University home > Unit and programme catalogues in 2021/22 > Programme catalogue > Faculty of Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences > Bioinformatics (MSc) > Specification
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Programme code | 7BISC001T |
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Programme type | Postgraduate Taught Degree |
Programme director(s) |
Jordi Paps Montserrat
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Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
Teaching institution | University of Bristol |
Awarding institution | University of Bristol |
Mode of study | Full Time |
Programme length | 1 years (full time) |
Life sciences are living in the age of Big Data. Conservation biology, biodiversity, genetics, and evolutionary biology, just to mention a few, study large amounts of data that keep increasing in volume and variety at a high speed. The use of computational tools is essential to analyse such large datasets, some of which have shaken the foundations of many scientific disciplines. The advent of these technologies is also central to many companies and the public sector and has driven the emergence of innovative start-ups. The Faculty of Life Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences have recognised the need to provide training on bioinformatics to life scientists that want to face these modern challenges.
Nowadays the volume of data generated makes the use of computers to understand biology more essential than ever before. Some of these fast-evolving areas comprise landscape genetics, conservation genetics, molecular phylogenetics, neurobiology, microbiome analysis, DNA sequencing, genomics and epigenetics (in health and disease, such cancer), personalised medicine, comparative genomics and evolution, image analysis, protein structure, as well as network and systems biology. These skills are not only central to molecular sciences, but as well in “macroscopic” fields such as climate change, biodiversity, metagenomics, or ecological profiling. Thus, bioinformatic skills are essential for future life scientists.
Outside academia, many sectors are also reliant on Big Data that rely on data mining, social media analytics, and other computer-based methodologies such as artificial intelligence or deep learning. This is not only true for private companies, but also for governmental agencies and the public medical sector. The Wellcome Sanger Institute is leading the Darwin Tree of Life project, which is planning to invest $600 million to sequence the genome of 66,000 UK species. In 2015 the UK Government destined £250 million to Genomics England, owned by the Department of Health and Social Care, which aims to sequence 100,000 genomes from NHS patients. Companies as Ancestry or 23andme have popularised the concept of personal genomics. Consequently, a large number of new job opportunities have opened and will keep growing for graduates proficient in bioinformatics.
This masters programme will offer multidisciplinary research-led training to provide the skills and experience required to work with large datasets. Students will come from a variety of academic backgrounds — including biologists, zoologists, plant biologists, geneticists, and other biosciences — to learn bioinformatics from world-leading experts. The units will include programming, machine learning, genomics, protein structure, evolutionary biology, as well as professional and entrepreneurial skills. Students will leave the programme with highly transferrable informatic skills that will boost their future research careers and their employability. Moreover, they will learn how to capitalize their innovative ideas in a fast-moving environment and how to develop their own initiatives.
The School hosts many research groups whose expertise spans all of the diversity of topics in bioinformatics, such as genomics and transcriptopmics, ecology, population genomics, and genome evolution. In the University, other Schools and Institutes hold additional expertise, such as in proteomics and protein structure, or programming in the Jean Golding Institute for data science and data-intensive research.
