Program Outline
Biohealth Computing Program (BHC) is a multidisciplinary Master of Science program that is organized by Istanbul University Institute of Experimental Medical Research Genetics Department.
The program aims to provide an interactive platform, where the students will be able to conduct research in close association with Public Universities, University Hospitals, Bioindustry Parks and Private Companies, in addition to exchange of information and to create and develop projects with peers and principal investigators from varying cultural and educational backgrounds. Thus, students graduating from this program will gain the skills to collaborate and create projects that may yield to industrial products, as well as to speed up the progress of translational research from bench to bedside.
This program is the equivalence of the multidisciplinary Erasmus Mundus Master’s program offered at Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble (French), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain), Universita degli study di Torino (Italy), Universiteit Maastricht (Holland) and Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină Veterinară de Cluj-Napoca (Romania) universities. Students enrolled at Istanbul University’s Biohealth Computing Program will be able to attend to one of the partner universities mentioned above, as long as they fulfill the requirements set by Erasmus Mundus program (see Admission Requirements for details).
The Erasmus Program is offered among European Union (EU) countries in order to ameliorate and strengthen the quality of higher education. Erasmus Mundus program operates under the Erasmus Program and facilitates the participation of eligible non-EU students and professors to the common programs offered among EU universities. Upon fulfillment of the criterions set forth by Erasmus Mundus Program, the students or professors will be able to attend to EU universities with no cost for education, travel expenses and insurance. This support is only given to 2 students per academic year enrolled to Istanbul University (IU) BHC program
The students, who successfully complete this program, will be awarded with Istanbul University Post Graduate Degree. In addition, the students, who are accepted to Erasmus Mundus (EM) Program and successfully complete their education at one of the partner universities of EM program, will obtain a second diploma from the EM partner university and will be entitled as “Biohealth Computing Specialist”.
Istanbul University Biohealth Computing Program is a two year Master degree program and requires the enrolled students to complete their first year at Istanbul University. Upon completion of the first year, the students have a choice to go to one of the Erasmus Mundus partner universities to continue with their second year education in the program. Both Istanbul University and the partner universities will award credit courses, contributing equally and successful students will receive two Master degrees from the universities attended.
First year in the program, the students will take the obligatory courses, minimum 1 elective course per semester and track described under BHC courses at Istanbul University. At the end of the first academic year, the students should have completed at least 60 ECTS of coursework.
In the second year, the students, who attend to an Erasmus Mundus Partner University, the courses will start by attendance to the BioHC Summer School, including an Interactive Training Initiative (ITI).
During the first semester, students take Advanced Courses in scientific fields depending on their previous degree: Clinical Research, Environmental and Animal Health; Molecular Biotechnology and Computational Mathematics. The second semester is dedicated to a nine months Joint Research Project, associating two students coming from two different scientific fields to solve a unique problem. Organized each year under the responsibility of the Consortium’s Scientific Committee, the BioHC Summer School brings together students teaching staffs, scientists and medical professionals from across the Europe, to present and discuss research and clinical findings in all phases of “bench to bedside” process. Between two Summer School (year n and n+1), students follow a mobility scheme providing for at least two stages in two partner universities involved in the same study track.
The mobility scheme diagram below depicts the route the students will follow upon studying at a partner university in their second year .
For more information please visit
http://biohealth-computing.org/index.php?pages/Mobility-scheme.
Students who have graduated from Medicine, Biology, Dentistry, Veterinary, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Engineering (Computer, Electronics, Biomedical, Chemistry, Food, Environmental, Industrial) or Mathematics undergraduate programs will be directly accepted to the program. The students will be able to choose classes in accordance with their undergraduate degrees.
Acceptance of students holding undergraduate degrees other than the programs mentioned above will be decided by the Program’s Coordination Council.
Students who meet the conditions described in Istanbul University’s Graduate Education Legislation and who fulfill the following Erasmus Mundus acceptance conditions are eligible to apply to IU BHC program.
Erasmus Mundus acceptance conditions:
BioHC applicants are required having already completed a Bachelor of science (B.Sc. degree or a nationally recognized degree equivalent to 180 ECTS) and the first year of a Master of Science (MSc degree or a nationally recognized degree equivalent to 60 ECTS), with a minimum grade of “B–“ in the ECTS grading scale (at least a score of 70%). If requested, the applicant must prove the international recognition of the mentioned Degree as equivalent to a B.Sc. + first year of Ms, and provide such official recognition translated in English. An academic equivalency may be attributed based on the professional experience of the applicant (validation of acquired experience).
BioHC applicants are required having a fluent level in English described as:
(1) If your native language is English: no document is requested
(2) If your mother tongue is not English, but if you have trained in English (bachelor + master): it should be mentioned in an official letter of your administration.
(3) In all other cases: English level must be certified by a TOEFL, TOEIC or IELTS score.
The result has to be paper based at least 580, computer based at least 237 or internet based at least 92-93. An alternative is a minimum score of 6.5 from IELTS test. Furthermore, basic computer skills are required. The Consortium Committee can admit excellent students with a somewhat lower TOEFL (550, 213 or 79-80 respectively) or IELTS score (6.0).
For additional information, please visit