Master of Computational Biology

At the intersection of biology, mathematics and computer science sits computational biology.

This unique discipline requires a unique qualification, and the Master of Computational Biology, the first of its kind in Australia, builds specialist skills in bioinformatics, systems biology, and biological and ecological modelling.

You'll also develop complementary skills in business, communications and general scientific acumen.

The Master of Computational Biology is a 300-point course, made up of:

• Foundation and prerequisite studies (up to 100 points depending on your background)
• Core subjects (50 points)
• Project subjects (25-75 points)
• Discipline subjects (50-100 points)
• Professional skills subjects (25-50 points).

In your first-year, subjects will be tailored to you, depending on your previous academic background: biology or biomedicine; computer science; mathematics; statistics; or physics.

In your second and third year, you'll develop advanced skills in computational biology. There's a lot of flexibility to combine core and discipline-specific subjects with professional skills subjects and the research project in a way that suits you.

All students undertake a research project, over 6-12 months, working on a real-world computational biology research question. You'll be matched with one of our expert researchers or industry partners.

You may be awarded up to 100 points of advanced standing based on your previous studies. Students who have completed a major in Computational Biology at the University of Melbourne in their undergraduate degree will be awarded 100 points of advanced standing, leaving only 200 credit points to complete.

Our graduates go on to work as bioinformaticians, computational biologists, academic researchers (in biology, applied mathematics and computational science), data scientists, business analysts, public health consultants and software engineers.

Employers in this field include:

• Medical research institutes such as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
• Government departments of defence, health, innovation, agriculture, environment and economic development
• Research hospitals such as Murdoch Children's Research Institute and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
• Research-focused companies such as CSL, GSK and IBM
• Universities and public research institutions.