Program Overview
The MSc in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology at UCC is a one-year full-time or two-year part-time program that equips students with interdisciplinary skills in biology, mathematics, and computer science for solving problems in data management and analysis. The program includes a three-month research project, providing hands-on experience in applying bioinformatics techniques to cutting-edge research questions. Graduates are highly sought after by universities, research centers, and industries in various fields, including pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and biotechnology.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Our MSc in Bioinformatics & Computational Biology is a one-year full-time (or two years part-time) taught masters course commencing in September. Bioinformatics is a fast-growing field at the intersection of biology, mathematics, and computer science. Bioinformatics seeks to create, advance, and apply computer/software-based solutions to solve formal and practical problems arising from the management and analysis of very large biological data sets. Such applications include genome sequence analysis, such as the human genome, the human microbiome, analysis of genetic variation within populations, and analysis of gene expression patterns. Another emerging area within bioinformatics is systems biology, which examines how individual biological components (e.g. metabolic pathways, genes, proteins, organelles, cells, physiological systems, organisms) interact in a network to produce observable phenotypes of a whole organism or body system. As part of our MSc programme, students carry out a three-month research project in a research group in UCC or in an external university, research institute, or industry. The programming and data handling skills that you will develop, along with your exposure to an interdisciplinary research environment, will be very attractive to potential employers.
Outline:
This programme may be taken full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months from the date of first registration for the programme. The part-time option will be taught during weekday working hours over two years. This MSc programme has four different streams and students take 90 credits from their allocated stream. Stream for Biological Science Graduates Stream for Computer Science Graduates Stream for Mathematics Graduates Stream for Statistics Graduates
Teaching:
Staff on this programme include programme coordinator Dr Marcus Cleeson, from the School of Microbiology, and associated staff from the Schools of Mathematics, Applied Mathematics & Statistics, Biochemistry & Cell Biology and the Department of Computer Science.
Careers:
Our graduates offer a unique set of interdisciplinary skills making them highly attractive to employers at universities, research centres and in industry. Many research institutes have dedicated bioinformatics groups, while many 'wet biology' research groups employ bioinformaticians to help with data analyses and other bioinformatics problems. Industries employing bioinformaticians include the pharmaceutical industry, agricultural and biotechnology companies. For biology graduates returning to 'wet lab' biology after completing the MSc course, your newly acquired skills will be extremely complementary and useful. Non-biology graduates seeking non-biology positions will also find that having acquired interdisciplinary skills is of great benefit in getting a qualified job in many sectors due to being able to adapt knowledge across a broad range of disciplines. Where have our graduates gone? As this MSc qualification is recognised worldwide our graduates work across the globe including the Netherlands, Austria, the USA, and New Zealand. Graduates in Ireland work with Teagasc, tech multinationals, and BioPharma. Since there is a shortage of bioinformaticians there are many opportunities for bioinformaticians both locally and internationally.
Other:
Working in the field of bioinformatics is both a challenging and satisfying job, which often involves problem-solving, programming, statistical analyses of large data sets and mathematical modelling of biological phenomena. It is possible for a bioinformatician to work on many different biological questions and types of data sets, making this an interesting and exciting field to work in. A bioinformatician’s day-to-day work can involve studying many different fascinating and important biological questions, such as: How many genes are there in the human genome, and can we identify them all? What are the differences between cancer cells and healthy cells? How do new drug-resistant strains of malaria evolve from existing strains, and can we predict what strains will emerge in the future? What bacteria are present in different environments, such as different parts of the human body in people of different ages, populations, and health? How are different animal groups (e.g. humans, flies, jellyfish, earthworms, etc.) related to each other, and when and where did they evolve from a common ancestor? And so on! As part of the MSc programme, students carry out a three-month research project in a research group in UCC or in an external university, research institute or industry. This will provide the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills in bioinformatics to a cutting-edge research question. In principle, placements abroad to execute the research project can be facilitated subject to approval.
