Bioinformatics, M.S.

Requirements for the Master of Science

The Master of Science degree is generally intended for students from life science, computer science, computer engineering, math and statistics backgrounds seeking in-depth knowledge in informatics applications for genomics and proteomics. Admission to the master’s program requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with superior undergraduate academic record and completion of all prerequisite courses. Students who do not meet all requirements will be considered individually for admission and may be admitted subject to the completion of appropriate undergraduate courses to remove preparation deficiencies. Applicants who are otherwise sufficiently prepared for admission without undergraduate deficiencies may be required to take specified undergraduate and introductory-level graduate courses. Such courses count towards the master’s degree.

To satisfy the requirements for the Master of Science degree, the student must complete 30 credits. The Institute requires an overall grade-point average of B in all graduate courses. Students are required to take the four core courses. The students who do not have a BS degree in Chemical or Biological Sciences are required to take Chemical and Biological Foundations for Bioinformatics courses [BI-GY 7513  and BI-GY 7523 ]. Computational proficiency is expected.

Students may elect research and a thesis (9 credits). An oral thesis defense is held after the typed, written thesis is submitted in accordance with university formats for projects, theses and publications. A grade of A or B is required. Students who elect not to write a thesis may choose to take 3 to 6 credits of guided studies and submit a written report. Students can satisfy remaining credit requirements by taking elective courses with their adviser’s approval. No more than 9 credits of electives can be selected from outside the program.