Cracking the code of living systems

Bioinformatics and Systems Biology

Understand life and health at a molecular level

Bioinformatics and Systems Biology is a joint degree programme from VU Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Courses are taught at both universities. VU and UvA jointly issue a degree to graduates. As a Bioinformatics and Systems Biology student in Amsterdam, you benefit from the expertise, networks and research projects at both universities and affiliated research institutes.

The programme guarantees that, upon successful completion of the study, you can communicate effectively with your colleagues, irrespective of your focus on experimental or computational disciplines. You will get a basic introduction to molecular cell biology, biomathematics, biostatistics and programming.

Integrated programme
The programme truly integrates a Bioinformatics and Systems Biology perspective. Your compulsory courses will tackle research problems within both fields. You may opt to take elective courses with an in-depth focus on a single discipline, such as molecular biology or machine learning.

You will study current issues, challenges and opportunities in both topics. There are ample opportunities for interesting and challenging internships, in hospitals (such as in oncology and clinical genetics), at biotech companies, at seed breeding companies, in the pharmaceutical industry, in data science and, of course, at bioinformatics and systems biology groups at universities. You will also receive support in selecting internships that align with your personal and professional goals.

Supervision
You will be assigned an academic mentor who supports you during the entire programme. This staff member will also act as examiner for your research projects. This mentoring ensures consistent, personal guidance as you develop your academic and research skills.

Degree requirements
A Master of Science in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology is awarded upon successful completion of all the required courses in the curriculum and a written Master's thesis based on an independent research project. This translates into a total of 120 ECTS credits.

Accreditation and degree
This programme has been legally accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). This means that upon successful completion of the programme, students will receive a legally accredited Master's degree in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology and the title of Master of Science (MSc).

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1st year
2nd year

Year 1

In the first year in particular, much attention is paid to the basic principles of both bioinformatics and systems biology.

Core courses
In your first semester, you will complete four compulsory core courses: 'Introduction to Systems Biology' and 'Fundamentals of Bioinformatics' provide a broad foundation in the field, focusing on current scientific challenges. ‘Statistis with R’ focuses on the practical skills for data handling, analysis and visalisation. ‘Algorithms in Sequence Analysis’ dives into several core algorithms that underpin for example genome and single cell sequencing, and evolutionary analysis of genes. 'Biosystems Data Analysis' explores multivariate data analysis methods used to interpret complex biological and (bio)chemical datasets.

Learning paths
Following the five compulsory courses in semester one, you will have the flexibility to choose your own learning paths in semester two. These are combinations of courses that allow you to tailor your learning experience. You can also choose elective courses in your area of interest.Students choosing a learning path in Bioinformatics expand their knowledge in sequence analysis, next-generation sequencing, prediction and simulation of protein structures, and medical applications of Bioinformatics. Students choosing a learning path in Systems Biology expand their knowledge with models of biological networks, experimental verification of models, relevance of systems biology for research, and synthetic biology. This foundation prepares you to tackle real-world biomedical problems using computational and experimental methods.

Year 2

Research projects
In the second and final year, students do one or two research internships, complemented by elective courses depending on your preferences.

Internships may take place at universities, hospitals, research institutes, or companies in the Netherlands or abroad.

In the final year of your Master, you will do one or two research projects.

Research topics
Typical research topics include: Sequencing workflows, molecular profiling, molecular pathway analysis, drug sensitivity predictions, structural variant analysis, microbial evolution, biomarker discovery, sequence analysis algorithms, data science, tissue modelling, biophysical simulation, metabolic pathways, gene regulatory networks, modelling of signal transduction, stochastic modelling and experimental projects with a strong quantitative approach or biochemical simulations.

Institutes
You can conduct your research projects in hospitals (for example, in the fields of oncology and clinical genetics), at biotech companies, at seed breeding companies, in the pharmaceutical industry, in the food industry, in data science and of course at bioinformatics and systems biology groups at universities.

After completing the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Master's programme, you will be skilled in scientific research. You will be able to think abstractly on a high level. Also you will learn to deal with rapid and exciting scientific developments in these research areas.

Explore your future prospects

Bioinformatics and Systems Biology

Research Projects

Change your future with the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology programme

Change your future with the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology programme

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