Students admitted to the Master's Degree Programme in Bioinformatics (MBI) pursue a Master of Science degree at the University of Helsinki (HY) or a Master of Science in Technology degree at Aalto University School of Science. The information below is for application to University of Helsinki. If you wish to apply to MBI programme in Aalto University please follow this link. University of Helsinki and Aalto University select their students independently.

Call for Applications to studies starting Autumn 2014   

Important dates

Application period begins: 2 December 2013
Application deadline: 31 January 2014 at 16:00 (GMT+2).

Eligibility to apply

Eligible applicants for the Master’s Degree Programme in Bioinformatics will have completed an applicable first-cycle degree or an equivalent qualification in Finland or another country by 31 July 2014 and must be proficient in English.

Admission criteria

Eligible applicants for the Master’s Degree Programme in Bioinformatics must have sufficient proficiency in English and will have completed

1. an applicable first-cycle degree or an equivalent qualification by 31 July 2014, and
2. at least 60 ECTS credits of studies in the mathematical concepts and computational methods needed to study bioinformatics, such as linear algebra, mathematical analysis, discrete mathematics, probability calculus, statistics, programming, the theory of computation, algorithms and data structures.

Admission will be based on the amount, quality and grades of the applicable studies as well as on the letter of motivation and, if relevant, an interview assessing the applicant’s motivation and the feasibility of his or her plans. The applicability of studies will be assessed particularly on the basis of how extensively and profoundly the applicant’s previous studies cover the mathematical concepts and computational methods needed to study bioinformatics. Studies in biology and medicine (e.g., those included in a first-cycle degree in bioinformatics) will be considered an advantage. Applicants who have performed particularly well academically but whose degree is not considered sufficiently applicable may be admitted if they complete supplementary studies not included in the scope of the Master’s degree.

Motivation letter

A letter of motivation should state why you want to study in the Master's Degree Programme in Bioinformatics. You need to provide a short curriculum vitae as a part of the letter of motivation. 

Proficiency in English

You need to be proficient in English language when applying to the MBI programme. Your earlier degree can work as a certificate in some cases: If you have studied at a Finnish university and your degree includes compulsory studies in English ("vieraan kielen opinnot englannin kielessä"), then choose "English as foreign language included in degree programme at Finnish Higher Education Institution" option in the application form . Also if your earlier degree is instructed in English in EU or EEA Countries, or in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, or the U.S.A., you may be exempted from the language test (select the corresponding option in the application form). Otherwise you need to submit a language test score.

Before submitting your application, please see the following page for further information on language requirements, acceptable language tests and minimum scores

• Required language skills at University of Helsinki

University of Helsinki arranges language tests for applicants living in Finland.

Entry examination

There will be no entry examination. Student selection is based on the application papers.

Preparing and submitting an application 

Instructions on how to prepare your application are given on the international admission page of  University of Helsinki. The page contains a link to an online application service where you will fill in an online registration form. In addition you will need to submit an application form with the required enclosures by regular mail.
 

Scholarships

MBI scholarship and grant opportunities will be announced here.

• University of Helsinki offers limited international student grants for both first and second year master's degree students. More information is available on grants to second year international students who are enrolled at the university and have done outstanding progress in their studies.
• University of Helsinki sponsors the Fulbright Student Grant for American students.

Admission statistics from the previous calls

In the previous admission, the admission results were the following:

• 14 out of 76 applicants (18%) were accepted to start their studies Autumn 2011. 
• 15 out of  68 applicants (22%) were accepted to start their studies Autumn 2010.