Accelerated MBI Curriculum

This page is a reference for students admitted to the Accelerated MBI program for Fall 2023 and earlier. It does not reflect curriculum or program requirements for Fall 2024 admission. 

The Accelerated Master of Biomedical Informatics program will be superseded by the new Master of Medical Sciences in Biomedical Informatics beginning in Fall 2024. 

Information and requirements for our Master's programs for the Fall 2024 admission cycle are available at dbmi.hms.harvard.edu/mbi.

Current course offerings are listed at my.harvard.edu.

  • Full Time Program

    Class of 2024 (Entering Fall 2023)

    The full-time Accelerated MBI Program is an intensive 9-month program for students holding or pursuing a doctoral or other terminal degree and have earned a Bachelor's degree. 

    Full-time students must:

    • be enrolled in program requirements for 2 semesters.
    • be enrolled in no fewer than 16 credits in either semester. 
    • enroll in no more than 20 credits in a single semester without special permission from the program. 

    Students are required to complete 36 credits of approved coursework as follows:

    Core Foundation Requirements - 18 credits

    BMI 701 - Foundations in Biomedical Informatics I (4 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 713 - Computing Skills for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 715 - Computational Statistics for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 702 - Foundations in Biomedical Informatics II (4 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 751 - Capstone I (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 752 - Capstone II (4 credits, Spring Semester)

    Emphasis Requirements - 8 credits

    The Accelerated MBI program has two areas that students can choose to emphasize in: Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics. 8 credits of coursework are determined by the student’s selected emphasis area. Students may also mix and match courses between the two emphasis areas to meet their unique educational goals. Students must complete their 8 credits of emphasis requirements from the list of courses below. All selected Bioinformatics/Data Science electives must be approved. Only 4 credits can be from the Bioinformatics/Data Science elective category.

    APCOMP 209A - Introduction to Data Science (4 credits, Fall Semester, appropriate to either emphasis area) Strongly recommended to students entering with limited Python and/or general programming experience. 

    MCB 111 - Mathematics in Biology (4 credits, Fall Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)
    BIOSTAT 281 - Genomic Data Manipulation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)
    BIOSTAT 282 - Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)  
    ELECTIVE - Bioinformatics/Data Science Elective (4 credits, Fall or Spring Semesters, Bioinformatics Emphasis)

    BMI 720 + BMI 721- Introduction to Clinical Informatics w/lab (4 credits, Fall Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis)
    BMI 741 - Health Information Technology: From Ideation to Implementation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis)

    DBMI 2 Cr. Course Requirement - 6 credits

    Students in the Accelerated MBI program complete 6 credits of coursework (3 courses) from the list of DBMI 2-credit ‘quarter courses’ below. Only the seven courses listed below may be used to fulfill the DBMI 2-credit Quarter Courses requirement. No substitutions are permitted.

    Accelerated MBI students interested in taking BMI 703 or BMI 709 in their first semester must have permission from the Program.
    BMI 703 - Precision Medicine I: Genomic Medicine (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 705 - Precision Medicine II: Integrating Clinical and Genomic Data (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 709 - Creating Biomedical Dashboards with R Shiny (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 704 - Data Science for Medical Decision Making (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 706 - Data Visualization for Biomedical Applications (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 707 - Deep Learning for Biomedical Data (2 credits, Spring Semester)

    BMI 710 - Single-cell analysis for functional genomics of disease (2 credits, Spring Semester)

    Program Elective Requirement - 4 credits

    Students select an approved program elective of their choice. This can either be one 4-credit course or two 2-credit courses. The program elective must be taken for a letter grade. Courses that do not offer a letter grade option will be reviewed and approved by the program on a case-by-case basis.

    Taking Additional Courses

    In addition to the program requirements outlined above, students may take a limited number of additional courses during their time at Harvard to enhance their educational experience. Students who are enrolled in the Full-Time Accelerated MBI Program may take a maximum of 4 credits of coursework in addition to their degree requirements under the following conditions:

    • Student does not exceed 20 total HMS credits in a single semester without program permission. Students may enroll in up to 22 total credits in the spring term with program approval.
    • Student is making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the Master’s Student Handbook
    • Additional courses taken do not present a schedule conflict with required MBI courses

  • Part Time Program

    Class of 2025 (Entering Fall 2023)

    The Part-Time accelerated program curriculum outlined below is meant only as a reference for students admitted to the part-time accelerated program in Fall 2023.

    All part-time students must:

    • be enrolled in program requirements for 4 semesters 
    • enroll in a minimum of 8 credits per semester
    • enroll in no more than 12 credits in a single semester.

    Students are required to complete 36 credits of approved coursework as follows:

    Core Foundation Requirements - 18 credits

    BMI 701 - Foundations of Biomedical Informatics I (4 credits, Fall Semester Year 1)
    BMI 713 - Computing Skills for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester Year 1)
    BMI 715 - Computational Statistics for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester Year 1)
    BMI 702 - Foundations in Biomedical Informatics II (4 credits, Spring Semester Year 1)
    BMI 751 - Capstone I (2 credits, Fall Semester Year 2)
    BMI 752 - Capstone II (4 credits, Spring Semester Year 2)

    Emphasis Requirements - 8 credits

    The Accelerated MBI program has two areas that students can choose to emphasize in: Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics. 8 credits of coursework are determined by the student’s selected emphasis area. Students may also mix and match courses between the two emphasis areas to meet their unique educational goals. Students must complete their 8 credits of emphasis requirements from the list of courses below. All selected Bioinformatics/Data Science electives must be approved. Only 4 credits can be from the Bioinformatics/Data Science elective category.

