MSc Bioinformatics

Overview

Life Sciences and Technology are an integral part of the global economy. Our Bioinformatics MSc has been designed with input from major industry players to meet current and emerging skill gaps for professional bioinformaticians.

In this course, you will be equipped with the background in biology, statistical analysis, and computing necessary to work with modern biological data from genomic, proteomic and metabolomic studies. You will be trained with an emphasis on hands-on practical experience, so that you can tackle your research project with confidence.

Career prospects

Past graduates of the School of Life Sciences have continued their academic careers as research assistants or pursued further study leading to a PhD. Graduates have also developed careers in conservation or qualified to immediately go into industries. There is a demand currently for graduates with specialisations in science or computing to enter the teaching profession. Commercial sectors such as the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and agriculture industries will be possible employers of graduates, especially with the anticipated increases in the use of next-generation sequencing and the corresponding data analysis that will be required.

Graduates with an MSc in Bioinformatics are well qualified to enter a wide range of employment. In the public sector, bioinformaticians are in demand in research institutes, government departments, the Health Service, forensic science and the Environment Agency. However, post-graduates in general, can find a career in management and human resources, where the skills obtained in the degree programme will be of considerable benefit.

For those committed to a career as a research scientist, this programme will qualify you to be able to take up PhD studies or bioinformatics posts in academia or in industry. For those committed to a career in teaching, a postgraduate qualification (PGCE) for entry into the teaching profession is also an option, to meet the current demand for science teachers.