MSc Bioinformatics: The University of Manchester

Course description

Bioinformatics is changing as high throughput biological data collection becomes more Systems oriented. This means that employers are looking for people able to work across the traditional disciplines. The MSc in Bioinformatics at Manchester reflects these exciting developments, providing an integrated programme taught by researchers at the forefront of fields spanning Bioinformatics, Genomics and Systems Biology.

Bioinformatics has been an identifiable discipline for more than a decade, driven by the computational demands of high volumes of biological data. It incorporates both the development and application of algorithms to decipher biological relationships. Enormous success has been achieved, for example in defining homologous families of sequences at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels.

An important feature is the extent to which computational biology is concerned with finding patterns in biological data, and generating hypotheses that feed back into experiments.

You will be based in the top-rated Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. Teaching is delivered by more than 10 academic staff working in the fields of Bioinformatics, Genomics and Systems Biology, representing the breadth and depth of these areas across Faculties.

Career opportunities

MRes graduates acquire a vast array of subject specific and transferable skills and gain extensive laboratory research experience. The University of Manchester has a strong record of placing students in PhD programmes at Manchester and other universities and several of their graduates have pursued research careers in industry.

Entry requirements

• Academic entry qualification overview: Applicants should hold (or be about to obtain) a first or upper second class honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in a biological, medical or physical sciences subject.
• English language: For overseas applicants whose first language is not English the minimum English language requirement is IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 577 (paper-based), 233 (computer-based) or 90 (internet-based).