RWTH Aachen, University of Bonn, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg and Fraunhofer
Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (b-it)

M.Sc. in Life Science Informatics

The master programme of Life Science Informatics aims at educating talented and highly motivated women and men for leadership in the post-genomic era. The master's degree in Life Science Informatics provides the qualifications needed for managing large projects in all fields of Life Sciences ranging from molecular biology to pharmaceutical drug design to computational neurobiology. Students who excel during their master's programme will also have the necessary qualifications to pursue a doctoral degree.

The course contents are structured according to the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). The program consists of three semesters with lectures/lab work, and a master's thesis which is written in the final fourth semester. Lectures are usually accompanied by course assignments which have to be successfully completed by the students. Lab work is a substantial part of the program. Most of the courses are mandatory, some electives exist in the later semesters. The master programme is accredited by ASIIN.

The international master programme in Life Science Informatics started in the autumn of 2002 at the Bonn-Aachen International Center for Information Technology (b-it). Life Science Informatics is offered by the University of Bonn and RWTH Aachen in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institutes at Sankt Augustin near Bonn.

This interdisciplinary programme will educate the participant to successfully master the novel technical and economic challenges at the crossroads of biotechnology, medicine, pharmaceutics and computer science.

The programme is distinguished by its international orientation, its focus on both natural science and IT competence, and its high level of integration of research and teaching. The master's programme in Life Science Informatics consists of four main blocks:

• Computer science and mathematics for natural scientists,
• Basic principles of Life Science Informatics,
• Biology of the cell and systems biology
• Statistical learning methods in personalized/precision medicine
• Structure learning of molecular interaction networks
• Modeling of molecular networks
• Chemoinformatics
• Neuro-Modelling
• Visualistics
• Information and Knowledge Extraction
• Text and Big Data Analytics
• Cloud Computing
• Data Science & AI in the Life Sciences

The programme is characterised by a significant share of research lab courses embedded in both basic and applied research of the participating Fraunhofer Institutes of Applied Information Technology (FIT) and for Algorithms and Scientific Computing (SCAI) , in cooperation with regional industry. Major topics include: biomedical database systems, management and retrieval of information, data mining and machine learning, knowledge discovery, personalised medicine, drug design, medical imaging and visualisation, translational medicine, computational modelling of regulatory and metabolics networks. All this converges in Data Science in the Life Sciences.

Special courses and internships on data mining and machine learning provide a special focus on (or within). Data Science and AI in the Life Sciences.

The programme also includes training designed to sensitise students to the ethical implications of emerging AI technologies. The final six months of the programme are dedicated to the master thesis which can be done in co-operation with industry.

A unique feature of the programme is that students can either specialise in Bioinformatics or in Chemoinformatics.


About University of Bonn

The University of Bonn, founded in 1818, is now one of the major research universities in Germany. With its more than 500 professors and more than 5000 staff members it offers over 90 study programmes in seven schools. More than 35,000 students currently study at the University of Bonn, about 5000 of them are international students.

The school of Mathematics and Natural Sciences is one of the largest in Germany offering over 20 study programmes on the Bachelor and Master level. Large research schools enable students to continue their education in the field. They also facilitate an intensive exchange between research areas in the natural sciences. This allows for a multiplicity of choices and combinations on the master and PhD level. Several Max-Planck institutes (focus on basic research) and Fraunhofer institutes (focus on applied research) are also located in Bonn contributing to a highly stimulating research environment.

In 2020, the University of Bonn had a budget of approx. 800 million euros with a share of 200 million euros of third-party funding and was named one of 11 Universities of Excellence in Germany. Students at the University of Bonn also enjoy a very international environment in Bonn with several UN institutions and the United Nations University (UNU). The University of Bonn and the United Nations University exchange students and staff members and collaborate together on large-scale research projects.

The City of Bonn offers student a varied student life with theatres, exhibitions and concerts. Many student ensembles add to this vibrant cultural environment. It should not be forgotten to mention carnival that distinguishes Bonn and the Rhineland, the beautiful Rhine valley and the Eifel National Park nearby.