Distance Education Programs in Biomedical Informatics

About Distance Education at Stanford University

Stanford University offers a large catalog of distance education classes. Regular classes from the graduate courses are selected for taping and the lectures are distributed via streaming media over the Internet. Class assignments are sent via web, email or mail and are due at the same time and graded in the same pool of on-campus students. The schedule for distance classes follows the University academic quarter with the same deadlines and criteria for course completion as our graduate students. Classes are offered only when the class is offered live on-campus; occassionally, when there is unusually high demand a class will be offered online more frequently. Distance education students are held to the same academic criteria as other graduate students. Academic credit earned through these classes are interchangable with credit earned from the on-campus experience. In fact, some students have enrolled in distance education classes, applied to the graduate program and units from the online classes have been transfered to the graduate degree after matriculation.

While the Biomedical Informatics Program teachs the classes, the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) provides assistance for distant students, including student registration, technical support, and access to Stanford's resources such as the digital library. SCPD builds, maintains and operates the classroom studios, develops and supports the infrastructure needed to deliver the class content via the Internet and other distance technologies, and offers support for the faculty and TA's who may be teaching a taped class for the first time.

continued on next panel - Click on the "AMIA" tab to learn about the collaboration between the Biomedical Informatics Training Program and the American Medical Informatics 10 x 10 program

Stanford and the American Medical Informatics Association's 10x10 Course

The 10x10 course at Stanford University will introduce the basic computational issues and methods used in molecular biology, including an overview of biological data sources available on the web. Topics will include basic algorithms for alignment of biological sequences and structures, as well as more advanced representational and algorithmic issues in structure and sequence computation. The course is delivered online and includes video of the instructor along with access to the instructional materials. Complete course description and registration is available on the AMIA Web site

continued on next panel - Click on the "Classes" tab for information about how to sign up for one or two classes.

Enroll for Online Classes through the Non Degree Option

For those who are interested in signing up for just a few classes, the non degree option is the appropriate choice. You may sign up for classes of interest when they become available. If this is your first class, you must submit a transcript and there will be a processing fee in addition to the tuition. The instructor will review your transcript to determine if you have enough prerequisites for the class.

As with all of our other distance education classes, you will earn full academic credit. Your grades will be recorded by the University and you can obtain a transcript from the Registrar's Office. Should you decide to earn the Certificate or enroll in a graduate degree program, relevant units may be transferred. Please see the Certificate and Honor Cooperative Masters descriptions for details.

If you have questions about prerequisites for the classes in Biomedical Informatics, please contact the BMI Program Coordinator

Other departments have their own course advisors. Consult the Stanford Center for Professional Development web site for the current listings.

You may enroll in classes using the online application forms available at the Stanford Center for Professional Development web site.

continued on next panel - Click on the "Certificates" tab for general information about Stanford's Graduate Certificate Program.

Graduate Certificate Programs in Biomedical Informatics

Certificate Programs are distance learning, continuing education opportunities. The Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) supports distance education at Stanford University. Classes and other training is provided by the academic programs and departments within the University. SCPD and the graduate program in Biomedical Informatics have partnered to offer two Certificate options: the Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics Graduate Certificates.

The distance education classes are drawn from the regular graduate curriculum. Classes are taped, and distant students will receive the same assignments, exams, projects, on the same schedule as the students on campus. You will be graded in the same pool. Consequently, there is no distinction made between a distant Certificate student and graduate students matriculated in the BMI program. Each class offers full academic credit. If the Certificate holder choses to apply to a Stanford graduate program, up to 18 units may be accepted provided these classes are relevant to the program.

Distance education classes follow the regular academic schedule. You must register for the class when it is offered on campus. However, there is no deadline to complete the Certificate itself. Therefore, you may choose to register for Certificate classes as soon as they become available or wait for the next offering. Generally, one calendar year is the minimum time required to complete the Certificate, although, it may be possible to double up on classes and complete it sooner.

Each Certificate program consists of three (3) graduate level classes in the topic. Some applicants may need prerequisites for the Certificate program. Please consult the description for the specific Certificate for details.

The application process to enroll for the Certificate program is relatively simple.

