MSc ACS: Digital Biology

Course description

These are exciting times in biology and medicine. The genomics revolution is opening up whole new areas of research - from new insights into how organisms function, to new understandings of disease and disease processes. Medicine is currently involved in the largest and most ambitious IT project in the world - the capture and interpretation of electronic patient records. This information will make health care much more effective and can help spot new diseases early - whilst they can still be contained and controlled. At the heart of all these developments are data and knowledge - and a real need and demand for the skills and techniques that computer scientists can bring these problem areas. Biology and healthcare now provide some of the fastest growing and most challenging areas for computer scientists to apply their skills.

The Digital Biology pathway is centred around a central theme of Biohealth Informatics. The theme is specifically designed for computer scientists without any previous experience of medicine or biology and will help you to develop the core skills needed to work or research (as a computer scientist) in these rapidly evolving fields. This core theme is complemented by a range of other themes that allow students to develop additional skills which have important applications in healthcare and biology.

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2019, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MSc (full-time)
• UK/EU students (per annum): £11,000 
• International students (per annum): £23,000

The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.

Self-funded international applicants for this course will be required to pay a deposit of £1000 towards their tuition fees before a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) is issued. This deposit will only be refunded if immigration permission is refused. We will notify you about how and when to make this payment.

Entry requirements

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In order to be accepted onto an MSc programme in the School of Computer Science, applicants need to provide evidence of having achieved the required level in a recognised English language qualification.

• IELTS: overall score of 7.0 with no sub-test below 6.0
• Pre-sessional English run by the University Language Centre

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Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course. Please contact us for further information: [email protected]

Application and selection

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Apply online

Applications for 2019 entry:

• Stage 1: Application received by 2 November 2018; Decision by 11 January 2019.
• Stage 2: Application received by  4 January 2019; Decision by 1 March 2019.
• Stage 3: Application received by 8 March 2019; Decision by 26 April 2019.
• Stage 4: Application received by 31 May 2019; Decision by 28 June 2019.

_{Advice to applicants}

Apply online

As there is high demand for this course we operate a staged admissions process with selection deadlines throughout the year. Due to the competition for places, we give preference to applicants with grades above our minimum entry requirements.  

Whilst we aim to give you a decision on your application by the deadline date, in some instances due to the competition for places and the volume of applications received, it may be necessary to roll your application forward to the next deadline date. If this is the case we will let you know after the deadline date.

We can only process applications that are submitted with the following supporting documents:

• Online application form
• First and second year transcripts (translated if not in English)
• A list of your final year units and a GPA certificate which shows your current average, expressed as a percentage and verified by your current institution.
• Two academic reference letter s, ora professional reference letter if you graduated more than two years ago

Teaching and learning

Computational thinking is becoming increasingly pervasive and is informing our understanding of phenomena across a range of areas; from engineering and physical sciences, to business and society. This is reflected in the way the Manchester course is taught, with students able to choose from an extremely broad range of units that not only cover core computer science topics, but that draw on our interdisciplinary research strengths in areas such as Medical and Health Sciences, Life Sciences and Humanities.

Coursework and assessment

Lectures and seminars are supported by practical exercises that impart skills as well as knowledge. These skills are augmented through an MSc project that enables students to put into practice the techniques they have been taught throughout the course.

Facilities

• Newly refurbished computing labs furnished with modern desktop computers
• Access to world leading academic staff
• Collaborative working labs complete with specialist computing and audio visual equipment to support group working.
• Over 300 Computers in the School dedicated exclusively for the use of our students.
• An Advanced Interfaces Laboratory to explore real time collaborative working;
• A Nanotechnology Centre for the fabrication of new generation electronic devices;
• An e-Science Centre and Access Grid facility for world wide collaboration over the internet.
• Access to a range of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
• Specialist electronic system design and computer engineering tools.

Career opportunities

Students following the Digital Biology pathway have all the career options as described for general Advanced Computer Science.

In addition, students following this pathway are well placed for careers with healthcare providers, the pharmaceutical industry, and bio-health research institutes.

We maintain close relationships with potential employers and run various activities throughout the year, including career fairs, guest lectures, and projects run jointly with partners from industry. This is managed by our Employability Tutor; see the School of Computer Science's employability pages for more information.

Visit the MSc ACS: Digital Biology page on the University of Manchester website for more details!