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Systems and Synthetic Biology

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MSc Systems and Synthetic Biology - 1 Year (Full-time)

PgDip Systems and Synthetic Biology - 9 Months (Full-time)

Information on fees & costs

Individual programme fees are linked above. For detailed information on fee status, policies, payment and funding opportunities see:

Contact information: Vicky Mactaggart (MSc Administrator)
Phone: +44 (0)131 651 7052
Email: mscssb@ed.ac.uk; Professor Peter Swain (Programme Director)
Phone: +44 (0)131 650 5451
Email: mscssb@ed.ac.uk; Address: Biology Teaching Organisation
School of Biological Sciences
G5, Darwin Building
Edinburgh
EH9 3JR

We offer an opportunity to train in one of the newest areas of biology: the application of engineering principles to the understanding and design of biological networks. This new approach promises solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges in environmental protection, human health and energy production.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is a UK 2:1 degree, or its international equivalent, with a strong background in one or more of the following areas: bioinformatics, computer sciences and modelling, molecular biology and related sciences, engineering or biotechnology. Physics, mathematics or other backgrounds will also be considered.

International students

All applicants must meet our general entry and language requirements. Detailed advice for international students is available here:

Programme description

The MSc will provide you with a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of system and synthetic biology, ranging from understanding genome-wide data to designing and synthesising ‘Biobricks’. You will learn quantitative methods of modelling and data analysis to inform and design new hypotheses based on experimental data.

The University hosts the new SynthSys Centre for Synthetic and Systems Biology, a hub for world-leading research in this area.

Programme structure

The programme consists of two semesters of taught courses followed by a research dissertation, which can be a modelling or laboratory-based project.

Students are advised to take our five recommended courses, which are supplemented with their choice of optional courses.

Recommended courses

Information Processing in Biological Cells
Tools for Synthetic Biology
Applications of Synthetic Biology
Practical Systems Biology
Social Dimensions of Systems and Synthetic Biology

Optional courses

Neural Computation
Probabilistic Modelling and Reasoning
Synthetic Biology: Modelling
Computational Systems Biology
Molecular Modelling and Database Mining
Introduction to Java Programming
Functional Genomic Technologies
Models and Languages for Computational Systems Biology
Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition
Data Mining and Exploration
Information Theory
Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
Research and Development: the Laboratory Foundation Part 1 and 2
Statistics and Data Analysis
Stochastic Models in Biology
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics Algorithms
Biological Physics
Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
Methods for the Analysis of Networks
Molecular Phylogenetics
Next Generation Genomics
Bioinformatics 1
Management of R&D and Product Innovation
Drug Discovery
Gene Expression and Microbial Regulation

Career Opportunities

The programme is designed to give you a good basis for managerial or technical roles in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. It will also prepare you for entry into a PhD programme.

Funding

Please see Scholarships and Student Funding Services for information about funding opportunities:

Scholarships and Student Funding Services

Further Information

This article was published on Apr 25, 2013