MSc Bioinformatics (With Advanced Practice)

Applicants are normally expected to have at least a UK 2.2 honours degree, or equivalent, in a subject related to life or physical sciences. If your first degree is not in one of the subject areas listed above please contact our admissions team for guidance and advice on how you might become eligible. We may be able to offer you alternative access routes.

In addition, international students normally need at least a 6.0, with no component below 5.5, in the International Language Testing System (IELTS) test.

For general information please see our overview of entry requirements

International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Our bioinformatics programme equips you with a strong foundation for further PhD research or for prospective employment. There is an increasing demand for bioinformatics skills across the biotechnology, life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors. The ability to manage, analyse, integrate and visualise big data using technologies such as Python and R is also applicable to fields including software development, data analytics and finance.

Advanced/Applied Practice in Health & Life Sciences

You complete advanced practice (AP) when you study our two-year postgraduate courses. Completed over one semester (12 weeks), you gain additional experience and enhance your employability and academic learning.
You normally complete one of the below AP internship types:
• a research or development internship developed by Teesside University staff
• an employer-led internship developed by the employer partner
• a virtual internship working on projects for an external organisation
• a vocational internship with an external organisation.
All internships are located at our Middlesbrough or Darlington campus (including NHC), apart from the vocational internship which is located at the external organisation.
The AP internship is related to your course. You receive preparatory sessions, normally in the semester before (delivered by our Student Futures team) and an introductory session from the module leader.

You are expected to complete at least 400 hours of AP work, including preparation for AP, induction, training and any personal or professional development completed.

You receive 12 hours of supervision (normally 1 hour per week) and are assigned an AP supervisor (a member of University staff) to support and assess your work. Your supervisor’s role varies depending upon the internship type (explained in the learning strategy). As a minimum, they meet with you at the start, mid-point and end of the internship, coordinate meetings and are the point of contact for internship providers. You are also allocated a work-based mentor who functions as your supervisor when completing specific internship types.

Bioinformatics Analysis Techniques and Tools

Develop advanced bioinformatics knowledge and practical data analysis skills. You are introduced to the core knowledge and computational practices used in the bioinformatics field. Study the application of state-of-the-art bioinformatics and computational biology approaches to problem solving relating to high-throughput microarray, next generation sequencing and functional genomics datasets derived from real or simulated research scenarios. IT laboratories are paired with lectures, allowing you to practice and further develop your core computing and problem-solving skills.