Master of Science in Bioinformatics

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

  • Identify and extract data necessary for a given research question.
  • Use statistics to analyze and interpret data.
  • Design a testable research question or hypothesis.
  • Identify responsible conduct of research resources and develop strategies for protecting oneself from scientific misconduct.
  • Communicate scientific outcomes.
  • Describe common epidemiologic studies, test for causal associations, and evaluate potential noncausal associations. (Applicable only to Epidemiology and Biostatistics emphasis)

Program Description

The Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the School of Medicine, in cooperation with the School of Science 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 five emphasis areas (Clinical Research, Computational Bioinformatics, Genomic Bioinformatics, Individualized Informatics, or Epidemiology and Biostatistics).

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 interested in pursuing a career involving independent conduct of research should enroll in the thesis/capstone track.  A non-thesis track is available for students pursuing industry careers, where demonstration of specific skills and expertise are valued. Students completing the M.S. Bioinformatics degree may also choose to continue their education at advanced graduate levels.

Program Goals

  1. Produce competent researchers at the interface of biomedical and health informatics and clinical research
  2. Produce graduates able to establish partnerships with stakeholders and the community
  3. Produce effective communicators
  4. Produce ethical and responsible researchers

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 30 to 36 credit hours are required to earn the Master of Science in Bioinformatics degree (30 for non-thesis track and 36 for thesis/capstone track). Students must complete the program of study while maintaining a 3.0 or better grade point average.  The total number of credit hours, required coursework, elective course work and Thesis or Capstone requirements vary based on the MS Bioinformatics emphasis area and final research experience selected by the student. These options are shown in the tables below.

  Individualized Informatics Emphasis Computational Emphasis Clinical Research Emphasis Epidemiology and Biostatistics Emphasis Genomics Emphasis
Required course hours 18 24 24 24 33
Elective course hours* 12 6 6 6 0
Research & Thesis hours* 6 6 6 6 6
Capstone option* Yes Yes Yes Yes No
No Thesis Option* Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Minimum Total hours 30 - 36 30 - 36 30 - 36 30 - 36 33 or 39

*Students may choose to complete either a 3 credit hour Capstone course with 3 additional elective credit hours, or no thesis, in place of Research and Thesis credit hours.

MSB Emphasis Options

  1. Individualized Informatics: Gives students flexibility to complete a bioinformatics curriculum that best meets their academic and career goals.

  2. 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.

  3. Computational Bioinformatics: Emphasizes the development and use of the next generation of bioinformatics tools and software.

  4. Genomic Bioinformatics: Emphasizes the use of existing software for biological analysis and the analysis of a diverse set of biological data.

  5. Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary to design, conduct and evaluate population health research.

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. Individualized Informatics Emphasis area

MEDB 5501Applied Biostatistics I3
MEDB 5502Applied Biostatistics II3
MEDB 5510Clinical Research Methodology3
MEDB 5561Responsible Conduct of Research3
At least 2 from the following:6
Introduction to Medical Informatics
Clinical Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics and Data Analysis
Introduction to Bioinformatics
Electives:12
Research Experience Options (choose one of the following):0-6
Thesis (6 hours)
Capstone (3 hours and one additional elective course)
No Thesis or Capstone
Total Credits30-36


Clinical Research Emphasis

MEDB 5501Applied Biostatistics I3
MEDB 5502Applied Biostatistics II3
MEDB 5510Clinical Research Methodology3
MEDB 5511Principles and Applications of Epidemiology3
MEDB 5512Clinical Trials3
MEDB 5513Overview of Health Services Research3
MEDB 5520Introduction to Medical Informatics3
MEDB 5561Responsible Conduct of Research3
Electives:6
Research Experience Options (choose one of the following):0-6
Thesis (6 hours)
Capstone Course (3 hours and one additional elective course)
No Thesis or Capstone
Total Credits30-36


Computational Emphasis

MEDB 5501Applied Biostatistics I3
MEDB 5502Applied Biostatistics II3
MEDB 5510Clinical Research Methodology3
MEDB 5520Introduction to Medical Informatics3
MEDB 5561Responsible Conduct of Research3
COMP-SCI 470Introduction to Database Management Systems (or)3
or COMP-SCI 371 Database Design, Implementation and Validation
COMP-SCI 5565Introduction to Statistical Learning3
COMP-SCI 5566Introduction to Bioinformatics3
Electives:6
Research Experience Options (choose one of the following):0-6
Thesis (6 hours)
Capstone (3 hours and one additional elective course)
No Thesis or Capstone
Total Credits30-36

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Emphasis

MEDB 5510Clinical Research Methodology3
MEDB 5511Principles and Applications of Epidemiology3
MEDB 5535Quantitative Aspects of Epidemiologic Research3
MEDB 5501Applied Biostatistics I3
MEDB 5502Applied Biostatistics II3
MEDB 5561Responsible Conduct of Research3
Elective Courses (Epidemiology and Biostatistics):6
Biostatistics III-Mixed-Effects Models
Biostatistical Consulting Practicum
Human Genome Epidemiology
Special Topics
Introduction to R
Introduction to SAS
Introduction to SQL
Elective Coursework:6
Clinical Trials
Overview of Health Services Research
Social Determinants of Health
Introduction to Medical Informatics
Clinical Bioinformatics
Multidisciplinary Graduate Seminar
Health Outcomes Seminar
Research Experience Options (choose one of the following):0-6
Thesis (6 hours)
Capstone Course (3 hours and one additional elective course)
No Thesis or Capstone
Total Credits30-36

Genomic Emphasis

MEDB 5501Applied Biostatistics I3
MEDB 5502Applied Biostatistics II3
MEDB 5510Clinical Research Methodology3
MEDB 5561Responsible Conduct of Research3
LS-CBB 5530Cell and Molecular Biology I3
LS-CBB 5520Cell and Molecular Biology II3
LS-MBB 5561General Biochemistry I3
LS-MBB 5562General Biochemistry II3
BIOLOGY 5519Principles of Evolution3
BIOLOGY 5525Bioinformatics and Data Analysis3
COMP-SCI 470Introduction to Database Management Systems3
or COMP-SCI 371 Database Design, Implementation and Validation
Research Experience Options (choose one of the following):0-6
Thesis (6 hours)
No Thesis
Total Credits33-39

Admission Requirements

Please visit our Admissions Page to learn about our requirements.