Integrated Masters Degree Program
Take your unique undergraduate experience to the next level!
The Integrated Master of Science in Computational Biology is designed to provide advanced training for students who have completed one of CMU’s undergraduate degrees in addition to significant foundational coursework to prepare for accelerated study (see the application information page for these requirements). Students will get more refined training from experts in the field who are doing work on the cutting edge of not only computational biology research but also with experts in biology, machine learning, etc. Being housed within the top-ranked School of Computer Science, the program itself focuses on a high level of proficiency on the development and refinement of computational methods for solving biological problems; both at the fundamental model level as well as directly applicable biological results. Our students are all highly vested in continuing the advances being made on all types of problems in computational biology.
Complete the Online Application Now!
Fall Application Deadline: October 28, 2024 (3 p.m. Eastern Time)
Hear from our Students
“[T]he program provides a lot of flexibility in courses which allowed me to specialize in classes that align with my career goals. I am eager to deepen my knowledge beyond the foundational concepts by taking more specialized courses and working on practical projects that will equip me with the experience and skills necessary to face the challenges in industry.”
Raehash Shah
Class of 2025
“I'm getting experience from leading professors in niches that I didn't know existed within [Computational Biology] and feel much more prepared to enter exciting industry roles. [T]his expedited program shows future employers that we … have deep academic knowledge and the credentials to show it.”
Max Shushkovsky
Class of 2025
What makes this program different?
The audience of this program is distinct from the other masters programs offered within the Ray and Stephanie Lane Computational Biology Department (M.S. in Automated Science and M.S. in Computational Biology [joint with the Department of Biological Sciences]). The other programs aim to educate students who may have limited exposure to computer science or computational biology and are seeking re-education to become computational biologists or automation engineers. As such, the first year of the degree is devoted to foundational coursework in programming, algorithms, mathematics, statistics, and computational biology.
Our undergraduate students are highly prepared in these areas and thus this foundation has already been established and does not need to be built (thus our students do not regularly enter these programs). To cater to our own highly prepared students this program builds on this foundation to provide the graduate level training as well as research or industry experience (through a thesis and/or capstone project).
You get to choose your culminating experience:
FAQs
I am still enrolled in some of the prerequisite courses, can I still apply?
Yes! In the case that you’re completing the prerequisite coursework in your final semester(s) we can provide a conditional acceptance pending your final grades.
I’m not a Computational Biology major, what do I need to do to prepare to join the program?
We welcome all students to the program who have an interest in learning computational biology, in your semesters before graduation you should make sure that you’ve completed (or have a plan to complete) the prerequisite coursework, and that's it!
How can I keep up to date with information about the program?
Join our mailing list, and let us know your graduation year so we can make sure to have timely information ready for you as you progress through your undergrad.
Who can I contact if I have other questions?
You can contact the program director at integrated-ms-director@compbio.cmu.edu.