MSc in Quantitative and Computational Biology (QCB)
Trento, Italy
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 6,500 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* For candidates from the European Union (or with equivalent status) and for citizens residing outside the European Union (EU) the call for applications for the 26-27 a.y. will open in December 2025
** EU 340€-3400€ fee range, based on personal income and merit; Non-EU: 1000€-6500€ fee range, based on merit only, i.e. score in the application evaluation
Key Summary
The Master of Science (Laurea Magistrale) in Quantitative and Computational Biology is a multidisciplinary degree that formally integrates quantitative sciences and applied biology, thanks to the involvement of the following organizations at the University of Trento:
- CIBIO, Centre for Integrative Biology
- Department of Physics
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science
The course focuses on a strategic area where technology and methodology enable students to face essential questions at the interface between fundamental research and clinical and pre- clinical areas, through analytical and quantitative approaches.
The Master is entirely taught in English and is designed to capture the increasing need for researchers and experts able to transform the enormous amount of biological information ("big data") into knowledge, as well as to gain quantitative insight into the behavior of biological systems by means of bio-mathematical and biophysical models.
Key target areas include pharmacogenomics, biotechnology, food science, and precision medicine, which represent applied research fields where the growing availability of multidimensional data demands high interdisciplinarity.
Program Overview
The Master is designed to train experts in biotechnology, computational biology, bioinformatics and biological data and systems biology analysis, who will have the opportunity to learn in a multidisciplinary context, interacting with students with different experiences. Strong emphasis will be given to quantitative and computational aspects, with a focus on tools to analyze, model, and understand biological systems and phenomena.
Students will have the chance to carry out research projects within the University of Trento organizations involved in the Master’s Degree, at other Italian or European Universities, or in industries operating in the biotechnology, bioinformatics and computational areas.
Admitted students will attend common courses and then choose one of the three tracks based on their educational background acquired in previous studies. The three different tracks offer the opportunity for students to integrate their background based on their first-level degree and individual preparation. In the first, second and third semesters, students will follow different courses with a focus on biotechnological or computational or physical topics. The fourth semester is entirely dedicated to the preparation of the thesis, with a rotation system among research groups.
Complete programme 120 CFU or ECTS. Teaching activities include lectures, laboratory activities and seminars. The programme includes common core courses to be attended during the first year and three specialization tracks during the first half of the second year.
- Cancer Biology
- Neurobiology
- Microbes & Infection
For all tracks
- Elective courses
- Internship
- Research Seminars/Journal Club
- Final thesis
Efrem Bertini
The course aims at building a scientific and professional profile that enables the understanding of complex biological phenomena, mathematical and computer models, as well as analytical approaches to physical phenomena.
Graduates will be trained as experts in the field of Quantitative and Computational Biology with particular relevance to the biomedical field.
Skills will be acquired in the following areas
Biotechnology area, with the objective of:
- Providing advanced skills in cellular metabolism and how it can be manipulated through genetics and metabolic engineering approaches applicable both to microbial systems and to mammalian cells;
- Providing expertise in the generation, analysis, representation, and interpretation of data omics (essentially genomics and transcriptomics);
- Providing skills for the use of complex experimental equipment and related software.
Information science area, with the objective of:
- Introducing students to computational problem solving;
- Providing the practical basis of scientific programming;
- Providing the basic knowledge of biological networks and the skills to manipulate them with data integration;
- Providing expertise and knowledge to model and simulate the dynamics of biological systems;
- Providing knowledge of specific algorithms for bioinformatics applications and knowledge for the development and implementation of bioinformatics resources;
- Providing knowledge and skills in machine learning and practical and theoretical knowledge of specific data mining applications for biological systems.
Mathematical-physical area, with the objective of:
- Introducing fundamental notions on statistical inference based on likelihood;
- Providing knowledge for the construction and the use of statistical models for the analysis of univariate and multivariate data, with particular reference to biomolecular data, and of dynamic deterministic or stochastic models for the description of biological and biochemical phenomena;
- Providing skills to build numerical computer simulations and to recognize the potential and the limitations in the use of models;
- Providing expertise in quantum mechanics fundamental equations and in the main elements of atomic and molecular physics phenomenology,
- Introducing students to the approximation methods for the theoretical description of many-body systems physics, providing skills to critically evaluate molecular models limits;
- Providing concepts in statistical mechanics fundamentals and applications of biomolecular systems, as well as numerical techniques for the study of their thermodynamic and kinetic properties.
Roberto Bernardinatti
Scholarships for non-EU citizens living abroad
Top-scored candidates will be entitled to receive a UniTrento scholarship assigned by the Evaluation Committee based on the application score. Tuition fees are waived for students who receive a UniTrento scholarship.
The amount of tuition fees for Non-EU applicants living abroad is related to the application score obtained during the selection. For more information check the UniTrento scholarships web page.
Scholarships for EU Citizens and Non-EU citizens regularly living in Italy
DSU (Diritto allo Studio Universitario) Scholarships are available for EU citizens and Non-EU citizens living in Italy who meet the ISEE requirements based on family income. Further information is available on Scholarships starting from June/July.
Details about tuition fees and ISEE are available on the Opera Universitaria web page.
UniTrento Archive
Graduates in Quantitative and Computational Biology will be trained to build the following professional profiles:
- Biotechnologist
- Computational Biologist
- Bioinformatics
- Biologist data and systems biology analyst
The profiles are characterized by a set of shared competencies, to which is added specific expertise in the fields of biotechnology, information technology and/or mathematics and physics.
Graduates, trained for the above-mentioned professions, will be able to use biological data publicly available and to work closely with biologists, clinicians, pharmacologists, engineers and epidemiologists, as well as in experimental research and in a a pre-clinical context and in analysis/hospital laboratories by using a common language.
The professional perspective of the graduates is in the context of public and private research centers, pharmaceutical, food, and biotechnology companies, as well as in advanced medical investigation laboratories.
UniTrento Archive
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