Your Autumn term and academic year 2020–21

This course will begin on schedule in the Autumn and we plan to reopen our campuses. We are looking forward to seeing you in person, if travel and visa arrangements allow. If you can’t travel to campus in time for the start of term, we want to reassure you that your academic Department has made plans which make it possible to offer you a high-quality remote educational experience during the Autumn term.

Your  teaching  will be a combination of on-campus (in-person)  and remote learning (online). We call this ‘multi-mode’ delivery. Depending on official government guidance throughout the entirety of next academic year, the ‘multi-mode’ balance may be subject to change. We hope to be able to offer you increased on-campus teaching and learning activities throughout the year.

For more information about multi-mode delivery, your learning experience and the steps we’ll be taking to keep you safe on campus if you are able to join us, please see our COVID-19 information for applicants and offer holders.

Overview

In this unique course we teach quantitative methods and biological concepts together, through application of the methods to cutting-edge biological research problems.

The focus is on current topics in modern quantitative biology, such as interactions between ecological and evolutionary dynamics, and the effects of climate change on ecological communities.

You will also have the chance to develop your knowledge in mathematical, statistical, and computing tools through their application to important research problems.

Over the past 10–20 years, biology has become increasingly quantitative, and mathematical sciences have in turn been increasingly influenced by biology.

It has been said that “mathematics is biology's next microscope, only better” (Cohen, Plos Biology, 2004) because mathematical, statistical, and computational sciences will continue to reveal unsuspected and entirely new worlds within biology, just as the microscope revealed previously unseen worlds following its invention.

It has also been said that “biology is mathematics' next physics, only better” (Cohen, Plos Biology) because biology will in turn continue to spur major new developments in computation, mathematics and statistics, just as physics has done in past centuries.

This course is suitable for:

• Life scientists wishing to expand their quantitative skills in light of the increasingly quantitative nature of modern biology
• Physical scientists (mathematicians, physicists, statisticians, computer scientists) with a strong interest in biology

Study programme

You take approximately half of your core modules in the Autumn term before completing the remainder in the Spring term.

You begin your research project in the Summer term which accounts for half of your MSc grade.

Careers

The course serves as ideal preparation for either PhD studies or employment in fields of applied quantitative biology, such as resource management and conservation.

Structure

Modules shown are for the current academic year and are subject to change depending on your year of entry.

Please note that the curriculum of this programme is currently being reviewed as part of a College-wide process to introduce a standardised modular structure. As a result, the content and assessment structures of this course may change for your year of entry. We therefore recommend that you check this course page before finalising your application and after submitting it as we will aim to update this page as soon as any changes are ratified by the College.

Find out more about the limited circumstances in which we may need to make changes to or in relation to our courses, the type of changes we may make and how we will tell you about changes we have made.

You study a combination of taught modules and complete a research project.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching methods

• Computer-based work with cloud-based version control
• Individual research project and dissertation (5 months; can include placements)
• Lectures
• Mini projects
• Online lecture and assessment materials
• Online seminar recordings
• Primers
• Seminars

Assessment methods

• Computing coursework
• Mini-project
• HPC Long Practical
• Seminar Diary
• Exams
• Oral presentations
• Final Project Report + Presentation
• Viva

Entry requirements

We welcome students from all over the world and consider all applicants on an individual basis.

How to apply

Tuition fees and funding

The level of tuition fees you pay is based on your fee status, which we assess based on UK government legislation.

For more information on the funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Fees and Funding website.

Studying at Imperial

Terms and conditions

There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to universities. We've put together this information in a dedicated section of our website.

Read our terms and conditions for these areas:

• Admissions
• Scholarships and bursaries
• Student Protection Plan
• Tuition fees
• Visas