single degree

Master of Science in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics

A single two year graduate award offered by the ANU College of Science

NSCQB
  • Length 2 year full-time
  • Minimum 96 Units
First year student? There’s more information about enrolling in your degree.
  • Length 2 year full-time
  • Minimum 96 Units
First year student? There’s more information about enrolling in your degree.

Program Requirements

The Master of Science in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics degree requires the completion of 96 units, which must consist of:

A minimum of 24 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses.

18 units from completion of courses from the following list: 

BIOL6200 Introduction to Quantitative Biology
STAT7001 Applied Statistics

A maximum of 6 units from completion of a course from the following list:

BIOL6035 Biology 1: Evolution, Ecology and Genetics
BIOL6036 Biology 2: Molecular and Cell Biology

A maximum of 6 units from completion of a course from the following list:

COMP6730 Programming for Scientists
COMP7230 Introduction to programming for Data Scientists

6 units from completion of a Foundations in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics course from the following list:

BIOL8002 Advanced Topics in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics
COMP8430 Data wrangling
MATH6100 Bioinformatics and Biological Modelling
STAT6039 Principles of Mathematical Statistics
 

A minimum of 12 units from completion of Science in Society Courses from the following list: 

6 units from completion of the following compulsory course:

BIOL8001 Consulting in Quantitative Biology       

A minimum of 6 units from completion of courses in the following list

BIOL6191 Biology, Society and Ethics 
BIOL6201 Big Questions in Biology
ENVS6013 Society and Environmental Change
POGO8093 Science, Innovation and Public Policy
SCOM8014 Communicating Science with the Public 
SCOM6012 Science Communication and the Web
SCOM6003 Science in Popular Fiction
SCOM6015 Speaking of Science
SCOM6016 Science in the Media
SCOM6017 Science Events for Public Engagement
SCOM6027 Science and Public Policy
SCOM6029 Cross Cultural Perspectives in Science Communication
SCOM6030 Science Dialogue Theory and Practice
SCOM6031 Science, Risk and Ethics
SCOM6032 Making Modern Science
SCOM6501 Strategies in Science Communication
SCNC8000 Science Internship
VCPG6003 Leadership and Influence in a Complex World
VCPG6004 Creating Impact
VCPG6002 Mobilising Research
VCPG6001 Unravelling Complexity

18 units from completion of Extensions in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics courses from the following list:

COMP8410 Data Mining
BIOL6243 Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics
MATH6208 Advanced Mathematical Bioinformatics
STAT7004 Introduction to Stochastic Processes

A maximum of 18 units from completion of further courses from 

Foundations in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics courses list

24 units from completion of 6000, 7000 or 8000-level courses from the following subject areas:

BIOL Biology
COMP Computer Science
MATH Mathematics
STAT Statistics
ENGN Engineering
 

Admission Requirements

A Bachelor degree or international equivalent with a minimum GPA of 5.0/7.0, with at least 8 courses in a cognate area.

Cognate Disciplines

Computer science, mathematics, statistics, biology, computational chemistry

English Language Requirements

All applicants must meet the University’s English Language Admission Requirements for Students.

Assessment of Qualifications

Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met. Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications
Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

Annual indicative fee for domestic students
$30,720.00

For more information see: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/costs-fees

Annual indicative fee for international students
$43,680.00

For further information on International Tuition Fees see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments/international-tuition-fees

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

The Master of Science in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics is a 2 year full-time (or equivalent part-time) degree that provides students with experience in the use of methods and tools to organise and analyse biological data, statistically, mathematically and computationally. The course caters to a range of students including (1) students who have come from an undergraduate biological degree, by providing the appropriate mathematical and programming skills; (2) to students with a more quantitative undergraduate background, by providing the necessary background in biology and biological data and analyses. Students also have the opportunity to learn about, and apply, techniques in client engagement and the real-world practice of consulting.

Career Options

Graduates from ANU have been rated as Australia's most employable graduates and among the most sought after by employers worldwide.

The latest Global Employability University Ranking, published by the Times Higher Education, rated ANU as Australia's top university for getting a job for the fourth year in a row.

Employment Opportunities

The Master of Science in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics provides you with skills that are in high demand in a variety of areas including forensic science, agri-technology, the pharmaceutical industry, medical research, bioengineering and biotechnology.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the skills and knowledge to:

1.     demonstrate high level knowledge and an understanding of the mathematical and computational foundations of biological data analysis;

2.     formulate and apply appropriate quantitative methods to analyse biological data problems;

3.     interpret, synthesize and critically analyse published literature of relevance to quantitative biology and bioinformatics;

4.     advise, and provide assistance to others, on the appropriate use of techniques for the analysis of biological data

5.     demonstrate a critical understanding of science in society.

6.     clearly communicate theory and results in both written and oral formats

Academic Advice

The first step to enrolling in your new program is to seek academic advice in order to discuss the courses you will be studying. This is done by making an appointment to meet with the program convener (details below).

Your academic advice session is a great opportunity to discuss with the convener the direction in which you want your studies to go. The convener will be able to advise you about course selection and content of courses that you will undertake as part of your program. Ideally you should bring along a copy of your academic record/academic transcripts as these will greatly assist your convener when giving you course advice.

To book an appointment you can:

Email: rsb.studentadmin@anu.edu.au

Phone: 02 6125 1070

Please also bring along your Planning Your Program document that is available from the enrolment website and your Postgraduate coursework checklist for new students. These documents will help you plan your degree and assist you with finalising your enrolment.

Further enrolment information can also be found here.

An indicative list of courses offered by Science can be found here.

Please follow each step and read through the additional information in the pdf guides, especially the ISIS enrolment guide in Step 2 and the How to enrol guide for new students in Step 3.

If you have any issues enrolling yourself through ISIS please contact us on 02 6125 2809 or email science.enquiries@anu.edu.au


Do you want to talk to someone before enrolling?

Contact RSB Student Administration at rsb.studentadmin@anu.edu.au

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