ACS Digital Biology: The University of Manchester

Course description
These are exciting times in biology and medicine. The genomics revolution is opening up whole new areas of research - from new insights into how organisms function, to new understandings of disease and disease processes. Medicine is currently involved in the largest and most ambitious IT project in the world - the capture and interpretation of electronic patient records. This information will make health care much more effective and can help spot new diseases early - whilst they can still be contained and controlled. At the heart of all these developments are data and knowledge - and a real need and demand for the skills and techniques that computer scientists can bring these problem areas. Biology and healthcare now provide some of the fastest growing and most challenging areas for computer scientists to apply their skills.
The DigitalBiology pathway is centered around two themes, one based around applications in healthcare, the other on applications in biological sciences. They are specifically designed for computer scientists without any previous experience of medicine or biology. They will help you to develop the core skills needed to work or research (as a computer scientist) in these new areas. These two core themes are complemented with a range of other themes that allow students to develop additional skills which have important applications in healthcare and biology.
Career opportunities
Students following the Digital Biology pathway have all the career options as described for general Advanced Computer Science.
In addition, students following this pathway are well placed for careers with healthcare providers, the pharmaceutical industry, and bio-health research institutes.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification: They require a First or Upper Second class honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in computer science, or in a joint degree with at least 50% computer science content. Applicants with extensive computer science industrial experience and a good honours degree, or its overseas equivalent, may also be considered for admission.
International entry requirements: They accept a range of qualifications from different countries.