The computer science and biology combined major reflects how research in biology, especially genetics, has become a computational science. The program provides a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, as well as software development and algorithms.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Computer Science Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science Overview | ||
| First Year Seminar 1 | ||
| Professional Development for Khoury Co-op 2 | ||
| Computer Science Fundamental Courses | ||
| CS 1800 and CS 1802 | Discrete Structures and Seminar for CS 1800 | 5 |
| CS 2500 and CS 2501 | Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 and Lab for CS 2500 | 5 |
| CS 2510 and CS 2511 | Fundamentals of Computer Science 2 and Lab for CS 2510 | 5 |
| Computer Science Required Courses | ||
| CS 3000 | Algorithms and Data | 4 |
| CS 3200 | Database Design | 4 |
| CS 3500 and CS 3501 | Object-Oriented Design and Lab for CS 3500 | 5 |
| CS 3800 | Theory of Computation (integrative course) | 4 |
| CS 4500 | Software Development | 4 |
| or CS 4530 | Fundamentals of Software Engineering | |
| Khoury Elective Courses | ||
| With adviser approval, a directed study, research, project study, or appropriate graduate-level course may also be taken as a computer science elective. | ||
| Complete 4 credits of CS, CY, DS, or IS classes that are not already required. Choose courses within the following ranges: | 4 | |
CY 2000 or higher, except CY 4930 | ||
DS 2500 or higher, except DS 4900 | ||
| 1 | Students entering through the biology department may take Biology at Northeastern (BIOL 1000). |
| 2 | Students entering through the biology department may take Professional Development for Co-op (EESC 2000). |
Biology Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations of Biology | ||
| BIOL 1107 and BIOL 1108 | Foundations of Biology and Lab for BIOL 1107 | 5 |
| Inquiries | ||
| BIOL 2299 | Inquiries in Biological Sciences | 4 |
| Molecular Biology | ||
| BIOL 2301 and BIOL 2302 | Genetics and Molecular Biology and Lab for BIOL 2301 | 5 |
| BIOL 3611 and BIOL 3612 | Biochemistry and Lab for BIOL 3611 | 5 |
| Techniques in Biology | ||
| BIOL 2309 | Biology Project Lab | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| CHEM 1161 and CHEM 1162 and CHEM 1163 | General Chemistry for Science Majors and Lab for CHEM 1161 and Recitation for CHEM 1161 | 5 |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Lab for CHEM 2311 | 5 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | Organic Chemistry 2 and Lab for CHEM 2313 | 5 |
| Biology Capstone | ||
| Choose one: | 4 | |
| Biology Capstone | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | ||
| Biology Research Capstone | ||
| Intermediate and Advanced Biology Electives | ||
| Complete two biology courses (with corequisite labs if offered). Choose one of these two courses from the following list: | 9-10 | |
| Human Parasitology | ||
| Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Current Topics in Organismal and Population Biology | ||
| Microbiology and Lab for BIOL 3421 | ||
| Ecology and Lab for EEMB 2302 | ||
| Introduction to Evolution | ||
| Marine Biology and Lab for EEMB 2700 | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Choose the second elective from the following list: | 4-5 | |
BIOL 2311 to BIOL 4999 | ||
EEMB 2290 to EEMB 5515 | ||
EEMB 5548 to EEMB 5569 | ||
| Biology Integrative Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Bioinformatics Computational Methods 1 | ||
| Cell and Molecular Biology | ||
| Advanced Microbiology | ||
| Biological Imaging | ||
| Comparative Neurobiology | ||
| Advanced Genomics | ||
| Sociobiology | ||
Supporting Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Calculus | ||
| MATH 1251 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 1 | 4 |
| MATH 1252 | Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology 2 | 4 |
| Probability and Statistics | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Probability and Statistics | ||
| Biostatistics and Lab for ENVR 2500 | ||
| Computing and Social Issues | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Issues in Race, Science, and Technology | ||
| The Law, Ethics, and Policy of Data and Digital Technologies | ||
| Cyberlaw: Privacy, Ethics, and Digital Rights | ||
| Literature and Digital Diversity | ||
| History of Technology | ||
| Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks | ||
| Knowledge in a Digital World | ||
or HIST 1300 | Introduction to Health and Humanities | |
| Technology and Human Values | ||
| The Twenty-First-Century Workplace | ||
| Environment, Technology, and Society | ||
| Computers and Society | ||
| Intermediate or Advanced Science | ||
| Complete one course from the following: | 4 | |
BIOL 2327 to BIOL 3999 | ||
BIOL 4705 to BIOL 5999 | ||
CHEM 2311 to CHEM 5999 | ||
EEMB 2290 to EEMB 5999 | ||
ENVR 2310 to ENVR 5999 | ||
MATH 2280 to MATH 5999 | ||
PHYS 2303 to PHYS 5999 | ||
PSYC 2290 to PSYC 5999 | ||
Writing Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| College Writing | ||
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | ||
| ENGW 3302 | Advanced Writing in the Technical Professions | 4 |
| or ENGW 3315 | Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | |
| or ENGW 3307 | Advanced Writing in the Sciences | |
Required General Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete 16 credits of general electives | 16 | |
NUpath Requirements Satisfied
-
Engaging with the Natural and Designed World
- Conducting Formal and Quantitative Reasoning
- Exploring Creative Expression and Innovation
-
Analyzing and Using Data
-
Writing in the First Year
-
Advanced Writing in the Disciplines
-
Writing-Intensive in the Major
-
Demonstrating Thought and Action in a Capstone
Integrating Knowledge and Skills Through Experience is satisfied through co-op.