    MCB 111 - Mathematics in Biology (4 credits, Fall Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)
    MCB 112 - Biological Data Analysis (4 credits, Fall Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis) Not offered in Fall 2023, expected to be offered again in Fall 2024

    BIOSTAT 281 - Genomic Data Manipulation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)
    BIOSTAT 282 - Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)  
    ELECTIVE - Bioinformatics/Data Science Elective (4 credits, Fall or Spring Semesters, Bioinformatics Emphasis)

    BMI 720 + BMI 721- Introduction to Clinical Informatics w/lab (4 credits, Fall Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis) Only offered in Fall 2023

    BMI 741 - Health Information Technology: From Ideation to Implementation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis) Only offered in Spring 2024

    DBMI 2 Cr. Course Requirement - 6 credits

    Students in the Accelerated MBI program complete 6 credits of coursework (3 courses) from the list of DBMI 2-credit ‘quarter courses’ below. Only the six courses listed below may be used to fulfill the DBMI 2-credit Quarter Courses requirement. No substitutions are permitted.
    BMI 704 - Data Science for Medical Decision Making (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 706 - Data Visualization for Biomedical Applications (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 707 - Deep Learning for Biomedical Data (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 7xx - New precision medicine course (2 credits), Offered Fall 2024
    BMI 709 - Creating Biomedical Dashboards with R Shiny (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 710 - Single-cell analysis for functional genomics of disease (2 credits, Spring Semester)

    Program Elective Requirement - 4 credits

    Students select an approved program elective of their choice. This can either be one 4-credit course, or two 2-credit courses. The program elective must be taken for a letter grade. Courses that do not offer a letter grade option will be reviewed and approved by the program on a case-by-case basis.

    Taking Additional Courses

    In addition to the program requirements outlined above, students may take a limited number of additional courses during their time at Harvard to enhance their educational experience. Students who are enrolled in the Full-Time Accelerated MBI Program may take a maximum of 4 credits of coursework in addition to their degree requirements under the following conditions:

    • Student does not exceed 12 total HMS credits in a single semester
    • Student is making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the Master’s Student Handbook
    • Additional courses taken do not present a schedule conflict with required MBI courses

  • Part Time Program

    Class of 2024 (Entering Fall 2022)

    The Part-Time accelerated program curriculum outlined below is meant only as a reference for students admitted to the part-time accelerated program in Fall 2022 and earlier. 

    All part-time students must:

    • be enrolled in program requirements for 4 semesters 
    • enroll in a minimum of 8 credits per semester
    • enroll in no more than 12 credits in a single semester.

    Students are required to complete 36 credits of approved coursework as follows:

    Core Foundation Requirements - 18 credits

    BMI 701 - Foundations of Biomedical Informatics I (4 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 713 - Computing Skills for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 715 - Computational Statistics for Biomedical Sciences (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 702 - Foundations in Biomedical Informatics II (4 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 751 - Capstone I (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 752 - Capstone II (4 credits, Spring Semester)

    Emphasis Requirements - 8 credits

    The Accelerated MBI program has two areas that students can choose to emphasize in: Bioinformatics and Clinical Informatics. 8 credits of coursework are determined by the student’s selected emphasis area. Students may also mix and match courses between the two emphasis areas to meet their unique educational goals. Students must complete their 8 credits of emphasis requirements from the list of courses below. All selected Bioinformatics/Data Science electives must be approved. Only 4 credits can be from the Bioinformatics/Data Science elective category.
    MCB 112 - Biological Data Analysis (4 credits, Fall Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)

    BIOSTAT 281 - Genomic Data Manipulation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)
    BIOSTAT 282 - Introduction to Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (4 credits, Spring Semester, Bioinformatics Emphasis)  
    ELECTIVE - Bioinformatics/Data Science Elective (4 credits, Fall or Spring Semesters, Bioinformatics Emphasis)

    BMI 720 + BMI 721- Introduction to Clinical Informatics w/lab (4 credits, Fall Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis)

    BMI 741 - Health Information Technology: From Ideation to Implementation (4 credits, Spring Semester, Clinical Informatics Emphasis)

    DBMI 2 Cr. Course Requirement - 6 credits

    Students in the Accelerated MBI program complete 6 credits of coursework (3 courses) from the list of DBMI 2-credit ‘quarter courses’ below. Only the six courses listed below may be used to fulfill the DBMI 2-credit Quarter Courses requirement. No substitutions are permitted.
    BMI 703 - Precision Medicine I: Genomic Medicine (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 705 - Precision Medicine II: Integrating Clinical and Genomic Data (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 704 - Data Science for Medical Decision Making (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 706 - Data Visualization for Biomedical Applications (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 707 - Deep Learning for Biomedical Data (2 credits, Spring Semester)
    BMI 709 - Creating Biomedical Dashboards with R Shiny (2 credits, Fall Semester)
    BMI 710 - Single-cell analysis for functional genomics of disease (2 credits, Spring Semester)

    Program Elective Requirement - 4 credits

    Students select an approved program elective of their choice. This can either be one 4-credit course, or two 2-credit courses. The program elective must be taken for a letter grade. Courses that do not offer a letter grade option will be reviewed and approved by the program on a case-by-case basis.

    Taking Additional Courses

    In addition to the program requirements outlined above, students may take a limited number of additional courses during their time at Harvard to enhance their educational experience. Students who are enrolled in the Full-Time Accelerated MBI Program may take a maximum of 4 credits of coursework in addition to their degree requirements under the following conditions:

    • Student does not exceed 12 total HMS credits in a single semester
    • Student is making satisfactory academic progress as defined in the Master’s Student Handbook
    • Additional courses taken do not present a schedule conflict with required MBI courses