The requirements for admission are governed by the Biomedical and Health Informatics Department at the UMKC School of Medicine. The admissions committee is composed of faculty from the three emphasis areas who will review applications and determine which students will be admitted.
REQUIREMENTS
ADMISSION
Applicants for admission to the Master of Science in Bioinformatics must have earned, or will soon earn, a baccalaureate degree from a nationally accredited college or university. It is preferred that the applicant acquire their degree in a scientific discipline (or has earned a health-related professional degree) and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
RECOMMENDED QUALIFICATIONS & COURSEWORK
It is recommended for all applicants to have:
- Two semesters of Calculus,
- Two semesters of Introductory Biology,
- Two semesters of Introductory Computer Science, and
- One semester of Statistics or Probability.
Applicants interested in the Genomics emphasis would benefit from completing the following pre-requisites:
- Genetics
- Biochemistry or Molecular Biology
- Discrete Mathematics / Structures
Applicants interested in the Computational emphasis would benefit from completing the following pre-requisites:
- Discrete Mathematics / Structures
- Programming Course(s)
INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
TOEFL OR IELTS EXAM
International students whose native language is not English must complete TOEFL or IELTS exam. Information regarding which which countries are exempt from TOEFL / IELTS exams can be found here.
- A minimum score of 550 (paper-based exam), 213 (computer-based exam) or 79 (internet-based exam) is required for TOEFL.
- A minimum score of 6.0 is required for IELTS exam.
The code to submit your TOEFL scores to UMKC is 6872.
IELTS scores should be sent to:
UMKC International Student Affairs
Student Success Center, G-04
5100 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO 64110
Duolingo scores are not accepted.
Applicants who have earned a Master of Arts, Master of Science or a professional degree from a U.S.-accredited institution, or applicants who are currently participating in a graduate medical residency or fellowship and have passed USMLE Step II – Clinical Skills, are not required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score.
Applicants interested in working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant must have a minimum score of 24 on the speaking section of the TOEFL exam.
ADVISING
The Biomedical and Health Informatics Department strongly recommends prospective students communicate with an academic advisor prior to applying for any of the programs offered within the department. You can reach one of our department advisors by emailing informatics@umkc.edu or calling (816) 235-1828.
APPLY TODAY
To apply, please visit https://www.umkc.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/
For additional information about this department and/or its programs, please reach us by email at informatics@umkc.edu or call us at (816) 235-1828.
For additional information regarding your application or the application process, please reach the School of Medicine Office of Admissions at 816-235-1870 or medicine@umkc.edu.