Bioinformatics is the development and application of computational and statistical techniques for solving problems involving complex biological data. This emerging discipline is growing rapidly alongside technological developments for large-scale data generation in the life sciences, such as in genomics, proteomics, functional pathway analysis, health sciences, and biodiversity. Demand is accelerating for new approaches for data storage, retrieval, analysis, and applications. A new generation of professionals is required to meet this demand, having bioinformatics skills and the capacity to create new approaches.

Administrative Staff

Director
Jennifer Geddes-McAlister (4457 Science Complex, Ext. 52129)
jgeddesm@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Coordinator
Steffen Graether (2255 Science Complex, Ext. 56457)
graether@uoguelph.ca
Course-Based Master's Program Coordinator
Emily Berzitis (4451 Science Complex, Ext. 56474)
bioinformatics@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Admissions Assistant
Karen White (3479 Science Complex, Ext. 52730)
cbsgrad@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Program Assistant
Kate Artuso (2483 Science Complex, Ext. 56097)
cbsibgrad@uoguelph.ca 

Graduate Faculty

This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.

MBINF Program

Admission Requirements

Students will be admitted to the Master of Bioinformatics program from a range of undergraduate programs in the life sciences. Students from undergraduate programs in the physical or computational sciences will be considered for admission if they are considered to have sufficient biological background. Students must begin the Master of Bioinformatics program in a fall semester. To be considered for admission, applicants should meet the minimum requirements of a four-year degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with a minimum 75% average over the last two years of full-time equivalent study. Additionally, all applicants must have taken at least one prior university course in genetics or molecular biology and at least one university course in statistics or biostatistics. Students whose first language is not English require a minimum TOEFL score of 93 with a minimum score of 22 in each of the four categories, or a minimum IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum of at least 6.5 in each component.

Space in the program is limited and prospective students are encouraged to apply by the application deadline to be considered for admission. Application details are posted on the program website.

Program Requirements

A total of 4.0 credits are required, which must include:

The advisory committee and/or the Graduate Program Committee may require additional courses.

Advisory Committee

Students taking the Master of Bioinformatics will have an advisor and a co-advisor. Both the advisor and the co-advisor must be members of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty such that one has expertise in the life sciences and the other has expertise in statistics, mathematics or computing.

Duration of the Program

Students normally take 3 courses per semester for two semesters (3.0 credits) and complete the Bioinformatics Master’s Project (1.0 credit) in a third semester. Therefore, the program typically takes 12 months of full-time study. There is, however, the option to continue the Bioinformatics Master’s Project into a second fall semester, in which case the program will take 16 months of full-time study.

MSc Program

Admission Requirements

Students may be admitted to the MSc in Bioinformatics program from a range of undergraduate programs in the life, physical, statistical, mathematical, and computational sciences. To be considered for admission, applicants should meet the minimum requirements of a four-year degree from a recognized post-secondary institution with a minimum 75% average over the last two years of full-time equivalent study.

Applicants must indicate their research interests and their agreed advisors. Prospective students should commence discussions with faculty well in advance of applying. Offers of admission will only be issued in cases where a member of Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty has agreed to be the advisor. Applicants can view the Bioinformatics Faculty Page for a listing of the faculty members and links to their department homepages which include their research interests and contact information. Applicants should only begin their application once one such faculty member has agreed to be the advisor.

Program Requirements

A total of 2.0 credits are required, which must include:

The advisory committee and/or the Graduate Program Committee may require additional courses. When the course work is satisfactorily completed, the submission and successful defence of an appropriate thesis on an approved topic completes the requirements for the MSc in Bioinformatics.

Advisory Committee

Students taking the MSc in Bioinformatics will have an advisory committee comprising at least two members of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty. The advisor must be a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty. Usually, if there is a co-advisor, they will also be a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty; under special circumstances, the Director, after consultation with the Bioinformatics Program Committee, may approve a co-advisor who is not a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty.

Duration of the Program

The program typically takes 16-24 months of full-time study.

PhD Program

Admission Requirements

1. Applicants with a master's degree
   Applicants holding either a Master of Bioinformatics, an MSc in Bioinformatics, or a masters in a related discipline with a GPA above 80 over the last two years equivalent of full time study will be considered for admission.
2. Applicants without a master's degree (i.e., direct entry)
   Strong applicants (GPA>80) may be admitted without holding a master's degree provided that their undergraduate major is appropriate. In these cases, the program committee will assign necessary courses to ensure sufficient preparedness for research.
3. General Requirements
   Applicants must indicate an agreed advisor at the time of application. Prospective students should commence discussions with faculty well in advance of applying. Offers of admission will only be issued in cases where a member of Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty has agreed to be the advisor. Applicants can view the Bioinformatics Faculty Page for a listing of the faculty members and links to their department homepages, which include their research interests and contact information. Applicants should only begin their application once one such faculty member has agreed to be the advisor.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 1.0 credit is required, which must include:

The program committee and the advisory committee may, and usually will, require additional courses. After the prescribed course work is satisfactorily completed, a qualifying examination is taken. Finally, the submission and successful defence of an appropriate thesis on an approved topic completes the requirements for the PhD in Bioinformatics.

Advisory Committee

Students taking the PhD in Bioinformatics will have an advisory committee comprising at least three members of the Graduate Faculty, at least two of whom should be Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty. The advisor must be a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty. Usually, if there is a co-advisor, they will also be a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty; under special circumstances, the Director, after consultation with the Bioinformatics Program Committee, may approve a co-advisor who is not a member of the Bioinformatics Graduate Faculty.

Duration of the Program

The completion period of the program is 12 semesters of full-time study.

Collaborative Specializations

Artificial Intelligence

The MSc in Bioinformatics program participates in the collaborative specialization in Artificial Intelligence. MSc students wishing to undertake thesis research with an emphasis on artificial intelligence are eligible to apply to register concurrently in Bioinformatics and the collaborative specialization. Students should consult the Artificial Intelligence listing for more information.

Courses 

Note

Some courses may not be offered every year.  Students planning to take a courses from the above list should consult with the Graduate Program Assistant for availability and scheduling.

Electives

Biological Sciences

Note

Students may take the Machine Learning Modelling section of ANSC*6100 Special Project which is offered in Winter only.

Computer Science

Mathematics and Statistics

Note

Some courses may not be offered in every semester. Students planning to take a course from the above list should consult with the department offering the course to check for availability and scheduling.