University Master's Degree in Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics is a strategic science essential to understanding the ever increasing avalanche of biological data.

Admission Official Master's Degree in Bioinformatics

Access

Access to this master's degree is open to holders of an official bachelor's degree from a Spanish university or from another higher education institution within or outside the European Higher Education Area, provided this gives access to postgraduate studies in the country of issue.

Admission requirements

Those interested in enrolling in the master's degree must have a university degree, preferably in Biology, Biotechnology, Genetics, Biomedicine or other similar areas related to sciences and health sciences. Graduates in engineering and architecture fields will also be admitted.

It is recommended you have a Level B2 of English or equivalent. If you do not provide an official language certificate you will be interviewed in English by the admissions committee during the selection process.

Selection criteria

The following aspects will be taken into consideration:

- Student record (40 points).
- Personal interview (25 points).
- Professional experience (curriculum vitae in English) (10 points).
- Suitability of your profile to the objectives and contents of the master's programme (10 points).
- Papers published (5 points).
- Recommendation letters (professional or academical) (5 points).
- Cover letter (in English) (5 points).

The admissions committee will admit those candidates who meet all aforementioned requirements and who obtain a total of 60 or more points in the selection criteria. If there are more candidates than places available, admission will be strictly based on the points obtained.

Complementary training

As this master's degree programme envisages applications from graduates in areas as diverse as biology and engineering, bridging courses have been established as a means of leveling the knowledge of all students who are admitted to the degree.

Students (such as engineers, physicists or mathematicians, among others) who do not have training in the field of biosciences are required to take Structure and Function of Biomolecules (6 ECTS credits), from the first semester of the degree in Biomedical Sciences. The syllabus for this subject is as follows:

AREA I: Proteins and Enzyme Activity
Unit 1: Studying the Structure and Function of Biomolecules: Introduction
Unit 2: Proteins: Composition and Structure
Unit 3: Relationship between Protein Structure and Function: Oxygen-Carrying Proteins
Unit 4: Enzymes, Enzymatic Kinetics and Regulation
AREA II: Nucleic Acids: Storage and Flow of Genetic Information
Unit 5: Nucleic Acids. Structuring Levels Unit 6: DNA Replication and Transcription
Unit 7: The Genetic Code and Protein Synthesis
Unit 8: Exploration of Genes and Genomes, Recombinant DNA AREA III: Biological Lipids and Membranes
Unit 9: Biological Lipids and Membranes

Students from the ambit of life and health sciences who have no demonstrable knowledge of computer science are required to take Fundamentals of Computer Science (9 ECTS credits), from the first semester of the degree in Computer Engineering. The syllabus for this subject is as follows:

AREA I: Introduction to Computer Science
Unit 1: Introduction to Computer Science
AREA II: Introduction to Programming
Unit 2: Problem Solving: Introduction to Algorithms and Programming
Unit 3: Control Structures
Unit 4: Data Types I
Unit 5: Subprograms. Procedures and Functions
Unit 6: Solving Complex Problems
Unit 7: Data Types II
AREA III: Introduction to the Computer
Unit 8: Representing Information on the Computer
Unit 9: Introduction to Computer Architecture
Unit 10: Machine Language and Assembly Language
AREA 11: Peripherals
Unit 12: Operating Systems
Unit 13: Concepts on Computer Networks

The following list sets out the bridging courses that students must take based on their previous studies. In specific cases, this may vary depending either on the specific optional subjects taken or on the decision of the master’s degree coordinator, in accordance with the knowledge that students are able to accredit.

Previous Studies (bachelor’s degree [pre- & post-Bologna] or equivalent): Bridging courses
Biology
Environmental Biology
Biochemistry
Biotechnology
Food Science and Technology
Environmental Sciences
Biomedical Sciences
Pharmacy
Genetics
Agricultural Engineering
Food Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Biosystems Engineering
Medicine
Microbiology
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Chemistry
Veterinary Medicine
Fundamentals of Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Technical Engineering in Management Computing
Technical Engineering in Computer Systems
Chemical Engineering
Statistics (Diploma-Level Studies)
Applied Statistics
Physics
Mathematics
Chemistry