Steps to Earn a Graduate Certificate

Step 1: Choose a Certificate

Explore available graduate certificates. Decide which certificate is right for you. Ensure you meet any applicable prerequisites.

Step 2: Declare your Intent

In each graduate certificate description, there is a link to the Intent to Pursue application form. Once submitted, your "Intent to Pursue" will be evaluated and you will be notified of a decision within 10 business days.

NOTE: You may enroll for individual courses that contribute to the certificate prior to declaring your intent. The enrollment procedure is described in Graduate Courses.

Step 3: Earn the Certificate

You must enroll for each course for credit and a letter grade. Courses taken for Pass or Fail will not count. Once you have completed the required courses, the awarding department will review your academic record to ensure you have met all the requirements.

NOTE: A grade of B or better is required in each course. You must complete the certificate requirements within 3 years of the date you start. Allow 6-8 weeks after the completion of your last course to receive your certificate.

You are not required to be an employee of a company that is an SCPD corporate member.

Funding for tuition is not available from Stanford and there is no academic discount. However, there is a membership discount if your employer is a corporate member affliated with the Stanford Center for Professional Development or if you are a member of the armed forces. Some employers may offer tuition reimbursement.

continued on next panel - Click on the "Bioinformatics" tab for information about the Bioinformatics Certificate.

The Online Bioinformatics Certificate

The Bioinformatics Certificate program is designed to meet the demands of a rapidly-changing field. New and more powerful methods of probing biological systems create the need to process diverse information quickly and apply it widely. As more information about genomes, proteomes, and biological networks is added to our traditional stores of biological information, our need visualize, analyze, annotate and extract knowledge from information grows both specialized and more diverse. The Bioinformatics Certificate program is designed address this need.

Generally, the Bioinformatics Certificate requires these prerequisites:

• 2 semesters or quarters of college level programming in an object-oriented language such as C, C++ or Java.
• Four semesters or quarters of college level biology: this is generally equivalent to AP Biology plus 2 quarters or semesters of cellular and molecular biology or genetics, or biochemistry. Textbooks at the level of "Molecular Biology of the Cell" by Alberts et. al. or "Genes" by Lewin or "Biochemistry" by Stryer or Lehninger are generally second year University biology classes. Some programs offer accelerated biology classes which require less time.
• A Bachelors degree from an accredited institution

Stanford offers aids for self-study through the Stanford Engineering Everywhere program. Lectures, class notes, readings, exercises and exam materials are all available. If you would refresh your prerequisites in Computer Science thoroughly, you may wish to consider the class materials for CS 106 Programming Methodology or CS 106 B Programming Abstractions. For other prerequisites, you may wish to try the OpenCourseWare Consortium.

The Certificate requirements ensures essential skills for bioinformatics while providing flexibility to suit the background and interests of a diverse audience. We offer many classes in the topic.

To complete the Certificate you must complete three Certificate classes which fulfill the following criteria:

• Biomedin 214 Representations and Algorithms for Computational Molecular Biology is a required class.
• You must choose one class which is designated as a "Biology Focus" class
• The third class is an elective.

For some of the elective classes, there are additional prerequisites beyond the general prerequisites. Upon registration, the instructor for the course will review the background of each student to ensure that these prerequisites are met.

Additional Prequisites according to class

• Prerequisites for Biomedin 214 - vector algebra
• Prerequisites for CS 262 - CS 161 Design and analysis of algorithms or equivalent

The Certificate in Bioinformatics will be awarded on completion of three required courses with a letter grade of B or better in each course. Upon satisfactory completion of the classes required for the Certificate, contact the Stanford Center for Professional Development, Student Services and request your Certificate. You may request an official University transcript as well.

Table 1. Bioinformatics Certificate Classes: please be aware, class schedules are subject to change. Typically, the University releases schedule information for the next academic year in late June. Stanford is on the quarter system. You will find more information about the academic schedule at the Registrar's webpage.

