Education

Formal Programs

Ph.D. in Informatics (Cheminformatics Track)

The formal requirements for the Ph.D. in Informatics are laid out in the Ph.D. Handbook (available at http://xavier.informatics.indiana.edu/gradsites/phd.php). A total of 90 credit hours is required. No more than 30 of those hours can be counted from a master’s degree taken at Indiana University or a graduate program at anotheruniversity. (An additional 6 hours of master’s thesis or capstone project may be counted toward the Ph.D. at the discretion of the student’s program committee, assuming the thesis or capstone project is of sufficient research quality.) The curriculum requirement as it pertains to the cheminformatics track is as follows:

27 hours of required Informatics courses:

33 to 42 hours in theory, methodology and elective courses or independent study, decided by the program committee with student. For cheminformatics, some appropriate classes are

21 to 30 hours for dissertation work

M.S. in Chemical Informatics

Prerequisites
Prospective students for graduate study in chemical informatics will be expected to have a strong background in either informatics/computer science or chemistry (or a related science), with some knowledge of the other field. Students are strongly encouraged to take elective courses during their M.S. that fill any gaps in their knowledge of these disciplines.

Required Courses
There are four core courses that all chemical informatics M.S. students must take, to give a total of 12 credits.
INFO I571 Chemical Information Technology (3 cr.): This course gives a wide overview of cheminformatics, including basic algorithmic and database techniques, and includes perspectives from industry and academic practitioners on topics such as virtual screening, computational toxicology and data mining.
INFO I572 Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling (3 cr.): This course covers advanced algorithmic methods such as machine learning, molecular docking, ab initio methods, and their application in drug discovery
INFO I609 Advanced Seminar I in Informatics (Cheminformatics): This course covers advanced topics and techniques for working as a professional practitioner in cheminformatics
INFO I709 Advanced Seminar I in Informatics (Cheminformatics): This course covers advanced topics and techniques for working as a professional practitioner in cheminformatics

Elective courses
Students must take 18 credits of elective courses. Electives are to be chosen, with prior approval of a graduate advisor based on the interests and prior experience of the student. All electives should be relevant to some aspect of cheminformatics, and may be selected from courses in Informatics or in other Schools and divisions. However, students are very strongly encouraged to consider the following courses. In particular, students who are interested in careers in industry are should consider applying for an industry-focused internship, either outside the school (I798) or inside (G599), in either their first or second summer.


Capstone
In addition to the required and elective course, all M.S. students must complete a Capstone course in their second year, which should be considered as a "mini research project" related to cheminformatics. This course is 6 credits, to complete the 36 credits required for the M.S.

Graduate Certificate in Cheminformatics

Prerequisites
Prospective students for the graduate certificate will be expected to have a strong background in either informatics/computer science or chemistry (or a related science), with some knowledge of the other field.

Required Courses
Students must take four courses out of five that are available (listed below) to give a total of 12 credits.
INFO I571 Chemical Information Technology (3 cr.): This course gives a wide overview of cheminformatics, including basic algorithmic and database techniques, and includes perspectives from industry and academic practitioners on topics such as virtual screening, computational toxicology and data mining.
INFO I572 Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling (3 cr.): This course covers advanced algorithmic methods such as machine learning, molecular docking, ab initio methods, and their application in drug discovery
INFO I609 Advanced Seminar I in Informatics (Cheminformatics): This course covers advanced topics and techniques for working as a professional practitioner in cheminformatics
INFO I709 Advanced Seminar I in Informatics (Cheminformatics): This course covers advanced topics and techniques for working as a professional practitioner in cheminformatics
INFO I553 Independent Study in Chemical Informatics

Educational Collaborations