Program Description
The Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the School of Medicine, in cooperation with the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Computing and Engineering, offers the Master of Science in Bioinformatics degree. Students may complete the degree without an area of emphasis or may choose one of three emphasis areas (Clinical Research, Computational Bioinformatics, or Genomic Bioinformatics).
The program is designed to prepare a new generation of informatics professionals who will have the necessary skills to work collaboratively for the advancement of health sciences. Graduates are expected to be effective team members who can contribute to education, research, and development in the fields of bioinformatics and/or clinical research. This degree program prepares students to assume a variety of professional informatics positions in translational research and development, institutional management, public policy, information systems, hospitals, private industry, or as members of a clinical research team. Students completing the M.S. Bioinformatics degree may also choose to continue their education at advanced graduate levels.
Program Goals
- Produce competent researchers at the interface of biomedical and health informatics and clinical research
- Produce graduates able to establish partnerships with stakeholders and the community
- Produce effective communicators
- Produce ethical and responsible researchers
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Have the ability to perform statistical analysis.
- Have the ability to generate a research hypothesis.
- Have the ability to propose, conduct, and report research.
- Have the ability to apply knowledge and skills in biomedical informatics.
- Have the ability to communicate scientific information.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 36 credit hours are required to earn the Master of Science in Bioinformatics degree. Students must complete the program of study while maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average to earn the MSB. The total number of credit hours, required coursework, elective course work and Thesis or Capstone requirements vary based on the MS Bioinformatics option selected by the student. These options are shown in the following table:
MSB without an Emphasis | Computational Emphasis | Clinical Research Emphasis | Genomics Emphasis | |
Required course hours | 18 | 24 | 24 | 33 |
Elective course hours* | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Research & Thesis hours | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Capstone option available* | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Minimum Total hours | 36 | 36 | 36 | 39 |
*Students may choose to complete the 3 credit hour Capstone course and 3 additional elective credit hours in place of Research and Thesis credit hours. This option is not available for the Genomics Bioinformatics emphasis.
MSB Emphasis Options
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The M.S. in Bioinformatics (without an emphasis area): Gives students flexibility to complete a bioinformatics curriculum that best meets their academic and career goals.
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Clinical Research: Emphasizes the creation and understanding of data generated by patient care and clinical studies and on the statistical methodology needed for clinical research and improved bedside care.
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Computational Bioinformatics: Emphasizes the development and use of the next generation of bioinformatics tools and software.
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Genomic Bioinformatics: Emphasizes the use of existing software for biological analysis and the analysis of a diverse set of biological data.
The required coursework for each M.S. Bioinformatics option are listed below. Information about elective coursework can be obtained from program faculty. Please visit our Department Website to learn more about this program.
M.S. Bioinformatics without emphasis area
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MEDB 5501 | Applied Biostatistics I | 3 |
MEDB 5502 | Applied Biostatistics II | 3 |
MEDB 5510 | Clinical Research Methodology | 3 |
MEDB 5561 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 3 |
At least 2 from the following: | ||
MEDB 5520 | Introduction to Medical Informatics | 3 |
or MEDB 5521 | Clinical Bioinformatics | |
or BIOLOGY 5525 | Bioinformatics and Data Analysis | |
or COMP-SCI 5566 | Introduction to Bioinformatics |
Clinical Research Emphasis
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MEDB 5501 | Applied Biostatistics I | 3 |
MEDB 5502 | Applied Biostatistics II | 3 |
MEDB 5510 | Clinical Research Methodology | 3 |
MEDB 5511 | Principles and Applications of Epidemiology | 3 |
MEDB 5512 | Clinical Trials | 3 |
MEDB 5513 | Overview of Health Services Research | 3 |
MEDB 5520 | Introduction to Medical Informatics | 3 |
MEDB 5561 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 3 |
Computational Emphasis
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MEDB 5501 | Applied Biostatistics I | 3 |
MEDB 5502 | Applied Biostatistics II | 3 |
MEDB 5510 | Clinical Research Methodology | 3 |
MEDB 5520 | Introduction to Medical Informatics | 3 |
MEDB 5561 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 3 |
COMP-SCI 470 | Introduction to Database Management Systems (or) | 3 |
or COMP-SCI 371 | Database Design, Implementation and Validation | |
COMP-SCI 5565 | Introduction to Statistical Learning | 3 |
COMP-SCI 5566 | Introduction to Bioinformatics | 3 |
Genomic Emphasis
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
MEDB 5501 | Applied Biostatistics I | 3 |
MEDB 5502 | Applied Biostatistics II | 3 |
MEDB 5510 | Clinical Research Methodology | 3 |
MEDB 5561 | Responsible Conduct of Research | 3 |
LS-CBB 5530 | Cell and Molecular Biology I | 3 |
LS-CBB 5520 | Cell and Molecular Biology II | 3 |
LS-MBB 5561 | General Biochemistry I | 3 |
LS-MBB 5562 | General Biochemistry II | 3 |
BIOLOGY 5519 | Principles of Evolution | 3 |
BIOLOGY 5525 | Bioinformatics and Data Analysis | 3 |
COMP-SCI 470 | Introduction to Database Management Systems | 3 |
or COMP-SCI 371 | Database Design, Implementation and Validation |
Please visit our Admissions pages to learn about our requirements.