Faculty Advisor
Students are required to choose an appropriate Faculty Advisor from a list of faculty members participating in the degree program. The list of participating faculty, along with their departments and research interests, can be found here. The Faculty Advisor will be the primary contact of the student for questions and advice. The student will develop a plan of study for the program with the Faculty Advisor before the beginning of the second semester.
Grade Requirements
Only graduate courses completed with a grade of B or higher count towards the requirements of Bioinformatics Master’s program. Students must receive a B or higher in a required core course. Students receiving a B- or lower in a required core course are subject to dismissal from the program. However, they may file an appeal to the Bioinformatics Graduate Committee for approval to retake the course and remain in the program if the appeal is approved. Students must obtain at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in the courses in the curriculum to receive the degree.
Academic Load
Students enrolled in at least 9 credit hours or in sustaining credit are considered full-time students. Those enrolled for fewer than 9 credit hours are considered part-time students, although students holding assistantships are considered full-time with six credits. Generally, a maximum load is 12 graduate credit hours; however, additional credit hours may be taken with the approval of the student’s adviser and the Office of Graduate and Professional Education. A maximum course load in either summer or winter session is 7 credit hours. Permission must be obtained from the Office of Graduate and Professional Education to carry an overload in any session.
Degree Requirements and Course Curriculum
Refer to each degree page
Sustaining Status
Once you begin taking thesis or project credits, if you wish to pause for a major semester (spring or fall) or if you take all six credits and still need time to work on the project or thesis, you will need to register as sustaining. Requests to register for sustaining credit should be sent to the MALS director (mals-info@udel.edu), who will forward them to the Graduate Office. Only the Graduate Office staff can register a student for sustaining credit.
