Professional Science Master's in Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science

Develop expertise in the various software tools that help you identify, interpret and analyze biological data with the Professional Science Master's in Bioinformatics in Temple’s College of Science and Technology. This 30-credit-hour graduate degree is ideal for those who are currently working or seeking positions in the biotechnology, healthcare or pharmaceutical industries. Since classes are offered at night, it is flexible enough to fit your busy schedule while providing an advanced, professional development-focused graduate curriculum. Through the program, you’ll develop a deep understanding of computer programming, genomics and structural biology.

The Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science PSM program integrates biology, chemistry, computer science, physics and statistics to investigate solutions to biological problems. Not only will you understand the computational and statistical methods used to analyze or discover data involving biochemistry, biophysics and genomics, you’ll be able to communicate them succinctly and effectively. Coursework includes

  • ethics in bioinformatics, which examines the legal, privacy and social issues of using computational approaches to large data sets;
  • scripting languages, which focus on the scripting languages and operating environments used in scientific computing; and
  • structural bioinformatics, which studies protein structure analysis and methods building probabilistic models of sequence ensembles.

With opportunities for research in one of Temple’s many state-of-the-art facilities or an internship at a local biotechnology company, the Bioinformatics PSM helps position you for career advancement with real-world experience in this rapidly growing field.

Program Requirements

To earn the Bioinformatics PSM, students must successfully complete a final capstone project, which involves either

  • an internship with a local biotechnology, healthcare or pharmaceutical company or
  • research in the College of Science and Technology labs, under the guidance of a student’s program principal investigator.

Internships focus on one of three specializations, including

  • computational bioinformatics,
  • genomes/genomics or
  • structural bioinformatics.

Coursework for the Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science PSM must be completed within two years, on either a part-time or full-time basis. Learn more about the program requirements for the Bioinformatics PSM.

Classes & Curriculum

Bioinformatics PSM students are required to complete 30 credit hours of coursework, including classes in other College of Science and Technology Departments, to earn the degree within two years. Classes take place on Temple’s Main Campus, where the biology labs and research facilities are located.

Classes are a blend of research and seminar courses, some of which include

  • Biostatistics,
  • Ethics in Bioinformatics,
  • Genomics, and
  • Scripting for Sciences and Business.

Learn more about required courses for the Bioinformatics PSM.

Related Graduate Degrees

Related Graduate Certificates

Concentrations

You can focus on Bioinformatics and Biological Data Science or you can take one of the following concentrations.

  • Bioinformatics

    Explore a rapidly growing field that brings together elements of biology, chemistry, computer science, physics and statistics. Learn to analyze, understand and communicate the latest discoveries in biochemistry, biophysics and genomics while focusing on how the findings and research affect biotechnology, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

    View Concentration Details
  • Biological Data Science

    Advance your knowledge of the various software tools and machine-learning methods that help you identify, analyze and interpret biological and biomedical data. This concentration allows you to evaluate relevant scientific publications and focus on how researchers use found data to solve global problems such as climate change, mass extinction, pandemics and poverty.

    View Concentration Details

Tuition & Fees

In keeping with Temple’s commitment to access and affordability, this Professional Science Masters offers a competitive level of tuition with multiple opportunities for financial support.

Tuition rates are set annually by the university and are affected by multiple factors, including program degree level (undergraduate or graduate), course load (full- or part-time), in-state or out-of-state residency, and more. These tuition costs apply to the 2023–2024 academic year.

Pennsylvania resident: [node:field_tuprog_tuition_resident] per credit
Out-of-state: [node:field_tuprog_tuition_nonresident] per credit

Learn more about our tuition and fees.

ST-BBDS-PSM

Additional Program Information