Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Study mode:On campus Study type:Full-time Languages: English
Foreign:$ 1.66 k / Year(s) Deadline: Jan 31, 2025
109 place StudyQA ranking:5527 Duration:2 years

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Computer-based approaches are becoming increasingly important in biological research. The study of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Bern gives you a good basic knowledge and prepares you for a career in a large amount of working fields.

The information necessary to build and control any living organism is written in its genome and stored in the language of the genetic code. It took 13 years and 3 billion dollars to decipher the human DNA blueprint. A single decade later, sequencing a whole genome takes but a few hours on a machine that fits on a tabletop and it costs just shy of 5000 dollars. Consequently, biological and medical sciences are now collecting enormous amounts of information. This tsunami of data generates new problems: it needs to be analysed properly to unearth and retrieve the exciting knowledge it contains. And, most importantly, it also has to be made available to the scientific community in a useful way.

Scientists with skills in biology and in computer technology are challenged to extract the relevant information out of this phenomenal sea of data. Information technologies are essential for a proper understanding of the regulatory modalities of cells, organisms and even entire ecosystems. Developing algorithms and sound statistical tools to grasp the folding of macromolecules are the first steps on our way to model the mechanisms behind the pure DNA sequence. Ultimately, we want to understand how organisms that are as complex as a human being work.

First semester

Mandatory for all students ECTS Course-No.
Applied biostatistics I. With practicals. 4 104207
Cancer genomics 3 47009
DNA/RNA sequence analysis 3 BC.7107
Introduction to R programming and analyses 2.5 103567
'Omics', From genomes to metabolomes 3 2216
Seminar and journal club in Population genetics and Bioinformatics 2 10854
Selected chapters of modelling (Fribourg) 3 MA.3556
Question and answer session to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (Fribourg) 0  

Mandatory for biologists
   
Basic programming for non-informaticians. With practicals 5 104189
Introduction to UNIX/Linux and scripting with Python and R (Fribourg) 2 BC.7106

Mandatory for non-biologists
   
Molecular biology and genetics for non-biologists 7 104206

Elective
   
Programmierung 1 5 2416

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second semester

Mandatory for all students ECTS Course-No.
Applied biostatistics II. With practicals 4 104224
Bioinformatics algorithms 3 410495
Classical models in biology (lecture) (Fribourg) 3 BL.6002
Classical models in biology (exercises) (Fribourg) 1 BL.6003
Evolutionary genomics 3 104225
Introduction to Signal and Image Processing 5 102191
Lecture Series and Journal Club (Fribourg) 2 BC.7101
Machine learning in bioinformatics. With practicals (Fribourg) 4 BC.7102
Mass spectrometry to systems biology 3 104283

Elective
   
Beyond genetic inheritance 3 27339
Four weeks research project 7.5 407010
Genomics of microorganisms 1.5 405520
Introduction to docking of small molecules to large macromolecules and molecular graphics (Fribourg) 1.5 BC.7104
Introduction to protein structure and protein homology modelling (Fribourg) 1.5 BC.7105
Mass spectrometry to systems biology (practicals) 0.5 104283
Pattern recognition (Fribourg) 5 IN.8608

Third semester

Mandatory for all students ECTS Course-No.
Master thesis 30 396293

Individual academic requirements

The following academic qualifications are required for admission to the master's degree program in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (mono):

a)

Bachelor's degree from a recognized Swiss university or an equivalent degree with at least 90 ECTS credits in one of the following branches of studies: 

  • Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Mathematics
  • Computer Science
  • Life Sciences and Technologies
  • Applied Biosciences
  • Computational Science and Engineering
  • other Swiss degree recognized as equivalent
b) Bachelor's degree from a Swiss university in another branch of studies, provided that the additional attainments do not amount to more than 60 ECTS credits.
c) Bachelor's degree from a Swiss university of applied sciences in Computer Science: Additional attainments of 40-60 ECTS credits will be required.
d) Bachelor of Science or an equivalent degree from a foreign university. Admission may depend upon evidence of additional knowledge and expertise.

Deadlines will be set for fulfilling the additional attainments. If you do not fulfill the admission requirements by the deadline, you will be excluded from the master's degree program.

The degree used for assessment purposes may not be more than ten years old.

  • Curriculum vitae in table form with uninterrupted chronology of your education and academic studies up to the present incl. up-to-date passport photo (45 mm high by 35 mm wide)
  • Motivation letter (incl. family name, given name, full address, e-mail address, date and signature and – if you have one – mobile phone number)
  • If you are holding a bachelor degree's: Originally certified photocopies of your degree (e.g. diploma and diploma supplement). The correspondence of the photocopy to the original must be officially certified.
  • Originals (stamped and signed) or originally certified photocopies of all official proofs of your achievements (transcripts) with grades/scores
  • Grading system of the degree issuing university, if the grading system is different from ours. Our scale goes from 1 to 6, with 6 being excellent and grades below 4 being unsatisfactory.
  • Brief description of the content/learning objectives of the different courses/lectures (annotated course catalog or module handbook)
  • Originally certified translations of the original documents (e.g. diploma, diploma supplement, bachelor's or master's degree, transcripts of diploma records), if these are not written in German, English, French or Italian. These translations have to be inseparably connected with the originally certified photocopies of the original documents.
  • Original or certified photocopy of a GMAT with a score of at least 575 points
  • Photocopy of your valid passport or identity card
  • Application fee: CHF 105
  • TOEFL test result: Indicate Code 3169 University of Bern, Admissions Office when taking the test or - IELTS academic test result
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