Master's Programme in Bioinformatics 120 credits

Image: Glenn Carstens-Peters

About the programme

In the Master’s programme in Bioinformatics, you study how data science, computational and statistical approaches are applied to enable novel biological insights. The programme provides a broad insight into the use of bioinformatics, from clinical genetics to plant biotechnology and biodiversity monitoring. You will gain insight from active researchers into the broad diversity of areas where bioinformatics is now essential for advancing biological understanding and translation to societal impacts.

High demand for qualified bioinformaticians

Strong connection with ongoing research

Use high performance computing infrastructures

While studying

Are you a passionate biologist who would like to extend your skills in extracting novel biological knowledge from complex datasets and the application of cutting-edge technologies? This programme is designed for students with a background in molecular biology or related subjects wanting to develop applied skills in bioinformatics.

You will receive advanced training in applying computational and data science approaches in practice, providing you with the tools to work with a diversity of real-world biological challenges spanning from human health to complex ecological systems.

A mix of theory and practical application

As a master’s student in Umeå, you will learn to work independently and critically, developing skills essential for both academic research and professional roles that require autonomy and analytical thinking.

Through a combination of lectures, practical exercises, group-based and independent projects, you will gain both scientific expertise and hands-on experience to enable you to work as part of an interdisciplinary team, gaining important transferable skills. The hands-on exercises throughout the programme utilise national high performance computing infrastructures, providing directly applicable skills in preparation for your future career.

Courses in the programme

Year 1

The first year focuses on developing foundational skills in biostatistics, practical computing and scripting application and the generation and analysis of high throughput genomics data.

Computing for data driven biology
Statistics and data science for biology
Programming in Python for bioinformatics
Statistics and machine learning in bioinformatics
Quantitative biology and integrative omics
Comparative genomics
Functional genomics theory
Applied functional genomics

Year 2

The second year develops detailed understanding of applied aspects of clinical genetics and microbial genomics in additional to undertaking group based and independent research projects.

Applied bioinformatics
Clinical omics and bioinformatics
Epigenetics and the non-coding genome
Microbial bioinformatics
Exam thesis in bioinformatics

Train for independent and critical scientific work

Throughout the programme, you will gain the skills to:

• Identify challenging biological questions
• Design and conduct scientific investigations
• Collect and analyse complex, largescale biological data
• Use statistics for data analysis
• Present, interpret, and discuss results in scientific formats

You will also develop a deep understanding of how bioinformatics contributes to novel biological insight — knowledge that is essential for both academic research and practical work.

A close connection to research and real-world applications

The programme is closely tied to active research projects within the two contributing faculties, which includes applications to improving human health through to novel plant biotechnology developments and novel understanding of complex ecosystems. You will gain direct insight into relevant career opportunities within local, national and international research environments in addition to training for professionals in clinical genetics and genomics.

Choose your thesis topic and expand your studies

You can undertake a 30 ECTS research thesis project in a broad range of research environments to develop your individual interests in the applications of bioinformatics to advance biological knowledge or to advance applications of biological knowledge to improve human health, plant survival and productivity or ecological response to climate change.

You can also choose to take a project course or internship in close collaboration with a research group or an external partner, providing excellent opportunities for applied learning and networking.

Show programme syllabus

Future and career opportunities

Biological research is increasingly using high throughput technologies that generate largescale data. These datasets are also becoming increasingly complex, integrating data from multiple technologies to answer challenging biological questions. Organising, processing, analysing and interpreting these complex datasets requires skills in computing, statistics and data science integrated with domain specific biological knowledge. Bioinformatics is therefore at the forefront of cuttings edge biological advancement.

There is high demand for qualified bioinformaticians within governmental and non-governmental agencies, environmental consultancies, health care including clinical genetics and genomics, plant biotechnology, and biodiversity monitoring. There are also diverse opportunities within private sector companies, including biopharmaceuticals, focused on largescale and complex biological data. The programme will also prepare you for future career in academic research, either in support positions or by perusing doctoral studies.

