Applied Science (Bioinformatics with Systems Biology) – (M.Sc.)

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This MSc Degree is a 12-month full-time taught programme encompassing both theoretical and practical aspects of bioinformatics including bioinformatics approaches for global analysis of biological systems (i.e. through a so-called systems biology approach). Delivered by staff from across the Departments of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Biochemistry, and Microbiology, the course provides interdisciplinary research-led training in bioinformatics and systems biology.

Full-time students take 12 taught modules, and undertake a research project. Part-time students take six taught modules in each academic year and undertake the project in the second academic year. Each taught module consists of approximately 20 one-hour lectures (roughly two lectures per week over one academic term), as well as approximately 10 hours of practicals or tutorials (roughly one one-hour practical or tutorial per week over one academic term), although the exact amount of lectures, practicals and tutorials varies between modules.

The course covers all major areas of bioinformatics theory and methodologies, with a particular emphasis on hands-on expertise. Topics covered include homology searches, genome sequence analysis, sequence alignment, motif identification, phylogenetics, protein folding, protein structure prediction, and systems biology analyses such as metabolome modelling and analysis of microarray data.

The MSc programme develops skills in data analysis methods and their application to large biological data sets, theory and application of computer programming (using the Python language) and its application for writing bioinformatics algorithms, and the mathematical and statistical theory and methods that underlie bioinformatics algorithms and methods (for example, use of discrete mathematics such as graph theory in many bioinformatics methodologies, and of differential equations for metabolome modelling in systems biology). Students will also develop research skills, as each student will carry out a three-month individual research project, involving a placement within the university, or in an external research institute, university or industry.