General description

The minor subject bioinformatics for a Bachelor's degree is offered at the Faculty of Science (MNF) of the University of Zurich in co-operation with the ETH Zurich, whereby 30 ECTS credits must be earned.
Bioinformatics explores the fields of biology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine by applying information technology methods. Although computer-assisted methods have long been in use in Life Sciences, bioinformatics is a fairly new subject which has been established in recent years. In particular the enormous flood of genomic sequences has had a lasting effect on the development of this discipline. Accordingly, bioinformatics focuses on the development of databases and algorithms for database searches.
The minor subject bioinformatics is designed for students majoring in biology, biochemistry or chemistry as well as students majoring in a different discipline e.g. information technology. If you lack basic understanding of one or the other discipline, you can acquire the knowledge by taking optional modules in the subjects biology, biochemistry, genetics, biophysics and molecular medicine as well as the subjects information technology, software design and neuronal networks.

Admission requirements

The conditions for admission to the Bachelor’s degree programme are regulated in: „Verordnung über die Zulassung zum Studium an der Universität Zürich (VZS)".

Educational goals

Graduates from the minor study program in Bioinformatics (30 ECTS credits) are able to

• write computer programs of moderate complexity in a higher programming language, and use these programs to analyze biological data.
  
• implement a biological question in such a program and answer it by analyzing biological data.
  
• explain fundamental terms in Bioinformatics and understand important algorithms for data analysis in Bioinformatics.
  
• collect relevant information from the literature on a topic in Bioinformatics and communicate it - in writing as well as orally - using the proper vernacular.
  
• acquire and integrate various data sets from internet-based databanks.
  

ECTS credits

30 ECTS Credits

Program structure

A Bachelor’s minor study program in Bioinformatics (30 ECTS credits) consists of compulsory modules in Bioinformatics, core electives in basics of Biology or Informatics, Statistics and Bioinformatics, and electives. Students learn how to acquire and analyze biological data sets to give answers to biological problems.

Major/minor subject combinations

A minor study program in Bioinformatics is a minor study program 30.
In the minor study program in Computational Science 60 two of the following scopes have to be chosen:

• Data Analysis for Natural Sciences
  
• Simulations in the Natural Sciences
  
• Bioinformatics
  
• Neuroinformatics
  

Examination and assessment regulations

The student's achievement is assessed at the end of each module.
Achievements are graded on a scale from 1 to 6, whereby 6 denotes the highest grade of achievement and 1 the lowest. A grade below 4 is insufficient.
Achievements can also be graded with 'passed' or 'failed'.

Language of instruction

English