Education and Training Resources

MS Biological Sciences - Bioinformatics Concentration

This program is a concentration within the MS Biological Sciences Program. The Bioinformatics Concentration is offered fully online. This concentration is a 1.5-year program and must start in the Fall of every year and end after the Fall of the second year. The Bioinformatics concentration shares the core credits in common with all concentrations in the MS Biological Sciences Program.

We do not require previous coursework in computer science for admission at this time, but highly recommend at least one course in computer science. This MS concentration heavily emphasizes computer usage, line command coding, and programming for application to biological problems and questions. The curriculum is ultimately designed to prepare graduates for successful employment in computational biology positions and applications.

Graduates of the program are expected to:
1. Demonstrate proficiency in handling and analyzing biocentric data in at least one specialty area of bioinformatics
2. Construct line command and application coding in various programming languages to manipulate large biological datasets
3. Develop an understanding on how biological and genetic data and their analyses by bioinformatics tools has a growing impact on modern society and daily lives.
4. Navigate and apply diverse, modern biological databases and software
5. Apply current basic bioinformatics and genomics (genotypic) methods to solve actual (phenotypic) biological problems.

Year Program Established: 2024
Scholarships/assistanceships may be available: Yes
Type of academic terms: Semester

Average number of applicants per year: 30
Average number of applicants accepted per year: 15
Average number of incoming students per year: 10
Average number of graduates per year: 0

Program URL: https://hcas.nova.edu/degrees/masters/biological-sciences-bioinformatics.html
Syllabus URL: https://hcas.nova.edu/degrees/masters/biological-sciences-bioinformatics.html

Contact Person: Dr. Emily F. Schmitt Lavin (eschmitt@nova.edu)