Master's Program

Thank you for considering the University of Michigan Bioinformatics Program!

The UM Bioinformatics Program has a long, established history of successful graduates entering the biotechnology industry or obtaining positions in an academic setting.  

Please check the Admissions page of this website to determine the appropriate application deadline, as it varies depending on your current student status. You may contact the Bioinformatics Graduate Office with questions.  

Dr. Stephen GuestDr. Alla Karnovsky, and Dr. Cristina Mitrea are the primary advisors for the Master’s Program. Students should make advising appointments with them while completing the program, to ensure all requirements are met. 

Program Requirements and Time-to-Degree

The majority of full-time Master’s students are able to complete the degree in 1 ½ years (or 3 terms). Rarely do students go beyond 2 years, unless they are a part-time MS student.  

The Bioinformatics Master’s Program is comprised of both courses (a minimum of 30 credit hours), required research experience, and a research presentation. More details on each are below.  

Coursework

Students are required to take at least one course in each of the following areas

Some notes on the course requirements:

  • Molecular Biology

Students without molecular biology background are strongly advised to take the introductory biology course, BIOINF 523.  Most introductory molecular biology courses offered by PIBS programs qualify; ask advisers if interested in a course not listed.  

  • Statistics

Master's students may take BIOSTAT 521 (which does not require multivariate calculus) or STATS 412. If you are especially interested in later pursuing a Ph.D., one of the series in statistics is recommended (BIOSTAT 521 + BIOSTAT 522, BIOSTAT 601 + BIOSTAT 602, MATH 525 + MATH 526, PSYCH 613 + PSYCH 614, or STATS 425 + STATS 426). It is also possible to modify this; for example to take BIOSTAT 601 followed by STATS 426. 

  • Other courses

The Bioinformatics Program Directors encourage students to find other courses that may meet core area criteria. All requests to substitute courses in order to satisfy program requirements will be reviewed by the Directors and the Bioinformatics Curriculum Committee. 

Students are expected to receive a passing grade of “B” or better in each of the required courses. Any exceptions need permission. 

  • For PhD students pursuing a dual MS degree

Students take the same courses listed above, of which no more than 15 credit hours can overlap with their Ph.D. program’s course requirements. A student’s research during their Ph.D. will fulfill the bioinformatics research experience requirement as long as there is bioinformatics content in at least one dissertation chapter, plus a DCMB faculty member is on the student’s dissertation committee. Per Rackham rules, the credits from courses numbered 990 and 995 may not be applied to a master’s degree. 

Research and Internship Opportunities

A minimum of 300 hours of research experience is required for the Master’s degree. This can be either a paid part-time research experience, spring or summer full time internship, or research for credit (BIOINF 599). A maximum of 6 credit hour of BIOINF 599 will count towards your degree. Please speak with Stephen Guest or Cristina Mitrea about details; internship guidelines can be found here. The research request form and the research summary form will be used to keep track of the research hours and need to be filled in at the beginning and end of each semester that the student works on a bioinformatics-related research project in order to count for the research requirement.

Master’s students are required to give at least one research presentation in the course of their study. Presentations may occur Fall or Winter term. Students should expect to give a poster presentation and 3-minute lightning talk reflective of their research experience. These may occur at department organized events such as the Fall retreat or special presentation events scheduled throughout the year. Students will be notified in advance of opportunities to meet this program requirement. 

Cost of Attendance and Financial Support

The Bioinformatics Graduate Program does not guarantee financial support to Master’s students. However, there are options for students to obtain funding. 
To estimate a costs and financial needs, this Rackham cost of attendance webpage may be helpful. Databases to search for funding support may also be helpful.

At the application stage

Students from underrepresented backgrounds in the biomedical sciences are strongly encouraged to apply, even if they do not have the financial ability to support the duration of their studies. Such students may be eligible for awards and fellowships from Rackham and the department, for example the Rackham Merit Award (RMA) which pays full tuition and stipend for two terms. The RMA together with a funded lab position in year 2 may fully cover tuition, benefits and stipend for the Master’s degree. Eligible students will know if they’ll receive the RMA before deciding whether to matriculate.

While a student

Students who wish to work in a lab may be able to obtain funded positions with individual mentors. Master students also often find funded internship opportunities during the summer. The department will help facilitate contacts with suitable mentors and companies. Please be aware that the availability of such positions is not guaranteed, and my not provide full tuition or a large stipend. Oftentimes more options arise after students complete their first term of study.

In addition, Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) positions are available across campus each term. For information and links in regards to GSI positions, please visit the Academic Human Resources webpage, About GSI and GSA employment. It is continually updated and contains relevant information as to what this employment position entails.

Transition from Master’s to PhD

The MS program is a terminal degree program. If interested in the Bioinformatics PhD Program, you must submit a new application. For Bioinformatics MS students in good academic standing who have identified a Bioinformatics affiliated faculty mentor, they may apply for admission directly to the Bioinformatics Program for the Winter term. Reviewing faculty take all application components into account; please see the Admissions Page for a detailed list of required materials. Mentors must be prepared to take both academic and financial responsibility. 

Application deadline: October 1 in the students’ second year of MS studies. 

Only current or recently graduated University of Michigan Master’s students are eligible. Before applying, applicants must have completed more than half of all required courses with at least 6 credits offered by the Bioinformatics Program.