Typical job titles

Bioinformatician
Biological data scientist
Bioinformatics scientist
Biostatistician
Bioinformatic analyst
Genomic data analyst

Contact

Nathaniel Street

Professor

+46 90 786 54 73

Apply

Autumn 2026
- Master's Programme in Bioinformatics
  
  Autumn 2026 / Umeå / English / On site
  
  Application opens 16 October 2025
  
  Save education at universityadmissions.se
  
  Show more Show less
  
  Start
  Autumn Term 2026
  
  Number of credits
  120 credits
  
  Type of studies
  On site
  
  Study pace
  100%
  
  Length
  2 years
  
  Study location
  Umeå
  
  Language
  English
  
  Application code
  UMU-M5072
  
  Eligibility A Bachelor's degree or equivalent first-cycle qualification comprising of at least 180 ECTS or a corresponding qualification from an internationally recognised university. Specific entry requirements are at least 90 ECTS in the fields of biology, biomedicine, molecular biology, molecular ecology, molecular evolution, genetics or other related subjects. Of these, at least 15 ECTS must be in molecular biology, molecular ecology or molecular evolution, 7.5 ECTS in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics or statistics and 7.5 ECTS in genetics. English B/6.
  
  Selection
  Academic credits completed by the last application date (in the range of 30-285 credits equivalent to ECTS)
  
  Degree
  After a completed programme of 120 credits, the student can apply for and obtain a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) in accordance with local qualification descriptor established by the Vice-Chancellor (see on Umeå University's website).
  In Swedish, Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) are called Naturvetenskaplig masterexamen. The degree is awarded in the main field of study (Bioinformatics).
  
  Application
  The online application opens 16 October 2025 at 13:00 CET. Application deadline is 15 January 2026.
  
  Application and tuition fees
  As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
  
  Application fee: SEK 900
  
  Tuition fee, first instalment: SEK 76,150
  
  Total fee: SEK 304,600
  
  Details about tuition, fees and funding
- Master's Programme in Bioinformatics
  
  Autumn 2026 / Umeå / English / On site
  
  Application opens 16 March 2026
  
  Save education at universityadmissions.se
  
  Show more Show less
  
  Start
  Autumn Term 2026
  
  Number of credits
  120 credits
  
  Type of studies
  On site
  
  Study pace
  100%
  
  Length
  2 years
  
  Study location
  Umeå
  
  Language
  English
  
  Application code
  UMU-P5072
  
  Eligibility A Bachelor's degree or equivalent first-cycle qualification comprising of at least 180 ECTS or a corresponding qualification from an internationally recognised university. Specific entry requirements are at least 90 ECTS in the fields of biology, biomedicine, molecular biology, molecular ecology, molecular evolution, genetics or other related subjects. Of these, at least 15 ECTS must be in molecular biology, molecular ecology or molecular evolution, 7.5 ECTS in biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics or statistics and 7.5 ECTS in genetics. English B/6.
  
  Selection
  Academic credits completed by the last application date (in the range of 30-285 credits equivalent to ECTS)
  
  Degree
  After a completed programme of 120 credits, the student can apply for and obtain a Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) in accordance with local qualification descriptor established by the Vice-Chancellor (see on Umeå University's website).
  In Swedish, Degree of Master of Science (120 credits) are called Naturvetenskaplig masterexamen. The degree is awarded in the main field of study (Bioinformatics).
  
  Application
  The online application opens 16 March 2026 at 09:00 CET. Application deadline is 15 April 2026.
  
  Application and tuition fees
  As a citizen of a country outside the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are required to pay application and tuition fees for studies at Umeå University.
  
  Application fee: SEK 900
  
  Tuition fee, first instalment: SEK 76,150
  
  Total fee: SEK 304,600
  
  Details about tuition, fees and funding

Apply online via universityadmissions.se
You apply to our programmes and courses via universityadmissions.se – the official website for higher education applications in Sweden. There, you can track your application, check that your documents have been registered, and log in to find our your admission results.
 
Late applications
Admissions to most programmes and courses typically close after the final application deadline. However, some programmes and courses may still accept late applications if seats are available. These are marked “Open for late application” on universityadmissions.se. Please note that late applications are not guaranteed to be reviewed.

More about application and admission

Research excellence at Umeå University

Be a part of a world-class environment for teaching and research – where the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 geneediting began, and where innovation continues to shape the future.

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Open climate for groundbreaking research

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Programme is given by

Faculty of Science and Technology

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