Biostatistics & Epidemiology

Program | Faculty | Master's | Doctoral | Courses

Web site: www.umass.edu/sphhs/bioepi/

A close academic and professional relationship exists between the disciplines of biostatistics and epidemiology. The University's cooperative program reflects the interest that biostatisticians have in data analysis and the interest that epidemiologists have in substantive issues of medical and public health. Students may concentrate in either epidemiology or biostatistics, and often choose to combine courses from both disciplines.

The primary goals of biostatistics are to create the theoretical and applied statistical methods necessary to design laboratory, medical, and public health studies, to undertake quantitative evaluation and measurement, and to use statistical inferences to arrive at appropriate conclusions from medical and public health data.

The primary goal of epidemiology is to foster the prevention or early detection of disease by describing the distribution of various diseases in human populations, identifying the determinants of diseases through research, and aiding in the development and evaluation of health programs.

General Admission Requirements

All applicants must meet the general requirements of the Graduate School. For those persons with an advanced professional or doctoral degree, the Graduate Record Examination may be waived at the discretion of the department. A TOEFL exam with a minimum acceptable score of 600 and a GRE exam are required for foreign nationals. Application deadlines are February 1 for the Fall semester and October 1 for the Spring semester.