Graduate

Degree Programs

Bioinformatics

M.S. Requirements

The M.S. in Bioinformatics is a two-year professional program that emphasizes computation and informatics but also integrates knowledge from biology, mathematics, and related areas. It prepares students to pursue a bioinformatics career or admission to a Ph.D. program.

PREREQUISITES

Our M.S. students are expected—but not required—to have at least introductory knowledge of both informatics and biology, including:

• Approximately 6 credit hours of undergraduate course work in biology, covering molecular biology, genetics, and evolution
• Approximately 6 credit hours of undergraduate course work in computer science or informatics, covering programming, discrete structures, and data structures

If you have not completed these prerequisites, you will be required to take one of the following courses:

• INFO-I 500 Fundamental Computer Concepts for Informatics (3 cr.), for students without computer science training
• BIOL-L 504 Genome Biology for Physical Scientists (3 cr.), for students without biology training

Students are required to complete 36 credit hours of graduate-level course work, including the following courses:

• INFO-I 519 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3 cr.)
• INFO-I 529 Machine Learning in Bioinformatics (3 cr.)

Students must also complete a yearlong, 6 credit hour capstone research project, including an oral presentation to the public and submission of a written report, which is usually 15 to 30 pages long. These projects are typically supervised by one of the core bioinformatics faculty members, but we encourage students to work with a supervisor in a related discipline—such as biology, chemistry, or medical sciences—and choose a co-supervisor among the bioinformatics core faculty.

All other courses can be selected from topics and seminars in bioinformatics and courses in related disciplines.