NUI Galway - Biomedical Genomics

Course Overview/Contact:

The aim of this programme is to train graduates with backgrounds in the molecular life sciences in genomics relevant to medical applications. With continuing advances in the technologies that are used to sequence DNA, medical applications of genomics are becoming increasingly important. It is now possible to diagnose rare genetic diseases from genomic sequences, while sequencing of tumours has become an important means of refining therapeutic choices in cancer treatment. Graduates of this programme will gain core skills in genomics analysis and practical experience of applying these skills to biological samples and data. 

Download programme brochure here.

This is a 12-month 90-credit course consisting of 60 credits of taught modules and a 30 credit research project. Taught modules will be completed by the end of semester II and will consist of 45 credits of core and 15 credits of optional modules. Both the core modules and the set of optional modules available to the student depend on whether the student has a background in the molecular life sciences or the quantitative or computational sciences. From the end of semester II, the student will focus on a full-time basis on an individual research project.

Career Opportunities:

The MSc in Biomedical Genomics will provide the mix of skills required to engage in genomics analysis and research in a variety of settings. As advances in precision medicine take hold, it is anticipated that the need for genomics analysts in health care, the pharmaceutical industry and in academic research will continue to increase, generating opportunities to seek employment in each of these areas.

Programme Content:

Core Modules

• Research project—a research project corresponding to three months of full-time effort (worth 30 ECTS credits; all other core modules are worth 5 ECTS)
• Introduction to programming for biology —computer programming with a focus on applications to genomics data
• Molecular and cellular biology of cancer  — An in-depth look at the processes through which cancer develops, progress, and evades programmed cell death in the body. cal science, and biotechnology.
• Medical genomics I: genomics of common and rare diseases—the role of genetic variation in human health, the genetic epidemiology of common diseases and analytical tools to guide diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic disorders
• Medical genomics II: the cancer genome—an introduction to the theory and practical aspects of the application of genomics in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer
• Statistical computing in R—a review of concepts of probability and statistics through the medium of the R statistical computing environment
• Mathematical molecular biology—discrete mathematics and computer science theory applied to molecular biology, including genome assembly using graph theory and algorithms for sequence alignment and phylogenetics
• Introduction to Bioinformatics—theory, computational tools and information resources for molecular biology
• Genomics techniques I: sequencing library preparation—a hands-on overview of the design of high throughput sequencing experiments and laboratory techniques used to prepare biological samples for sequencing
• Genomics techniques II: genomics data analysis—analytical methods and computational tools used in high throughput genomics data analysis
• Probabilistic models for molecular biology—stochastic processes and their application to in genomics, including in genome annotation

Optional modules (10 credits from the options below)

• Applied statistics (5 ECTS)
• Networks (5 ECTS)
• Data Visualisation (5 ECTS)
• Advanced and applied immunology (5 ECTS)
• Molecular and cellular biology of cancer (10 ECTS)

Entry Requirements:

Applicants must have achieved a second class honours degree or better in a discipline relating to the molecular life sciences. Qualifying degrees include, but are not limited to, biochemistry, genetics, biomedical science, and biotechnology.

Find out more:

Dr. Pilib Ó Broin

School of Mathematics, Statistics and
Applied Mathematics
T +353 (0)91 492337
E pilib.obroin@nuigalway.ie