• Question: I’m interested in bioinformatics, would you say doing a biology or computer science degree would be the most beneficial pathway to bioinformatics?

    Asked by HannahC on 11 Nov 2021.
    • Photo: Sebastiano Gadolini

      Sebastiano Gadolini answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      Hi Hannah, as far as I am aware Bioinformatics is often either a BSc and MSc of Computer Science. I guess it will be a natural process to start with computer science then continue to a MSc in Bioinformatics. Moreover, it might be worth to check if there are free-elective courses about biology in the uni or institute you would like to apply.

    • Photo: John Turner

      John Turner answered on 11 Nov 2021: last edited 11 Nov 2021 12:09 pm

      I’m not an expert in this so please take this advice with a pinch of salt. If you are interested in pursuing bioinformatics I think it would be easier to do a biology degree, though from a quick look it looks like either degree can be a pathway in. When looking around universities, look into if any of them specialise in this/have a dedicated bit on researching bioinformatics as this means you could do projects in your 3rd/4th years looking into this topic as well as masters courses in it. Look for summer internships/work experience that do work in this field as this can be a really good way to get extra experience and also see if you like it.

    • Photo: Alexander Munnoch

      Alexander Munnoch answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      My younger brother is a microbiologist and has picked up pretty much all of the data handling tools he has needed (he tells me they are increasingly more accessible than when he started using them, so it’s a hot field) – using tutorials and collaborators to get his foot in the door with many of them. From his experience, having the microbiology background allows him to target and interpret the information alot better than if he was lighter on his microbiology knowledge. I guess the questions is whether you are more interested in the underlying science (biology) or the tools for understanding the biology (computing science). Maybe more interestingly, some UK universities do provide bioinformatics degrees or masters degrees.

    • Photo: Michael Short

      Michael Short answered on 11 Nov 2021:

      Looking at the entry requirements for most MSc-level Bioinformatics course, it seems that most are aimed at BSc in Biology, however they also accept mathematics and CS majors. I would personally consider the reasons that you are interested in this. Is it more because of an interest in computers, algorithms, data, and mathematics? Or more from a love of biology and the implications/mechanistic understandings one can gain from the techniques? A 3-year BSc can be a long time and you may find your interests change as you get involved in CS or Biology, so I would look at it from this perspective as well.

    • Photo: Natasha Marchant

      Natasha Marchant answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I’m not too sure but I would think maybe a biology degree is best and then looking to specialise in bioinformatics by picking a masters (and then maybe a PhD) in that area. Not exactly the same but I have a friend who is now doing computational modelling for physics/biology area and he started off doing an integrated MSc in Physics but did summer projects and his masters year in a more computational area so I assume you could do similar by starting off in biology and moving towards bioinformatics.

    • Photo: Alexander De Bruin

      Alexander De Bruin answered on 12 Nov 2021:

      I checked with my wife who did her PhD in a biology group with bioinformaticians. To quote: “Both have advantages. You’ll certainly need the coding skills, and that’s probably harder to pick up on the fly than the biology. If you go into research then you’ll learn about one specific project so the broader education is potentially less important”

    • Photo: Karen Fung

      Karen Fung answered on 15 Nov 2021:

      From my experience (doing a biology degree), I found that most modules on the course had some form of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics whilst is quite a specific topic, is also broad at the same time depending on the data you are handling. I think that doing biology allows you to work with different data so you can learn a larger range of bioinformatics approaches and the bioinformatics tools. Most biologists have done some form of bioinformatics as it is a very hot topic these days! And most biologists don’t have any computer science background, but are able to pick up the skills required for bioinformatics. In my opinion, it is easier to learn the skills required for bioinformatics than to learn the fundamentals of biology. As Michael mentioned, it really depends on whether your interest is more in biology or computer science! And good luck!

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