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Several different teaching approaches will be employed to achieve all the Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (PILOs) in the ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ category (PILO A1- A5), including lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, etc. For obvious reasons, central to this programme will be computer labs as well as the supervised research project. Unit content will be delivered technology-enabled whenever possible, with emphasis on practical aspects of bioinformatics (PILO A1, A2, and A5). Use of flipped teaching will be encouraged, as it is ideal for a programme heavy on practical units. Ethical aspects of research will be explored with organised debates, and the teaching academic practice will use a blend of teaching methods (PILO A3 and A4). For the research project, students will be assigned a supervisor who will hold regular meetings during the whole duration of dissertation project (PILOs A1-A5). |
Methods of Assessment | |
Students will be subject to a range of formative and summative assessments across the programme. Due to the practical nature of topic of the master, preference to formative assessments will be given to most hands-on units (e.g. Scientific programming), ending with a final summative assessment. The research project will offer a mixture or formative (via regular supervision meetings) and summative assessment (final dissertation and presentation). The methods of assessment will be delivered according to the learning objectives of each unit, and taking advantage of innovative methods offered by bioinformatic teaching (e.g., use of iPython Notebook for the unit Scientific programming, or swirl for the unit on Statistics and R). Units with a less practical component (e.g. Project planning, Professional skills), will use diverse assessment approaches will be applied across the programme, including presentations, essays, group work and discussions through to unseen exams and reports. The mode of formative assessment will clearly communicated to both students and staff at the start of the unit, and details will be included in unit handbooks and Blackboard. The assessment strategy for each unit will be determined by what Unit Directors believe to be pedagogically appropriate considering the learning outcomes. |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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The development of intellectual skills will be done through the teaching and learning programme outlined above. Analytical skills will be further developed through practical-based tasks and projects. Experiment design, scientific research, and planning skills will be further developed through the project related units (project planning, group project, and the research project itself), and the research project. Individual feedback will be provided to students on all their tasks. The teaching approach will make use of a mixture of methods such as small group teaching (PILOs B2, B3, and B4); in-class group-based activities (PILOs B1 and B5) and self-directed learning (PILOs B1 and B3). Problem-based tasks and flipped learning will be used where appropriate. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Preference to formative assessment of intellectual skills will be given in practical-based units will be given wherever possible. A mixture of summative and formative assessment will be applied in other units. This will be decided in agreement with the unit directors. The director of the masters programme will oversee the consistency of assessment methods across units and at programme level. Formative assessment approaches allow students to be self-aware of their progress levels with the different bioinformatic skills (PILOs B3-B5). Formative assessment can potentially include computer-based assignments, both of individual and team nature and individual projects. Other PILOs less associated with computational skills will be better assessed with both summative and formative assessments (PILOs B1 and B2) |
Programme Intended Learning Outcomes | Learning and Teaching Methods |
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Practical aspects of bioinformatics are present in most units, and they are a central pillar of the programme. (PILOs C1 and C2). Core elements of this master programme are employability and transferable skills, with a 20 credits unit dedicated to these (Entrepreneurship and Professional Development, PILOs C3-C5). Programming and other computer-based skills are highly transferable and agnostic of the type of data, thus can be applied to very different sectors (academic, public, private). The contents of this programme boost both the employability and transferability of the students. |
Methods of Assessment | |
Practical skills will be continuously assessed via formative assessment, as decided and agreed with each unit director and according to the different learning objectives. Most typical assessments will take the form of computer-based coursework, computer tests, and dissertations. Employability and transferable skills will be assessed via presentations, written assignments, and group-based tasks. |
Statement of expectations from the students at each level of the programme as it/they develop year on year.
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Certificate |
For a Postgraduate Certificate, students are required to successfully complete 60 credits from the programme. Students acquire skills by following a sequential process of additive stages. All students will acquire basic knowledge and understanding of bioinformatic-related theoretical and conceptual frameworks, especially in the areas of programming (PILOs A1, A3, A4; B3-B5; C2-C4). They will develop general and specialised competencies and abilities required for that knowledge and understanding. |
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Level M/7 - Postgraduate Diploma |
For a Postgraduate Diploma, students are required to successfully complete 120 credits from the programme. Student acquire skills by following a sequential process of additive stages. All students will acquire basic knowledge and understanding of bioinformatic and biology related theoretical and conceptual frameworks as well as in the other core and optional areas of the programme (PILOs A1-A5; B1, B3-B5, C2-C5), excluding the research project. They will develop general and specialised competencies and abilities required for that knowledge and understanding. |
Level M/7 - Postgraduate Masters |
For a Masters, students are required to successfully complete the full programme, achieving all the PILOs. The dissertation acts as the culmination of the student's progress through the programme. The student applies the appropriate intellectual, methodological, and technical skills that have been developed to a piece of applied research devised in consultation and supervised by a staff advisor and located clearly within the field of bioinformatics. |
The intended learning outcome mapping document shows which mandatory units contribute towards each programme intended learning outcome.
