BIOL 469Genomics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Biology
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
An applied course on the computational exploration of genomes. Topics include comparative and evolutionary genomics, metagenomics, and genomics applications in health/medicine. The lab will involve analysis of genomic datasets using scripting and bioinformatic software.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7235 | 51 / 90 | MWF 10:30–11:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
85% liked it58% easy90% useful
From 13 ratings and 7 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
i took this is an elective. i wanna be in depth about the parts of the course so you know what youre getting yourself into.
The labs- the first three are really difficult, i put many hours and got shit marks. the last three are extremely easy, ~30 minutes of work each and 90's on all of them. there is definitely a learning curve with the labs, but once you get the hang of it its not bad. this is coming from someone who has never coded their entire life.
the midterm- the only test component of the course. study for it. the class average was quite good, i didn't do as well but that's probably my own fault.
the group project- personally, i had a really good experience with the project since…Dec 2022 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Pretty interesting course if you are interested in bioinformatics or gaining more experience with bioinformatics. Much more useful and interesting compared to BIOL 365. Covers everything from genome sequencing and assembly to more complex analysis. Im not really sure why the previous reviews describe the labs/coding aspect of this lab to be extremely difficult. The labs could basically be done within the 1-2 hours or less, and require very minimal coding besides copy/pasting the code given in the lab. You did have to use the command line, but it was really simple commands or the code was given to you. If you needed help with the labs the prof/TA's were always available during the lab time.…
Dec 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
I want to reiterate once again, that if you do not know how to code, DO NOT take this course. As much as Dr. Doxey says you do not need to know how to code to take this course, realize that it is still a 400 level course and things will move at a fast pace with minimal explanation. You will find yourself lost if you have never coded before.
Oct 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
DO NOT TAKE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SERIOUS CODING EXPERIENCE!! I REPEAT DO NOT TAKE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE CODING EXPERIENCE!! you will have to dedicate HOURSSSSS to figuring out how to fix broken codes and the TAs and prof DO NOT RESPOND EVER! the lecture is absolutely useless. they teach all this information in class but it has zero relevance to the actual assignments worth your entire grade. there are NO video tutorials or demonstration like in 266. you will quite literally be on your own with some steps on a a single screen page and the steps are not clear!. for an intro course it was very poorly laid out and managed. if youre in science with a minor in comp sci AND experience with linux/unix…
Jan 2022 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Very interesting and useful course for anyone interested in bioinformatics. The midterm is a bit tricky, but the final project is so much fun and very straightforward. Overall would definitely recommend
Dec 2021 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
32 posts and comments in 26 threads mention BIOL 469, August 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
I am looking to get a high average my 3rd and 4th year in Honor Science any course tips? 9 points, 7 comments
“I currently have completed all my pre-requisite courses for the postgraduate program I want to apply for. The only thing I am missing is the high average for my best 2 years of undergrad. …”
u/mustard_tiger6: “The easiest science courses in my experience are BIOL 433 with Lemieux, BIOL 449, BIOL 359 for biology. If you can code a bit, BIOL 469 and BIOL 365 are reasonable too. I would use uw flow and look at chem, kinesiology, health, psychology, sociology, anthropology courses.”
u/mustard_tiger6: “I took both. BIOL 469 asks questions about the stuff in the slides, but not the assignments. It's been awhile but that's what I remember.”
Whatsapp or Discord chats for CS 115 & BIOL 469 1 point, 0 comments
u/amysdrawings29: “hey are there any group chats for these courses?? i don’t know anyone in these courses this sem and would love to make new friends”
Spring 2024
BIOL 354 vs BIOL 469 2 points, 3 comments
u/TemperatureSavings23: “Hey guys, just wondering if someone can help me decide which course to pick. thank you!”
Spring 2022
BIOL 469 vs BIOL 308 1 point, 5 comments
u/guitardesk: “I can't decide which of these two to take. I loved BIOL 266 which is why I enrolled in 469, but now I'm doubting it's the right choice to make since I'm a third year student and I don't want to take a difficult 4th year course. …”
u/luluchrome: “Can't speak upon BIOL 469 because I didn't take it, but I did take BIOL 308 and I will say it is pretty content heavy alongside the strict professor (looks like someone new teaches it though). …”
u/BornParsley: “… BIOL 469 is taught by Dr Doxey and he’s a pretty good prof. It isn’t too content heavy but the assignments and group project could be quite difficult. …”
BIO 403 VS BIO 443 1 point, 4 comments
“Has anyone taken any of these before? How did you find out? Currently deciding between the two.”
u/BornParsley: “… Opposite to what the other comment said I thought it was one of the easier biol courses compared to something like biol 469 or biol 341. The in person lab wasn’t too bad for a Dr. Duxbury lab and you only have to write a short lab summary compared to a full length one. …”
Spring 2021
biol 354 vs biol 462 0 points, 0 comments
“ive realized im insane to take more than 6 courses so im narrowing it down. biol 354 and biol 462 seem pretty similar so which one is really worth taking?”
u/mari0499: “I've taken both so if you prefer to focus on lecture content without writing lab reports, biol 462 is nice. …”
u/buttercupbeuaty: “… 3) So far my eco/env courses have been Biol 150, 120, 165, 433, 346 I’ll be taking biol 345, 443, 469 in the fall is this good for general biology careers? …”
BIOL 473 vs BIOL 469 vs BIOL 354 1 point, 3 comments
u/saladfanatic: “I have been trying to decide which two out of the above I should take in fall 2021, I need 90s. Any comments about the courses are appreciated, please also let me know when you took the class thank you!!!”
u/BornParsley: “From the 3 I’ve only taken BIOL469 winter2021. if you’re decent with bioinformatics/biol266/biol365 you could get 80+. A good portion of your final grade comes from a group research project. …”
Am I crazy? 0 points, 17 comments
u/buttercupbeuaty: “My course selection for the fall Biol 309: analytical methods of molecular biology Biol 345: microorganisms in food BLND Biol 469: genomics Biol 443: fermentation biotech BLND CS 115: intro to computer science Italst 265: thé mafia PD 5: project management Waiting on approval …”
thinking about what to do with my biology degree (again) 1 point, 7 comments
“I'm in Honours science since im pretty indecisive but im doing courses of a biology student. so far in my biology career i have developed a passionate hatred for molecular biology and chemistry and …”
u/ginavalentinaa: “… and take BIOL 469, which gives you a slightly better idea of what bioinformatics work is like. sounds like you enjoy plants and ecology, and you've got some agriculture science experience, so I'd say just keep pushing in that direction. …”
u/buttercupbeuaty: “funny enough I plan to add biol 469 and CS 115 to my course selection. Should I try to prepare for these courses? Ive only taken biostat (biol 361) and biol 266. thanks for the advice!!”
Winter 2021
Most useful course you have taken? 1 point, 1 comment
[deleted]: “So far, the most useful courses I've taken are BIOL 309 (molecular biology techniques), BIOL 469 (genomics), BIOL 308 (molecular biology), BIOL 431(bacterial genetics) and BIOL 434 (human genetics). What are your most useful courses?”
u/ginavalentinaa: “seconding BIOL 309 and 469 (even though doxey only delivered like 60% of the course last term...) and CS 116/136/231/234”
for people who took BIOL 469 (genomics) 3 points, 2 comments
u/throwaway203wi4y: “what was the course like? i read from a review that you need to be familiar with unix command line and some prior coding experience would be helpful, but what was the structure like? did you like the content and how it was taught?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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