Admissions

Completed Online Application Form

Applicants must complete the application form via Harvard Medical School's Master Programs Application portal. 

CV or Resume

Applicants submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae or resume.

Personal Statement

A personal statement of 2-3 pages, double-spaced, that explains your interest in biomedical informatics; highlights your preparation for the program, working independently, and conducting research; discusses your professional goals; and describes why you believe the Harvard MMSc in Biomedical Informatics program will help you achieve these goals.

Letters of Recommendation

All applications must include a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation. No more than 5 letters of recommendation can be included with a single application. Letters of recommendation should be written by those who know you well and can speak to your aptitude for work and study in areas related to biomedical informatics from the perspective of a mentor, instructor, or supervisor.

Academic Transcripts

All applicants must submit an unofficial transcript for each degree program completed or in progress that meet the following requirements:

• Lists all courses completed and in progress. Completed courses must include a grade or other evaluation indication. 
• All information is issued in English. 

Applicants must also include transcripts or certificates for prerequisite courses completed outside of a degree program.

For additional guidelines for international applicants, please visit our International Applicants page. 

Application Fee

There is a $100 application fee payable by credit card.

An application fee waiver can be requested once the application opens. 

Standardized Test Scores

The MMSc in Biomedical Informatics program does NOT take GRE, MCAT, or other standardized test scores into consideration for admission. We do NOT collect or review these scores as part of the application.

Information on English language proficiency test requirements for international applicants can be found on our International Applicants page. 

To apply to the two year Master of Medical Sciences in Biomedical Informatics program, applicants must:

• Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited United States or international institution by the time of expected program matriculation in August. 

Applicants who are in their final year of undergraduate study at the time of the application deadline are welcome and encouraged to apply.

Applicants to the MMSc in Biomedical Informatics must demonstrate the following prerequisites either through coursework, practical training, or other relevant experience:

• Interest in conducting biomedical informatics research. 
• Ability to use probability and statistical testing in data analysis.
• Exposure to foundational concepts in molecular biology.
• Practical knowledge of computer science concepts.
• Strong coding skills in R and/or Python programming languages.
  • This includes, but is not limited to, familiarity with data structures and types, designing algorithms to solve problems, and the ability to write functions, read and write data, and create plots with limited consultation of reference material. 
  • Students are required to use both programming languages in the required first-year courses.
  • All admitted students will complete a mandatory assessment in the summer prior to matriculation to evaluate their level of programming skills.

Our most successful students typically 

• demonstrate working knowledge of both R and Python at the time of application. 
• enter the program with previous undergraduate or postgraduate research experience. 

Undergraduate degree programs that typically prepare applicants well for the Master’s program include but are not limited to:

• Bioinformatics
• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Engineering

Students enter the Master’s program with a wide range of undergraduate degrees and backgrounds. Applicants do not need to have completed a specific undergraduate major to be eligible for admission.