Online Master of Science in Biological Data Science

The analysis of big data in biological sciences can be applied to answer a wide variety of scientific questions. In this program, you’ll learn how to manipulate big data, including the management and analysis of it, using statistical and computational toolsets. In addition to learning to work with big data, you’ll also be taught about efficient storage and access to it, making this program unique from other data science master’s programs.

What skills will I learn in data science for biologists courses?

In this Master of Science in biological data science program, you'll gain computational skills applicable to ecological, environmental, toxicological and other biological settings. This master’s program incorporates hands-on learning to ensure you’ll develop an understanding of:

• Critical thinking.
• Programming in open access software such as Python, R and SQL.
• Writing Linux shell scripts for accessing high performance computing resources.
• Biological data analysis.
• Writing scientific papers and statistical hypotheses.
• Technical writing.

Who is a good candidate for a biological data science master’s program?

You’ll be a good fit for this biological data science masters program if you have a background in biology and need more computational training, or have a background in computational sciences and need more training in the natural sciences. In this program, you’ll work with faculty members who have expertise in both areas and will help you bridge the gap between the two. However, this program is designed so anyone with a bachelor’s degree from any background can be successful.

This program does not provide hands-on training in a wet lab. Therefore, this program may not be a good fit for you if you want to work in a lab setting and do not have previous training.