Curricular Requirements

The 30-credit Master of Science in Biomedical Data Science and AI (MDSAI) program is a unique opportunity for students with a strong quantitative background to apply computational biology and data science techniques to biomedical problems.

During the first two semesters, students take courses immersed in concepts such as cellular and molecular biology, experimental design, statistical analysis, responsible conduct in research, and critical analysis and presentation of primary biomedical literature. Students also learn fundamental principles of data science applied to biomedical problems, including programming logic, computer architecture, algorithms, ML, and various AI tools. The third and fourth semesters focus on advanced electives and mentored laboratory research in the student’s area of interest, culminating in a Master’s capstone project.

For students who entered the MDSAI (MSBDS) program prior to 2025, please refer to your curriculum checklists on the Blackboard site.

First Year

• Students must select three of four fundamental core courses (6 credits total):

  • BSR1030 Core I: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2 credits) – Fall

  • BSR1031 Core II: Pharmacology & Drug Discovery (2 credits) – Fall

  • BSR1032 Biomedical Sciences Core III: Cell & Developmental Biology (2 credits) – Fall

  • BSR1033 Core IV: Neuroscience (2 credits) – Fall

• BDS1005 Computer Systems: UNIX/LINUX Fundamentals (1 credit) – Fall

• BDS1006 Computer Systems: Architectures & Applications in Scientific Computing (1 credit) - Fall

• BDS1007 Computer Systems: Intro to Scientific Programming in Python 3 (1.5 credits) - Fall

• BSR1021 Responsible Conduct of Research (0.5 credit) – Fall

• BSR1022 Rigor and Reproducibility (0.5 credit) – Spring

• BDS2005 Introduction to Algorithms (3 credits) – Spring

• BDS3002 Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Science (3 credits) - Spring

• Electives - Students complete their credit requirements with electives

Year 2

• BDS9001 Biomedical Data Science Capstone Project (3-9 credits)

• Electives - Students complete their credit requirements with electives

Milestones

• Selecting a lab – During the first term, research mentors will be invited to present their research to the first year students. As a result students are encouraged to contact the research mentor to discuss joining the lab and work on a capstone project. Students are also encouraged to contact research mentors who did not present. Students are expected to join a lab by the end of the first term.

• Research Agreement Form – Once a student and a research mentor has agreed on joining a lab, students will need to submit the Research Agreement Form.

• Capstone Document – Students will submit a written document for their capstone project to the program Directors 1 week prior to the capstone presentation

• Capstone Presentation – Students will present their capstone project to the MDSAI Director during their last term before graduating. The members required for attendance will be the MDSAI Director and the research mentor.