BIOM-MS - Biomedical Informatics (MS)

The Director of Graduate Studies will evaluate the transfer of units on a course-by-course basis. Graduate work accepted for transfer of residency does not automatically exempt a student from having to complete a course requirement for the degree. University policies related to the transfer of credit for graduate work done elsewhere are in GAP 3.2.1 Residency Policy for Graduate Students.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken prior to the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

The Program in Biomedical Data Science is committed to providing academic and research advising in support of graduate student scholarly and professional development. When most effective, this advising relationship entails collaborative and sustained engagement by both the advisor and the advisee. As a best practice, advising expectations should be periodically discussed and reviewed to ensure mutual understanding. Both the advisor and the advisee are expected to maintain professionalism and integrity.

Graduate students are active contributors to the advising relationship, proactively seeking academic and professional guidance and taking responsibility for informing themselves of policies and degree requirements for their graduate program. The program’s student services staff is also essential to the student advising team. They inform students and advisors about university and department requirements, procedures, and opportunities and maintain the official records of advising assignments and approvals.

Academic Adviser—Each new student in the Program in Biomedical Data Science is assigned an academic advisor (a member of the core or advising faculty or Executive Committee of the program). Academic advisors guide students in critical areas such as selecting courses, discussing research rotations, developing teaching pedagogy, navigating policies and degree requirements, and exploring academic opportunities and professional pathways. Usually, the academic advisor serves for the duration of the student’s study; the DBDS Student Handbook describes a process for formal advisor changes. In addition, the program director is available during the academic year by email and during office hours.

The program director and student services staff monitor academic progress and student completion of program requirements and milestones. They are discussed by faculty during periodic meetings devoted to assessing graduate student progress. A detailed description of the program’s requirements, milestones, and advising expectations are listed in the Biomedical Data Science Training Program Student Handbook, on the program website, and in the section on the Biomedical Data Science Program.

Research Adviser—Each student in the academic MS degree program must also have a research advisor chosen by mutual agreement at the end of their research rotations (typically by the end of their first year in the program). This research advisor is a core or advising faculty member for the DBDS program. The research advisor may not be the same person as the academic advisor. Research advisors and the students should have a clear, shared understanding of the scientific objectives of the student’s work and how it fits into a research program that will lead to an MS degree. They should focus on developing novel, generally applicable, and well-grounded methods in the informatics literature. In select cases, the research advisor may be a member of the collaborating faculty, in which case the student must have a co-adviser from the DBDS core or advising faculty. When there is a secondary or co-adviser, the primary advisor and co-adviser should clearly understand their mentorship roles.

Additionally, the program adheres to the university policies, guidelines, and responsibilities that apply to all faculty-student advising relationships. See Graduate Advising for a statement of university policy on graduate advising.