MSc/PgDip/PgCert in Bioinformatics by Distance Learning
Duration Up to 3 years part-time
Entry requirements:At least a 2.2 degree or equivalent in any scientific or engineering discipline, including natural, mathematical and cognitive science. Applications from graduates in non-scientific disciplines will be considered, provided that your first degree contains a significant computational or empirical component, such as programming, experimental design, and data analysis; and you attained a 2.1 or equivalent. All international students whose first language is not English will need to satisfy our English Language requirements; for further information see the Postgraduate Prospectus atwww.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate
2009/10 Fees £950 for each 15-credit module, £1,900 each for the Research Methods module and the Research Project
Funding opportunities: There are also opportunities for University Full-Fee Masters Scholarships, British Council Fellowships and Awards, and Foreign and Commonwealth Scholarships. Visit www.exeter.ac.uk/biosciences/postgraduate for further information.
Apply online at www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate
Programme information
- World class research regularly published in peer-reviewed papers including Nature, Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA
- Excellent facilities with £25 million invested in state-of-the-art laboratories and platform technologies including functional genomic, bioinformatic and analytical infrastructure
- £12 million funding in Research Council grants. Our success rate in BBSRC response mode is above the national average and the School ranks in the top six universities for successful NERC awards
- Generous studentships available
- Industrial placements encouraged
- Option to study by distance learning
- Degrees designed to deliver high quality research supervision to develop and nurture the scientific potential of all graduates
- Supported by EPSRC as a Masters in Research
Bioinformatics is a scientific discipline which encompasses all aspects of biological information acquisition, processing, storage, distribution, analysis and interpretation. It has become a major field of academic research and an important focus for industry, particularly in the post-genomic era.
Originally bioinformatics was concerned with the analysis of biological sequence data, such as that from the Human Genome Project. However, as knowledge of the discipline advanced a series of ‘omics’ specialisms were identified. Genomics explores genome organisation and compares genomes; transcriptomics considers the levels of RNA expression in cells and how the conversion of DNA to proteins are regulated; proteomics examines the proteins in the cell; and metabolomics looks at the chemical dynamics of the cell. As the discipline continues to develop, it is likely that more distinct ‘omics’ will be identified.
Our distance learning variant is aimed at international students and those already in industry who wish to retrain in bioinformatics. Masters students complete 180 credits, made up from six 15-credit taught modules, a Research Methods module (30 credits) and an individual research project (60 credits). Diploma (PgDip) students take six 15-credit taught modules and the Research Methods module (30 credits) which includes an extended literature review. Certificate (PgCert) students take four 15-credit taught modules.
Each taught module is delivered and supported using materials available via WebCT (an Exeter-managed password-protected internet site), CD-ROM and by the use of freeware programmes run on your local machines. Through these media, you are able to develop programming skills, access web-based databases, develop visualisation and presentation skills, and mathematical and statistical modelling skills. Essential information relating to intra- and intercellular functions, computational and functional genomics, and wider aspects of biotechnology in the pharmaceutical and medical areas are provided mainly by the use of WebCT.
Modules
- Professional Skills
- Tools and Techniques for Bioinformatics
- Introduction to Molecular Biology
- Sequence Analysis and Structural Bioinformatics
- Machine Learning Techniques and Information Systems for Bioinformatics
- Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics
- Research Methods
- Research Project
