The Master of Science in Bioinformatics is focused on preparing students to take on research in one of four key areas: drug design and discovery, integrated bioinformatics and genomics, computational biology, and biomedical informatics. This degree is offered jointly by UA Little Rock and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Combining the academic, clinical, and research resources of UAMS with the computational, scientific, academic, and research capabilities of UA Little Rock, this program prepares students to function in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 35 credit hours. These hours must include core courses, research experiences, and electives.

Core Courses (four classes, 15 credits):

  • BINF 5445 Bioinformatics Theory and Applications (4 credits)
  • BIOL 5415 Biometry (4 credits) or BIOS 5013 Biostatistics I (3 credits)
  • BIOL 5417 Molecular Biology (4 credits)
  • One course selected from: CPSC 7375 Machine Learning, CPSC 7373 Artificial Intelligence, or CPSC 7385 Analysis of Algorithms (all are 3 credits)

Research Experiences (8 credits):

  • Two credits of BINF 7145 Lab Rotations to enable students to locate a research mentor.
  • Two credits of BINF 7193 Seminar to assist students in exploring a variety of research topics.
  • Four credits of either BINF 7156-7456 Capstone Project or BINF 7155-7455 Thesis to give students practical experience in conducting a research investigation.

Electives (three to four classes, minimum 12 credits): Students can choose their elective courses within a concentration or student can select electives across several areas to create a custom customization to fit their career interests in bioinformatics.

  • Drug Design and Discovery
    • REGS 6013 – FDA Regulation (UAMS)
    • REGS 6023 – Product Safety Assessment (UAMS)
    • REGS 5107 – Design and Management of Clinical Trials (UAMS)
    • REGS 6101 – Good Regulatory Practices (UAMS)
    • PSCI 51173 – Foundations of Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy Research Methods (UAMS)
    • PSCI 61153 – Pharmacoepidemiology (UAMS)
    • PHAR 51053 – Principles and Methods of Pharm and Toxicology (UAMS)
    • PSGP 5106 – Molecular Modeling (UAMS)
  • Integrated Bioinformatics and Genomics
    • IFSC 5325 – Data Mining Concepts and Techniques (UALR)
    • IFSC 5330 – Database Security (UALR)
    • IFSC 7321 – Information Science: Principles and Theory (UALR)
    • IFSC 7370 – Data Science and Technologies (UALR)
    • BIOL 5403 – Comparative Physiology (UALR)
    • BIOL 7410 – Phylogenetic Analysis (UALR)
  • Computational Biology
    • IFSC 5325 – Data Mining Concepts and Techniques (UALR)
    • IFSC 7370 – Data Science and Technologies (UALR)
    • BIOL 5422 – Human Physiology (UALR)
    • BIOL 5413 – Immunology (UALR)
    • BIOL 5401 – Cell Biology (UALR)
  • Biomedical Informatics
    • IFSC 5325 – Data Mining Concepts and Techniques (UALR)
    • IFSC 5345 – Information Visualization (UALR)
    • IFSC 7370 – Data Science and Technologies (UALR)
    • BMIG 5001 – Data Information and Knowledge Representation (UAMS)
    • BMIG 5003 – Computational Methods in Biomedical Informatics (UAMS)
    • BMIG 6014 – Natural Language Processing Biomedical Informatics (UAMS)

View the academic catalog to see the full curriculum.
View the UAMS academic catalog to see UAMS course descriptions.

M.S. Graduation Requirements

  • Successful completion of an approved program of study with a minimum GPA of 3.0 with no more than one grade below a B and successful completion of the writing requirement.
  • Successful defense of a Bioinformatics capstone project or thesis. The Review Committee will consist of a lead faculty research mentor and at least two other faculty members with Bioinformatics graduate faculty status.
Admission Requirements
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