Khoury College GPA Requirement
Minimum 2.000 GPA required in all CS, CY, DS, and IS courses
Program Requirement
141 total semester hours required
Sample Patterns:
Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 1200 | 1 | CS 2510 and CS 2511 | 5 | BIOL 2301 | 4 | Vacation | |
| CS 1800 and CS 1802 | 5 | BIOL 2299 | 4 | BIOL 2302 | 1 | ||
| CS 2500 and CS 2501 | 5 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| BIOL 1107 and BIOL 1108 | 5 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1161 | 4 | ||||||
| CHEM 1162 | 1 | ||||||
| CHEM 1163 | 0 | ||||||
| 21 | 17 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 3500 and CS 3501 | 5 | CS 1210 | 1 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | 5 | CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | 5 | BIOL 2309 | 4 | ||
| CS 3200 | 4 | CS 3000 | 4 | ||||
| MATH 1251 | 4 | BIOL 3611 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 3612 | 1 | ||||||
| MATH 1252 | 4 | ||||||
| 18 | 19 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | CS 3800 | 4 | ENGW 3302 | 4 | Co-op | ||
| Computing and social issues | 4 | ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 (or MATH 3081) | 5 | ||||
| BIOL elective | 5 | ||||||
| BIOL integrative elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 17 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | CS 4500 | 4 | BIOL Elective | 4 | Co-op | ||
| BIOL 4701 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| BIOL Intermediate/Advanced elective | 4 | ||||||
| Khoury Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Total Hours: 142 | |||||||
Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 1800 and CS 1802 | 5 | CS 2510 and CS 2511 | 5 | Vacation | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| CS 2500 and CS 2501 | 5 | BIOL 2299 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 1107 and BIOL 1108 | 5 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||
| CS 1200 | 1 | MATH 1251 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1161 | 4 | ||||||
| CHEM 1162 | 1 | ||||||
| CHEM 1163 | 0 | ||||||
| 21 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 3500 and CS 3501 | 5 | CS 3000 | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Co-op | 0 |
| CS 3200 | 4 | BIOL 2301 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | 5 | BIOL 2302 | 1 | ||||
| MATH 1252 | 4 | CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | 5 | ||||
| CS 1210 | 1 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 18 | 19 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | CS 3800 | 4 | ENGW 3302 | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| BIOL 2309 | 4 | BIOL 3611 | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | BIOL 3612 | 1 | ||||
| BIOL elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | BIOL elective | 5 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| Khoury Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 (or MATH 3081) | 5 | ||||||
| Computing and social issues | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 18 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | 0 | CS 4500 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL integrative elective | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL 4701 | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL Intermediate/Advanced elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 142 | |||||||
Five Years, Three Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 1800 and CS 1802 | 5 | CS 2510 and CS 2511 | 5 | Vacation | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| CS 2500 and CS 2501 | 5 | BIOL 2299 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 1107 and BIOL 1108 | 5 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||
| CS 1200 | 1 | MATH 1251 | 4 | ||||
| CHEM 1161 | 4 | ||||||
| CHEM 1162 | 1 | ||||||
| CHEM 1163 | 0 | ||||||
| 21 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CHEM 2311 and CHEM 2312 | 5 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| CS 3500 and CS 3501 | 5 | ||||||
| CS 1210 | 1 | ||||||
| MATH 1252 | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL 2301 | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL 2302 | 1 | ||||||
| 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 3000 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Elective | 4 |
| CHEM 2313 and CHEM 2314 | 5 | ENGW 3302 | 4 | ||||
| BIOL 2309 | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL 3611 | 4 | ||||||
| BIOL 3612 | 1 | ||||||
| 18 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CS 3800 | 4 | Co-op | 0 | Co-op | 0 | Elective | 4 |
| BIOL elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| CS 3200 | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| BIOL elective | 5 | CS 4500 | 4 | ||||
| Khoury Elective | 4 | BIOL 4701 | 4 | ||||
| ENVR 2500 and ENVR 2501 (or MATH 3081) | 5 | BIOL integrative elective | 4 | ||||
| Computing and social issues | 4 | BIOL Intermediate/Advanced elective | 4 | ||||
| 18 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 142 | |||||||