Certificate Programs Offered by Biomedical Informatics Training Program
	You must take 3 of these classes to earn the Certificate (updated March 2010)
New Class Schedule for Autumn 2010, Win 2011, Spr 2011	These changes are effective starting Sept. 2010 Biomedin 214 will be offered in the Autumn Quarter starting Autumn 2010 Biomedin 217 will be offered in the Spring Quarter starting Spring 2011
Bioinformatics Certificate	Biomedin 217 Translational Bioinformatics (Bio Focus) - course wiki SB 228: Computational Structural Biology (Bio Focus class) Bioc 218 Computational Molecular Biology (Bio Focus Class) Biomedin 214: Representations and Algorithms for Computational Molecular Biology (CS Focus class: this class is required for the Certificate CS 262: Computational Genomics (CS Focus class) CS 273 Algorithms for Structure & Motion in Biology has been cancelled

Enrollment Instructions

Follow the link to the Stanford Center for Professional Development's Bioinformatics Certificate page.

On the Bioinformatics Graduate Certificate page, you will find a description of the Certificate program, costs and a button to initiate " New Student Application"

Questions?

Try our search engine.

Or

If you have questions about class or certificate registration, contact

customer-service@scpd.stanford.edu

If you have questions about class content or prerequisites,

contact the Biomedical Informatics Certificates program

continued on next panel - Click on the "Clinical Informatics" tab for information about the Clinical Informatics Certificate.

The Online Clinical Informatics Certificate

With increasing globalization, the spread of infectious agents is counted in hours not days or weeks. In the first world, the average age of the population is rising leading to increased need for health care. Meanwhile, modern biology has unleashing an avalanche of new data. Understanding the genetic basis of disease and responses to treatment leads to the possibility of individualized medicine. Physicians must manage an increasingly complex set of desiderata as the sophistication of health care rises. The need to integrate biomedical data to understand the cause of disease, develop treatments and integrate with an increasingly mobile population leads to the need to develop information technologies which can rapidly store, manage, visualize and integrate biomedical data to deliver this information to the patient anywhere in the world.

The Clinical Informatics Certificate addresses the fundamental topics necessary for the development of a clinical information system. Issues such as how to represent knowledge, controlled terminologies information dissemination and retrieval, ontologies, algorithms, decision-support, decision science and implementation of information systems are covered.

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with a modern object-oriented programming language such as Java or C++
• You must have a Bachelors degree or equivalent from an accredited institution

A class in an object-oriented language, such as, Java or C++ is highly recommended and will enhance your learning experience. However, some students enroll with only conceptual knowledge gained from supplementary reading prior to enrollment.

Stanford offers aids for self-study through the Stanford Engineering Everywhere program. Lectures, class notes, readings, exercises and exam materials are all available. If you would like to prepare thoroughly, you may wish to consider the class materials for CS 106 Programming Methodology or CS 106 B Programming Abstractions.

The Certificate in Clinical Informatics will be awarded on completion of three required courses with a letter grade of B or better in each course. Upon satisfactory completion of the classes required for the Certificate, contact the Stanford Center for Professional Development, Student Services and request your Certificate. You may request an official University transcript as well.

Certificate Classes: please be aware, class schedules are subject to change. Typically, the University releases schedule information for the next academic year in late August. Stanford is on the quarter system. You will find more information about the academic schedule at the Registrar's webpage.

Clinical Informatics Certificate Classes and Schedule

Please note, the class schedule for the Clinical Informatics Certificate will change beginning Sept. 2010

• Biomedin 210 Modeling Biomedical Systems: Ontology, Terminology, Problem Solving(formerly, Introduction to Biomedical Informatics: Fundamental Methods)
  This class will be offered Winter Quarter 2011
• Biomedin 211 Effective Design in Clinical Informatics Systems (formerly, Introduction to Biomedical Systems)
  This class will be offered Winter Quarter 2012
• MS&E 152 Introduction to Decision Science
  This class is offered Spring Quarter 2010

Enrollment Instructions

Follow the link to the Stanford Center for Professional Development's Clinical Informatics page. This shows all programs with some Clinical Informatics component. Click on the Clinical Informatics Graduate Certificate link.

On the Clinical Informatics Graduate Certificate page, you will find a description of the Certificate program, costs and a button to initiate " New Student Application"

Questions?

Try our search engine.

Or

If you have questions about class or certificate registration, contact The Stanford Center for Professional Development

If you have questions about class content or prerequisites, contact the Biomedical Informatics Program.