Admissions

Information for Prospective Students

The Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology graduate program is an all-University, interdisciplinary graduate program. The administrative home is at the University of Minnesota Rochester. Faculty come from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the University of Minnesota Rochester, the Hormel Institute, Mayo Clinic, and IBM. A Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and an Associate Director of Graduate Studies (A-DGS) are the liaison with departments and partnering institutions.

The program aims to create a paradigm shift in the way interdisciplinary, multi-institutional higher education is delivered. With multiple institutional partners, we provide students the opportunity to work with faculty from academia, a clinical institution, and industry. The program is designed to overcome challenges of geographically dispersed partnering institutions by delivering courses via ITV, video-conferencing, and regular meetings of all faculty and students.

We expect students to gain competency in the areas of computer science, informatics, mathematics, statistics, and the biological and health sciences. While the students' research will focus on development and applications of computational methods, internships in industry or laboratories will prepare students for an interdisciplinary and collaborative work environment and provide hands-on experience with experiments to gain a deeper understanding of the data types that are generated. We expect that most students will become part of a research team and will promote this mode of training through traineeships that require co-advising across institutions and disciplines.

This program is open to working adults and part-time students seeking master's and/or Ph.D. degrees. A limited number of fellowships for full-time Ph.D. graduate students is expected to be available.

Graduate students are admitted to the University of Minnesota after review of applications by the faculty of the program for which the student applied. The Biomedical Informatics and Computational Biology (BICB) graduate program is one of many graduate programs offered by the University of Minnesota. A list of all majors and degrees offered by the University of Minnesota, the faculty members, requirements, and courses can be found in the Graduate School Catalog.

Tuition and Fees are listed on the University web page Tuition fact sheet.

Prerequisite Coursework

We expect incoming graduate students to have a strong background in the quantitative sciences and varied backgrounds in the life/health sciences. Specifically, we expect incoming students to have taken the following courses at the undergraduate level prior to entering the program:

1. Calculus (1 year)
2. Introductory computer science course and basic programming skills (1 semester)
3. Chemistry (1 year)
4. General biology course (1 semester)

In addition, we expect students to have background in either two of the areas 1-3 or one of the areas 1-3 and one of the areas 4 and 5:

1. Multivariable calculus, differential equations, linear algebra
2. Algorithms and data structure, discrete mathematics
3. Statistics or biostatistics; probability theory
4. Biochemistry, genetics and cell biology
5. Health sciences (pharmacology, physiology, or related areas)

A student might be admitted without meeting the prerequisite requirements, but a plan must be in place to make up deficiencies within the first year.

Submitting Your Application

All materials are submitted electronically through the ApplyYourself application system.  Admission decisions are communicated to applicants using this system.  The BICB graduate program accepts applications from December 15 through April 1 for the Ph.D. program for fall semester. A limited number of fellowships are available for Ph.D. graduate students. For full consideration, please submit your application no later than February 15. Applications for the M.S. program are accepted throughout the year for either fall or spring.

A decision for admission notice will be e-mailed to you once your application is carefully reviewed by the program's admission committee and your transcripts and credentials (test reports, diploma copies, etc.) are authenticated by Graduate School officials.  Ph.D. applicants can expect a decision by April for the fall semester.  Decisions for the M.S. program are made on an ongoing basis.

In addition to completing the online application form you must submit a personal statement, which describes your past experiences and career aspirations, and why you wish to pursue graduate studies in biomedical informatics and computational biology. Please indicate the names of the BICB graduate faculty whose interests overlap with yours. We strongly encourage you to contact these faculty members before you apply. Although there is no page limit for the personal statement, we recommend that it be 2-3 pages.

We require the general GRE test (no subject test is required), unless significant work experience in a related field can be demonstrated, in which case the applicants should request a waiver in the cover letter. Scores should be sent directly to the U of M Graduate School by the Educational Testing Service (Institution #6874, University of Minnesota). TOEFL scores (for non-native speakers) should be sent to the same institution code. See Graduate School web page for further information.

For applications to the BICB Ph.D. program, three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic and professional experience should be uploaded electronically via ApplyYourself.

In addition, for all applicants, we request that reviewers complete the online evaluation through ApplyYourself.

Unofficial Transcripts of all universities and colleges attended should be uploaded directly to the online application.  Please do not mail in paper copies of your transcripts, there is no need for official transcripts or academic records for initial review.  If you are admitted, the University will then request official copies of this material.  Click here for more information about transcripts and credentials.