Curriculum

Note: the BMI Curriculum has changed. Students starting after July 1, 2018 should use the new curriculum, which is described on the ExploreDegrees pages. Others should follow what is on this page.

Curriculum (admitted before July 1, 2018)

Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, and Engineering Electives

  • STATS 315A is recommended, not required.
 

Curriculum (admitted before Aug 1, 2016)

BMI Core Courses (12 units)

  • Required: BIOMEDIN 212 and the three courses from the list below.
  • The core course websites (may need SUNet ID to view) are:
    • BIOMEDIN 202 Biomedical Data Science
    • BIOMEDIN 212 Introduction to Biomedical Informatics Research Methodology
    • BIOMEDIN 214 Representations and Algorithms for Computational Molecular Biology
    • BIOMEDIN 215 Data Driven Medicine
  • For PhD students who have received waivers (see below) for any of the core courses, then you should replace them with an equivalent number of units from another BIOMEDIN course, or CS/Stats/Math/Eng elective. You may, with permission, also replace waivered courses with BMI 299 units.
  • HCP students: Note that BIOMEDIN 212 is a project class that has to-date been only available on campus, so you are currently exempt (replace with other course from BMI, or from the CS/Stats/Math/Eng electives, as below). We have contemplated offering a remote version of 212, so please contact us if you are interested.
  • Core courses should be taken for grade, not pass/fail (all students).

Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, and Engineering Electives (24 units)

  • See our electives page for the full list.
  • If the course does appear on the list, then it is in principle acceptable, but realize that your entire elective list must be approved. This is to ensure some degree of coherence and to avoid excessive overlap of course material. It is therefore possible to submit an elective list, all of whose courses are listed, but which considered together would not be approved.
  • Note that CS 107 and CS 108 can count towards the CS/Stats/Math/Eng category. CS 106A, B cannot count for this category, but can be counted as Unrestricted Electives.
  • BIOMEDIN 224 and BIOMEDIN 258 are basically courses in biology and medicine, so don't count as this category. All other BIOMEDIN courses can count in this category, if needed.
  • Up to 9 units can be 100-199 level; the rest must be 200 and above.
  • Up to 8 units can be taken pass/fail. 

Social and Ethical Issues Electives (4 units)

  • To find all the approved courses in this category, type "bmi::ethics" into the search box in explorecourses, or click here.
  • Note that MED 255 is required for all MS and PhD students engaged in NIH-funded research at Stanford. It is not required but strongly recommended for coterm MS students not doing research. There is no distance education version of this class for HCP students.
  • HCP students: currently, only two classes satisfy this requirement and are offered through SCPD. These are: MS&E 256: Technology Assessment and Regulation of Medical Devices (Spring) and ME 208: Patent Law and Strategy for Innovators and Entrepreneurs, (Autumn). For HCP students who hold an MD degree or equivalent: this set of electives is waived on the basis of your medical school training, so replace with 4 more unrestricted units.

Unrestricted Electives (6 units)

  • Any graduate level class (200 and above) can be used for this category. Classes 100 and above can also count, subject to the restrictions listed below.

Biology/Medicine Electives (for PhD students only) (9 units)

  • In order to reach a total of 54 units of core curriculum, PhD students should take an additional 9 units; this should include 6 units of biology or medicine classes relevant to their research interests, 2 units of BIOMEDIN 290 Biomedical Informatics Teaching Methods and one additional unit of unrestricted elective.
  • All 6 units can be taken as Credit/No Credit.

More rules

  • All courses taken towards a graduate degree must be 100 level or above. At least 50% must be 200 level or above.
  • BIOMEDIN 201 can be taken up to three times for credit.
  • MS: total of 45 units required at Stanford.
  • PhD: total of 135 units, of which at least 27 units should come from BMI, CS/Stats/Math/Engr electives, Biology/Medicine electives, or courses satisfying the Ethics requirement (including MED 255). They may not include research, teaching, journal club, or other classes can that only be taken pass/fail such as some seminars.
  • Coterms: see our Coterm page.
  • HCP MS students: see the SCPD Student Handbook.
  • Many more details on ExploreDegrees.

The core curriculum generally entails a minimum of 45 units of course work for MS students and 54 units of course work for PhD students, but can require substantially more or less depending upon the courses chosen and the previous training of the student. BIOMEDIN 299, 801, and 802 may be taken for satisfactory/no credit (S/NC).

Waivers: The varying backgrounds of students are well recognized and no one is required to take courses in an area in which he or she has already been adequately trained; under such circumstances, students are permitted to skip courses or substitute more advanced work using a formal annual process administered by the BMI executive committee, in which students demonstrate satisfaction of core curriculum prerequisites, and request permission to receive core curriculum credit for classes taken previously in areas of the core curriculum. Students design appropriate programs for their interests with the assistance and approval of their Biomedical Informatics academic adviser.

Also, see the curriculum requirements for the MS and PhD degrees listed on the BMI page in exploredegrees.

Advice on choosing courses and useful links