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MSc/Diploma in Bioinformatics
Course Structure
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MSc/Diploma in Bioinformatics
Course Structure
Course Summary (for details see below):
Semester 1 (September to December)
Semester 2 (January to April)
Semester 3 (May to August)
Taught courses (making up 60 credit points) chosen from a wide menu.
Taught courses (making up 40 credit points) chosen from a wide menu, and the Bioinformatics Research Proposal course (20 points)
The major MSc Dissertation project chosen from a wide range offered by supervisors across the Schools of Biology and Informatics.
Curriculum: The taught component of the course will comprise 120 credit points. The full MSc course comprises 180 credit points, including a 60-point major project. A booklet giving details, as well as restrictions on choice of courses will be available for students entering the programme to facilitate advance planning.
The taught component is made up from a wide selection of courses worth either 10 or 20 credit points taken from both the School of Biology and the School of Informatics.
A compulsory Bioinformatics Research Proposal course (20 credit points) includes both preparation of a literature report on the chosen major project, and training in relevant transferable skills. A pass in this course is required for progree to the MSc Dissertation (Bioinformatics) major project..
A MSc Dissertation (Bioinformatics) major research project, worth 60 credits, will begin in Semester 2 and be completed and submitted by the end of the course.
An individual's course choices and the research project will be guided by the Programme Director and by the various projects offered by members of the Schools and elsewhere.
Modes of Study: The course is full-time for one year, running from mid-September to mid-September. Modules are available as intensive Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses for industrial (and other) participants. At this stage, the course is not offered through distance learning.
Entry requirements: Entry to the course will be for students already holding (or expecting to hold) an Honours degree (ideally at least upper second class) or equivalent in a biological subject such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics or pharmacology. Students with a background in chemistry, physics, computer science or informatics will also be considered and those with other scientific or medical backgrounds should contact the Programme Director.
Exit Awards: On satisfactory completion of the taught component of the course (120 credit points), a University Diploma may be issued to those who either wish to stop at that stage or have not achieved a sufficiently high standard to be allowed to proceed to the MSc project.
Certificates: Students wishing to attend individual modules of the MSc programme will be issued a Certificate to document their continued professional development. In the case of the CPD courses, a certificate of attendance will be awarded which, if an exam is taken and passed, will reflect that fact.
Assessment: The course will be assessed through a combination of in-course assessment, and written examination for the taught modules (making 67%, the marks being weighted in accordance with the credit for the component courses), and project dissertation (33%). Examinations will be held at the end of the semester in which the module is completed. Electives taken that are not those on offer through IEB, will be assessed by the School or Intitute offering the elective. Students reaching a satisfactory standard in the taught course materials will be allowed to continue to the MSc and will be required to submit a dissertation on an approved topic by mid-September. The weighting given to each component of the course will be according to the associated ScotCAT points.