Bioinformatics MSc/PgDip/PgCert

This Masters in Bioinformatics is an exciting and innovative programme that has recently been revamped. Bioinformatics is a discipline at the interface between biology, computing and statistics and is used in organismal biology, molecular biology and biomedicine. This programme focuses on using computers to glean new insights from DNA, RNA and protein sequence data and related data at the molecular level through data storage, mining, analysis and graphical presentation - all of which form a core part of modern biology.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• The aim of this programme is to equip students with understanding and hands-on experience of both computing and biological research practices relating to bioinformatics and functional genomics.
• Benefit from being taught by scientists at the cutting edge of their field with intensive, hands-on experience in an active research lab during the summer research project.
• Based in the College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, which has carried out internationally-leading research in functional genomics and systems biology. It’s an ideal environment in which to train.
• Emphasis is placed on understanding core principles in practical bioinformatics and functional genomics, then implementing that understanding in a series of practical elective courses in semester 2 and a summer research project.
• Gain practical experience of working with large molecular datasets, with semester 2 courses built around real research scenarios, enabling you to see why each scenario uses the particular approaches it does and how to go about organising and implementing appropriate analysis pipelines.
• Advanced biocomputing skills are also now deemed essential for many PhD studentships/projects in molecular bioscience and biomedicine, and are of increasing importance for many other such projects.
• Learn computer programming in courses run by staff in the internationally reputed School of Computing Science, in conjunction with their MSc in Information Technology.
• Some of the teaching and research scenarios you’ll be exposed to reflect the activities of 'Glasgow Polyomics', a world-class omics facility set up within the university in 2012 to provide research services using microarray, proteomics, metabolomics and next-generation DNA sequencing technologies.
• Scientists here have pioneered the 'polyomics' approach, in which new insights come from the integration of data across different omics levels.
• In addition, we have several world-renowned research centres at the University, such as the Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research and the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, whose scientists do ground-breaking research employing bioinformatic approaches in the study of disease.

CAREER PROSPECTS

Most of our graduates embark on a University or Institute-based research career path, here in the UK or abroad, using the skills they've acquired on our programme.

These skills are now of primary relevance in many areas of modern biology and biomedicine with many successful in getting a PhD studentship.

Others are employed as a core bioinformatician (now a career path within academia in its own right) or as a research assistant in a research group in basic biological or medical science.

A postgraduate degree in bioinformatics is also valued by many employers in the life sciences sector - eg computing biology jobs in biotechnology, biosciences, neuroinformatics and the pharma industries.

Some of our graduates have entered science-related careers in scientific publishing or education. While others have gone into computing-related jobs in non-bioscience industry or the public sector.