BIOINFORMATICS AND COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY

OBJECTIVES

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology represent a new interface field at the intersection of Biology and Computer Science, constituting an integrative scientific area, aiming to disclose fundamental biological mechanisms, both at the cellular and molecular and at the macro dimensions, including organisms, populations or species to ecosystems and biomes, and addressing issues related to genetics, systems biology, omics, pathology, ecology, evolution, epidemiology, among others. In order to meet this ambition, the curricular structure of this master’s degree is organized so that the students acquire knowledge and competences transversal to mathematics, computation, biochemistry and biology, these last two fields through a computer perspective. The interdisciplinary character of this master degree is sustained through a comprehensive set of curricular objectives that include:

• Understanding the structure of biological databases and developing skills in their use, such as NCBI, GenBank, UniProt, Protein Data Bank, KEGG, BioCyc, REACTOME, BRENDA, SABIO-RK, JASPAR, ChEBI among others.
• Acquire knowledge and skills regarding the basic mechanisms of Molecular Biology – such as gene expression and regulation, gene-gene and gene-protein interaction networks;
• Understanding the basic algorithms of bioinformatics (of probabilistic nature and others);
• Acquisition of competences to create and programming of bioinformatics algorithms;
• Understanding the usefulness of bioinformatics tools and computational biology to tackle biological phenomenology;
• Competences in the three-dimensional modeling of proteins and biological molecules, and in the computational simulation of their properties, with emphasis on their applications in biotechnological related areas, particularly in health sciences;
• Competences in the three-dimensional modeling of proteins and biological molecules, and in the computational simulation of their properties, with emphasis on their applications in biotechnological related areas, particularly in health sciences;

STRUCTURE

The Master consists of:

• a Specialization course consisting of an organized set of curricular units corresponding to 60 ECTS credits. It confers a Specialization in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology;
• Two optional curricular units (6 ECTS each), a Dissertation Project and a Dissertation (both scientific, original and specially made for this purpose). This training corresponds to 60 out of the total 120 ECTS of the Master and will allow, after passing the public defense of the dissertation, to obtain a Master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.

STUDY PLAN

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ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor degree in Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics or related fields, with a minimum of 72 ECTS in the scientific areas of Biology and Biochemistry, or in the scientific areas of Mathematics and Computer Science.
• Only candidates who have completed or are able to complete one of the Bachelor degrees referred to in the previous paragraph, with a minimum grade of 12 (0-20), will be admitted before enrolment.
• Candidates may be admitted who, through the academic, scientific or professional curriculum, the Scientific Committee of the Master recognizes that meet the requirements necessary to carry out this Master.

SELECTION CRITERIA

• Bachelor’s grade (*) or weighted average of the curricular units at the time of application. (60%)
• Adequacy of the candidate for the cycle of studies (20%) – Scored with 1 to 3 values ​​for graduates in Biology and Biochemistry according to the number of ECTS in the area of ​​Computer Science or Mathematics (only ECTS were counted in addition to the compulsory 12 ECTS of M foreseen in Biology / Biochemistry curricula, with the following criterion being adopted:
  • ≤ 6 ECTS = 1;
  • > 6 ≤ 12 ECTS = 1,5;
  • > 12 ≤ 18 ECTS = 2;
  • 3 to 4 values ​​for graduates in Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics depending on the number of ECTS in the area of ​​biological sciences;
  • 0 to 1 value for other degrees or related areas depending on the number of ECTS carried out in the area of ​​Computer Science or Mathematics.
• Curricular Evaluation (20%) – Weighted with 0 to 4 values ​​depending on the academic and scientific curriculum of the candidate taking into account the previous postgraduate training considering the number of ECTS carried out in the areas of Computer Science and Mathematics, and the candidate’s participation in research projects, professional experience and other data considered relevant by the Scientific Committee of the Master. The following criterion was adopted:
  • completion of a Master’s degree in the field of biological sciences or related areas = 1;
  • incomplete Master’s degree with completed curricular year = 0.5;
  • vacant references to participation in projects or communications that have no way to be confirmed are not considered;
  • poster communications at international congresses = 0,1;
  • oral communications in international conferences = 0.2;
  • publications in international journals indexed outside the BBC area = 0.75;
  • co-author in publications in international journals indexed outside the BBC = 0.5 area;
  • the valuation of journals in indexed journals outside the BBC area should not exceed 2.0 values)

(*) Bachelor’s grade – the average of the classifications obtained in the course units, weighted by the ECTS credits or the respective hourly loads and rounded to the tenths. In the application statement, certificates must be presented with the curricular units carried out and their ECTS or hours.

Tiebreaker:

• Average of the classification of the set of curricular units that define the minimum of 72 ECTS of the areas used to determine the curricular profile of the candidate (Biology / Biochemistry or Mathematics / Computer Science);
• Higher classification of one of the curricular units of the complementary area (Biology / Biochemistry or Mathematics / Computer Science) used to determine the curricular profile of the candidate, i.e. the one defined by a minimum of 72 ECTS in the areas of Biology / Biochemistry or Mathematics / Computer Science.

CAREER PROSPECTS

The master’s degree in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology aims to train professionals skilled for innovation and creation of scientific knowledge, in its fundamental and applied aspects, in the emerging interface between computer science and biology. At the end of the Master, trainees will be qualified to integrate multidisciplinary research teams, but will also provide a cluster of specialized professionals capable to enhance the competitive potential of technology-based enterprises, therefore fit to face current societal challenges in innovation and development, particularly in health technologies, biotechnology, environment, the food and pharmaceutical industries.