Introduction and frequently asked questions (FAQ)

The Master Degree ("Laurea Magistrale") in Bioinformatics for Computational Genomics is a joint initiative of the University of Milano and the Politecnico di Milano, and will be activated starting from the Academic Year 2019-2020.

Overall, it aims to form "genome data scientists", that is, graduates that will have an adequate knowledge about the molecular basis of biological systems; the structure and function of biological molecules and how they participate in cellular processes; the technologies and platforms for the analysis of genomes; the tools for bioinformatic and genomic analysis; and the statistical and computational methodologies for the analysis of biomolecular data.

Admission is open to all students with a Bachelor degree ("Laurea Triennale") EITHER in biology or biotechnology or similar OR computer science, engineering, mathematics or physics. See "Application" for further details.

By attending the courses taught in the BCG degree you will learn about:

1. the organization of information in the genome and the molecular and cellular processes at the basis of gene expression and its regulation
2. the experimental methods used for studying genes and their function in different model species, both prokaryotic and eukaryotic
3. the technologies employed in modern genomic and epigenomic research, like next-generation sequencing based assays (genome and exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, ChIP-Seq, and so on)
4. methods and protocols of bioinformatic analysis in functional genomics studies (genome and exome sequencing, RNA sequencing, ChIP-Seq, and so on)
5. the algorithmic, mathematical and statistical approaches underlying bioinformatic and genomic analysis tools
6. data base technologies for the storage and organization of the data
7. modelling and analysis techniques employed in systems biology for the study of interactions in complex biological systems.

See the "Educational Plan" for the detailed list of courses and contents.

The program includes, as a fundamental step in the formation of the students, an internship in research laboratories either at the University of Milan, the Politecnico, or in other Italian or foreign research institutes. The research experience of the internship and its results will be described in a final written dissertation, to be discussed in front of a thesis committee.