A. Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the University’s requirements for admission to the Graduate School.

Specific requirements:

• GRE scores are required and are an important factor for admission;
• Two letters of recommendation;
• A minimum score of 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, 210 on the computer-based TOEFL, or 80 on the internet-based TOEFL (for students whose native language is not English);
• An undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;
• A letter of intent and statement of purpose, explaining your reasons for applying to the Bioinformatics Program.

B. Prerequisites

Satisfactory completion of the following undergraduate level courses (or their equivalents) is required for admission to the Program. Exceptions may be made by the Program Director.

Computer Science:

• Introduction to Computer Science (COMP 1900)
• Data Structures (COMP 2150)
• Advanced Data Structures and Algorithms (COMP 3160)

• Calculus I and II ( MATH 1321 and 2321)
• Introduction to Statistical Reasoning and Application (MATH 1601)
• Discrete Structures (MATH 2701)
• Introduction to Linear Algebra (MATH 3242)

 Biology:

• General Biology I (BIOL 1110)
• Genetics (BIOL 3072)
• Cell Biology (BIOL 3130)

C. Application Procedure

1.     Online application to the University of Memphis Graduate Program.

2.     The following items must be sent directly to: Office of Graduate Admissions, The University of Memphis , 101 Wilder Tower, Memphis, TN 38152-3370

• Official transcripts
• Official scores for GRE and TOEFL
• World Education Service evaluation

3.     The following items must be submitted to Bioinformatics Admission, University of Memphis, 218 Scates Hall, Memphis, TN 38152.

• Submit an Application to the BINF program
• Two letters of recommendation
• Letter of intent and statement of purpose

D. Dual Majors

It is possible to obtain a Master’s in Bioinformatics while working toward a Ph.D. Degree in other fields such as Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Engineering. Interested students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and submit a change of status application form for evaluation and approval by the Program Director.  Note: You must indicate that you will be finishing your current degree program to be considered a double major.

For more information, visit http://cas.memphis.edu/binf or contact the Bioinformatics Director: Dr. Ramin Homayouni, Bioinformatics@memphis.edu.