Example Coursework

Some courses may be listed at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. You should register for the graduate level course (500 and above). If it is cross-listed between departments, then it is up to you to decide which one to register for based on your curriculum requirements (this page does not show cross-listings).

  • Courses for past, present and future terms can be viewed in the Yale Course Search.
  • Any course that is added to the Primary Worksheet in that system will appear in Canvas and in SIS (Student Information System)which is where official registration is submitted for approval by the DGS.
  • If you need any special forms such as extended registration or a course waiver or schedule change, they can usually be found under the University Registrar’s Office.

Students may be able to waive some course requirements based on graduate coursework completed at other universities where they have been enrolled as a graduate student. Courses must be equivalent to Yale graduate courses, and the Graduate School usually sets a maximum limit of three courses that can waived. 

CBB students have also participated in training programs such as Yale’s Integrated Graduate Program in Physical Engineering Biology (PEB) and BBS-run programs such as the Medical Research Scholars Program (MRSP) and the Yale Cancer Biology Training Program (CBTP). These programs include additional coursework that may or may not count towards CBB requirements.

All students who have finished their course requirements should register for QUAL 999. Those who have finished their qualifying exam register for DISR 999 instead.

Please note that some course titles might change over time e.g. CB&B 740 was formerly called Clinical and Translational Informatics. Also keep in mind that not all courses (including the ones listed below) are offered every semester or year, so be sure to check the course catalog prior to registration. The “a” after a course number represents a fall course and the “b” represents a spring course.

Jump to: CBB, Biology, Informatics (Computer Science, Statistics), Ethics


Courses in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

CBB students are required to take the following CBB core courses: CB&B 740, CB&B 752 and either CB&B 750 or CB&B 562. In addition, students also take the year-long sequence of lab rotations (711, 712, 713). These courses are highlighted in bold below, along with a selection of other CBB courses:

  • CB&B 523b: Biological Physics (every other year)
  • CB&B 550a: Introduction to Neuroinformatics
  • CB&B 555a: Unsupervised Learning for Big Data
  • CB&B 562b: Modeling Biological Systems II
  • CB&B 567b: Topics in Deep Learning: Methods and Biomedical Applications (every other year)
  • CB&B 634a: Computational Methods in Informatics
  • CB&B 638a: Clinical Database Management Systems and Ontologies
  • CB&B 645b: Statistical Methods in Computational Biology
  • CB&B 647b: Statistical Methods in Human Genetics
  • CB&B 663b: Deep Learning Theory and Applications
  • CB&B 711a: 1st Lab Rotation
  • CB&B 712b: 2nd Lab Rotation
  • CB&B 713b: 3rd Lab Rotation
  • CB&B 740a: Introduction to Health Informatics
  • CB&B 745b: Advanced Topics in Machine Learning and Data Mining
  • CB&B 750b: Core Topics in Biomedical Informatics
  • CB&B 752b: Biomedical Data Science: Mining and Modeling (not offered in 2023-2024)

Courses in Biological Sciences

Courses are available in many biology-related departments, including Cell Biology (CBIO), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (E&EB), Engineering and Applied Science (ENAS), Genetics (GENE), Immunology (IBIO), Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B), Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB), Pathology (PATH) and Physiology (PHYS).

A selection of courses that CBB students have taken in the past include:

  • CBIO 602a: Molecular Cell Biology
  • E&EB 525b: Evolutionary Biology
  • ENAS 517b: Methods and Logic in Interdisciplinary Research [for students in PEB]
  • ENAS 991a: Integrated Workshop [for students in PEB]
  • GENE 625a: Basic Concepts: Genetics Analysis
  • GENE 777b: Mechanisms of Development
  • IBIO 530a: Biology of the Immune System
  • MB&B 600a: Principles of Biochemistry I
  • MB&B 602a: Molecular Cell Biology
  • MB&B 743b: Advanced Eukaryotic Molecular Biology
  • MCDB 550a: Physiological Systems [for students in MRSP]
  • MCDB 570b: Biotechnology
  • PATH 650b: Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cancer [for students in CBTP]
  • PATH 690a: Molecular Mechanisms of Disease [for students in MRSP]

Courses in Informatics

Computer Science Courses

Courses are available in Computer Science and other departments. A selection of courses that CBB students have taken include the following:

  • CPSC 524b: Parallel Programming Techniques
  • CPSC 537a: Introduction to Database Systems
  • CPSC 545a: Introduction to Data Mining
  • CPSC 570b: Artificial Intelligence

Statistics Courses

Many CBB students have taken the following statistics courses:

  • S&DS 538a: Probability and Statistics for Scientists
  • S&DS 645b: Statistical Methods in Genetics and Bioinformatics
  • S&DS 660b: Multivariate Statistical Methods

Other courses that CBB students have taken include the following:

  • BIS 623a: Applied Regression Analysis
  • S&DS 530ab: Data Exploration and Analysis
  • S&DS 541a: Probability Theory
  • S&DS 542b: Theory of Statistics
  • S&DS 551b: Stochastic Processes
  • S&DS 610a: Statistical Inference
  • S&DS 612a: Linear Models
  • S&DS 661b: Data Analysis
  • S&DS 665b: Data Mining and Machine Learning

Research Ethics Courses

These half-semester courses are required by the NSF and must be taken by first-years and by fourth-years. The first-year course is typically shared with several other BBS tracks and meets once a week for 10 sessions. The fourth-year course will meet once as a large group and four times as a program.

  • CB&B 601b: Responsible Conduct of Research
  • BBS 503b: RCR Refresher for Senior BBS Students