For information on the admissions requirements for this programme please see details in the postgraduate prospectus at http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate/ or contact the relevant academic department.
A main theme in the MSc programme is to offer flexibility of choice to the students. Amongst the mandatory units, there will be two units covering different aspects of programming, a third unit which will consist of a group project, and the research project. Another core unit will be on Entrepreneurship and Professional Development, a highly original unit covering aspects of business innovation that will give Bristol a competitive advantage over similar programmes in other universities. However, the students will be able to choose 3 optional units covering machine learning, genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics, evolution, or protein structure. This will allow students to select units catering to their interests. Depending on student interest and market flow, in the future the offer of optional units can be expanded to other areas for which Bristol also holds expertise, such as bioimaging, systems modelling, or genomic medicine. Students will be enabled to pursue relevant careers in academia or the private/public sectors. It will provide graduates from a broad range of backgrounds (e.g. biologists, biochemists, geneticists, biomedical scientists, etc.) with bioinformatic skills and business awareness to enhance their employability and implement their own innovative ideas. The University of Bristol is in a vibrant and modern city that is famous for its scientific research, job opportunities, and entrepreneurial spirit. This masters programme distinguishes from other similar offerings by the number of options available and the entrepreneurship component. This, combined with the teaching and research reputation of the University, will attract students with excellent qualities for the masters programme.
Unit Name | Unit Code | Credit Points | Status | |
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Scientific Programming | BIOLM0032 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Programming in R | BIOLM0039 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Entrepreneurship and Professional Development | BIOLM0036 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Bioinformatics Project Planning | BIOLM0028 | 20 | Mandatory | TB-4 |
Group Project | BIOLM0037 | 10 | Mandatory | TB-1 |
Bioinformatics Research Project | BIOLM0034 | 60 | Mandatory | AYEAR |
30CP from the following: | ||||
Genome Biology and Genomics | BIOLM0030 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
Advanced Programming | BIOLM0035 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
3D Protein Structure | BIOLM0027 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
Genome Evolution | BIOLM0033 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
Omics | BIOLM0031 | 10 | Optional | TB-2 |
180 |
The pass mark set by the University for any level 7(M) unit is 50 out of 100.
For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.
All taught masters programmes, unless exempted by Senate, must allow the opportunity for students to exit from the programme with a postgraduate diploma or certificate.
To be awarded a postgraduate diploma, students must have successfully completed 120 credit points, of which 90 must be at level M/7.
To be awarded a postgraduate certificate, students must have successfully completed 60 credit points, of which 40 must be at level M/7.
An award with Merit or Distinction is permitted for postgraduate taught masters, diplomas and certificates, where these are specifically named entry-level qualifications. An award with Merit or Distinction is not permitted for exit awards where students are required to exit the programme on academic grounds but is permitted in designated programmes (as set out in the programme specification) where students choose to withdraw from the intended programme but otherwise achieve the necessary credit points for the exit award.
The classification of the award in relation to the final programme mark is as follows:
Award with Distinction*: at least 65 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation. **Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
Award with Merit*: at least 60 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 60 out of 100 for the dissertation. Faculties retain discretion to increase these thresholds.
* The MA in Law has separate regulations for awarding distinction and merit.
** For the award of Distinction, the Faculty of Engineering requires at least 70 out of 100 for the taught component overall and, for masters awards, at least 70 out of 100 for the dissertation.
All taught masters programmes, unless exempted by Senate, must allow the opportunity for students to choose, or be required, to leave at the postgraduate diploma or certificate stage.
To be awarded a postgraduate diploma, students must have successfully completed 120 credit points, of which 90 must be at level M/7.
To be awarded a postgraduate certificate, students must have successfully completed 60 credit points, of which 40 must be at level M/7.
Please note: This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided.
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