Bioinformatics

Modules and Teaching

• One year full-time or two years part-time, online, starting in October 2026 or January 2027

  Course structure

  MSc:

  You must complete modules worth a total of 180 credits, consisting of:

  • four compulsory modules (30 credits each)
  • a practical research project which runs for four months full-time, or 16 months part-time, beginning in May (60 credits).

  Research areas for the project include:

  • genome analysis
  • analysis of next-generation sequencing data
  • immunoinformatics
  • microarray analysis
  • molecular modelling
  • biological database design
  • structural data analysis
  • biomedical text mining.

  MRes:

  You must complete modules worth a total of 180 credits, consisting of:

  • one option module in each term (30 credits each)
  • a research project (120 credits).

  Training is also provided in searching and evaluating data in literature and online databases, and the analytical and presentational skills required by the successful research scientist.

  MSc Compulsory modules

  • Biocomputing
  • Sequence Analysis and Omics
  • Statistics and Data Science
  • The Molecular Basis of Life

  MSc Bioinformatics research project

  • Research Project

  MRes Option modules - Term 1

  • Statistics and Data Science
  • The Molecular Basis of Life

  MRes Option modules - Term 2

  • Biocomputing
  • Sequence Analysis and Omics

  MRes Bioinformatics research project

  • Research Project (MRes)

• Teaching

  We encourage innovative and engaging ways of teaching to help ensure you have the best learning experience and provide a range of different modes of learning to help you juggle study with work and other commitments.

  Find out more about our teaching and teaching hours.

  What are the methods of teaching?

  This course emphasises active, online learning. This involves practical sessions and online videos complemented by quizzes and programming exercises. Teaching also includes contributions from specialists at other universities and research institutions.

  We provide online, practical classes in programming, data analysis or use of computing tools, and tutorials reviewing or expanding on online materials or covering topics in career or academic skills development.

• How will I be assessed?

  Assessments encompass a variety of styles, including timed online multiple-choice style quizzes, programming tasks to carry out at home, short or extended pieces of coursework, oral and poster presentations and a project based on real-world research.

  Please see individual modules for more details.

  Find out more about assessment at Birkbeck, including guidance on assessment, feedback and our assessment offences policy.

Entry requirements

MSc: You must have a second-class honours degree (2:2) or above.

Some practical knowledge of one programming language would be a distinct advantage.

Mathematics to A-level or equivalent desirable, but GCSE/O-level considered.

MRes: The MRes is a challenging, interdisciplinary course. We recommend initial entry to the MSc Bioinformatics course until November (full-time) or February (part-time) so that your skills and knowledge can be thoroughly assessed. Occasionally, direct entry to the MRes is possible, when there is very strong prior evidence that the student will perform well on the course.

• What are the English language requirements?

  If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, our usual requirement is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests. We also accept other English language tests.

  If you don't meet the minimum English language requirements, please contact us or see our international study skills page for more details about how we can help.

  Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country.

• What are the visa and funding requirements?

  If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

  The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

  • Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
  • Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

  International students who require a Student visa should apply to study on our courses full-time as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol to study part-time courses at Birkbeck (with the exception of some modules).

  As a Student visa student, you should also apply to study on campus only, as online and flexible options of study (if they are available for your course) may affect the conditions of your visa.

  For full information, read our visa information for international students page.

  Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country.

  Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

• Student visa students: dependants

  This MRes is classified as a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) programme. Under UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) rules, Student visa students on this course are not eligible to bring dependants to the UK.

• Credits and accredited prior learning (APL)

  If you have studied at university (or have an HND or Foundation Degree), you may have accumulated credits. It may be possible to transfer these from your previous study to Birkbeck or another institution.

Fees

• Birkbeck's Lifelong Learning Guarantee

  If you've studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a reduction on the tuition fee of this course.

• Can I apply for an international scholarship?

  We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. View Birkbeck's available scholarships.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this bioinformatics course, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• independent problem solving
• scientific reporting (oral and written)
• time organisation and completing projects to deadlines
• analytical skills, including a sound understanding of commonly used statistics
• writing and sharing code, ensuring reproducibility.

Studying our course will prepare you for roles in a range of fields in:

• teaching and research in academia
• biomedical data analysis in industry or academia
• software development in industry
• science writing and reporting
• bioinformatics support for sequencing centres.

Some of our graduates from this course have gone on to be employed at the following organisations:

• The Institute of Cancer Research
• The Francis Crick Institute
• Benevolent AI
• Genomics England
• UK Health Security Agency
• Unilever

Student support

How to apply

• When should I apply?

  You are strongly advised to apply now, to ensure there are still places left, and to give you enough time to complete the admissions process, to arrange funding and to enrol.

  You don't need to complete your current programme of study before you apply - Birkbeck can offer you a place that is conditional on your results.

• How can I get help with my application?

  Get all the information you need about the application, admission and enrolment process at Birkbeck.

  Our online personal statement tool will guide you through every step of writing the personal statement part of your application.

• International agents

  If you are an international agent applying to Birkbeck on behalf of an international student, please use Birkbeck's agent portal.