science Alliance.