Students enrolled Spring 2024 click here for degree requirements.
The Master of Science program in Bioinformatics Data Science trains the next-generation of researchers and professionals who will play a key role in multi- and interdisciplinary teams, bridging life sciences and computational sciences. The BIDS-MS graduates will have solid knowledge and research experience to pursue further study towards a PhD or other professional degree such as MD, MBA or law, or a research career in academia, industry, or government agencies. The Master’s degree requires 31 credits and has either a Thesis or Non-Thesis option.
Thesis Option
The Thesis Master’s degree requires 31 credits of course work and must include 9 credits of Bioinformatics Data Science core courses, 3 credits of Ethics, 12 credits of Elective and 1 credit of Seminar. Six credits of MS Thesis must be used to meet the degree requirements. The University requirements for MS thesis shall apply to the thesis in this degree and shall be supervised by the Thesis Faculty Advisor.
| BIDS-MS Thesis (31 Credit Hours Total) | |
|---|---|
| Bioinformatics Data Science Core | 9 Credits |
| Ethics Core | 3 Credits |
| Electives | 12 Credits |
| Thesis | 6 Credits |
| Seminar | 1 Credit* |
*three semesters including one semester for credit.
Non-Thesis Option
The Non-Thesis Master’s degree requires 31 credit hours of coursework and must include 9 credits of Bioinformatics Data Science core courses, 3 credits of Ethics, 12 credits of Elective, 6 credits of Bioinformatic Data Science Electives, and 1 credit of Seminar. Up to six credits of Special Problems can be used to meet the degree requirements. The Special Problems credits must be related to the program objectives in bioinformatics and approved by the Bioinformatics Data Science Steering Committee.
| BIDS-MS Non-Thesis (31 Credit Hours Total) | |
|---|---|
| Bioinformatics Data Science Core | 9 Credits |
| Ethics Core | 3 Credits |
| Electives | 6 Credits |
| Bioinformatics Data Science Electives | 12 Credits |
| Seminar | 1 Credit* |
*three semesters including one semester for credit.
Course Curriculum
The tables below list the course curriculum for the major components of the Master of Science program in Bioinformatics Data Science.
Required Electives
Required electives cover background and breadth knowledge in the field of Bioinformatics Data Science. Courses in this section may be waived if a student presents satisfactory evidence of competency in a subject area, such as an undergraduate degree. Permission is needed from the Bioinformatics Leadership Team to waive required electives. Most students take 9 credits of required electives.
| Required Electives (0-12 Credit Hours) | |
|---|---|
| Programming Requirement (3) | BINF690 Programming for Bioinformatics (3) |
| Life Science Requirement (3) | BISC609 Molecular Biology of the Cell (3) or BISC654 Biochemical Genetics (3) |
| Data Science (3) | BINF601 Introduction to Bio Data Science (3) |
| Statistics Requirement (3) | BINF667-014 Introduction to Biostatistics w Biomed App (3) or STAT656 Biostatistics (3) |
Bioinformatics Data Science Core
| Bioinformatics Data Science Core (9 Credit Hours) Select 3 |
|---|
| BINF610 Applied Machine Learning (3) |
| BINF620 Big Data Analytics in Healthcare (3) |
| BINF640 Databases for Bioinformatics (3) |
| BINF644 Bioinformatics (3) |
| BINF694 Systems Biology I (3) |
| BINF695 Computational Systems Biology (3) |
Ethics Core
| Ethics Core (3 Credit Hours) Select 1 |
|---|
| BINF801 Ethics and Team Science (3)* |
| PHIL655 Ethics in Data Science and AI (3) |
| PHIL648 Environmental Ethics (3) |
*Preferred for students with research advisors. Program approval required
Seminar
Students must take three semesters of seminar (two 0 credit; one 1 credit) and give a presentation in their final semester.
| Seminar (1 Credit Hours) |
|---|
| BINF865 Seminar (0-1*) |
*three semesters including one semester for credit.
For Thesis Option
Six credits of MS Thesis must be used to meet the degree requirements. The University requirements for master’s thesis shall apply to the thesis in this degree and shall be supervised by the Thesis Faculty Advisor.
| Thesis (6 Credit Hours) |
|---|
| BINF869 Master’s Thesis (1-6) |
For Non-Thesis Option
Additional elective credits must be taken up to the total of 31 total credits for the degree. Students typically complete 6-9 credits of additional coursework, though this may vary based on a student’s background and number of Required Electives taken. Students are encouraged to select additional courses from the Bioinformatics Data Science Core to fill these credits.
| Non-Thesis (6-9 Credit Hours) |
|---|
| Additional Bioinformatics Data Science Electives (1-6) |
Recommended Electives
| Recommended Electives |
|---|
| CISC681 Artificial Intelligence (3) |
| CISC682 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (3) |
| CISC683 Introduction to Data Mining (3) |
| CISC684 Introduction to Machine Learning (3) |
| CISC841 Algorithms in Bioinformatics (3) |
| CISC844 Computational Biomedicine (3) |
| CISC882 Natural Language Processing (3) |
Students are encouraged to explore graduate courses (600-level or higher) in other areas such as engineering, mathematics, statistics, and biomedical/health sciences.
Master’s Thesis
Six credits of Master’s Thesis (BINF869) must be used to meet the degree requirements. Students, with the assistance of their Thesis Faculty Advisor, will prepare and present a research proposal to their Thesis Committee for review and approval of the proposed research project. Following completion of the research outlined in the proposal, the MS degree candidate will prepare a written thesis according to the guidelines set forth by the Graduate College. Upon completion of the master’s thesis, a final oral examination must be passed, consisting of a seminar and a defense of the master’s thesis. The final oral examination will be directed and evaluated by the student’s Thesis Committee.
Thesis Committee Guidelines
Formation of Thesis Committee – Students must assemble their thesis committee one month prior to their second academic year. The committee must contain at least three members where the Committee Chair should be the Thesis Faculty Advisor. At least one other member should be a participating faculty member in the program. Students must complete the Thesis Committee Formation form and complete a one page document proposing a research proposal including a research topic and a plan of work. Upon completion, both documents need to be submitted to the Associate Director.
Thesis Committee Meetings – The Thesis Committee will meet prior to the first semester of the second academic year to discuss project guidelines and assess student progress. Students, with the assistance of their Thesis Faculty Advisor, will prepare and present a research proposal to their Thesis Committee for review and approval of the proposed research project. If needed, the committee can choose to meet again (prior to the thesis defense) to ensure the student is meeting expectations. Within two weeks of the committee meeting, the Thesis Committee Evaluation form must be completed and submitted to the Associate Director of Graduate Education and Outreach.
Thesis Defense – The thesis defense will be scheduled for the second semester in the second year. Following completion of the research outlined in the proposal, the MS degree candidate will prepare a written thesis according to the guidelines set forth by the Graduate College. Upon completion of the master’s thesis, a final oral examination must be passed, consisting of a seminar and a defense of the master’s thesis. The final oral examination will be directed and evaluated by the student’s Thesis Committee.
Students should note the thesis submission deadlines provided by the Graduate College and ensure enough time is allotted between the submission deadline and the thesis defense to make appropriate changes and obtain signature pages. The University Thesis and Dissertation Manual must be followed.
The student must submit their thesis to the thesis committee two weeks before the thesis defense date. Within one week of the thesis defense, the thesis committee must submit the Results of the MS Defense form to bioinformatics@udel.edu.