Graduate Programs Overview

Master of Science (M.S.)

The major focus of the M.S. program is to prepare highly qualified individuals with advanced research skills to undertake public health research responsibilities. The program provides a basic theoretical foundation for applied research in Public Health, and biostatistics research related to measuring and investigating contemporary biomedical and public health problems.

M.S. applicants are accepted with backgrounds in the quantitative sciences and from associated fields.

The degree program can be completed in four semesters of full-time study and a summer practice experience.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

The primary focus of the M.P.H. degree program is to prepare individuals with an advanced professional degree  to undertake meaningful teaching, research, and service roles in the fields of medicine and public health. Graduates of this program are expected to understand the role that statistics play in helping to identify and resolve contemporary health problems, assist in the planning and implementation of health-related studies, and undertake analysis and draw appropriate conclusions from the collected data.

M.P.H. applicants must have an advanced professional degree in a health field (M.D., D.V.M., D.D.S., D.O.), or a health-related master's degree and at least three years of experience directly relevant to biostatistics, or a bachelor's degree and a minimum of five years experience relevant to biostatistics and public health.

The degree program can be completed in three academic semesters of full-time study and a summer practice experience.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The doctoral program prepares individuals for teaching and research in academic institutions, and for positions of professional leadership in health and health-related agencies where research is an important function.

Doctoral applicants must have completed a master’s degree in biostatistics or an equivalent advanced degree; generally have backgrounds in mathematics, biostatistics, statistics, or other quantitative field; and have demonstrated basic research competency through a required thesis or its equivalent. Applicants should have sufficient preparation in the natural sciences and mathematics and in the social behavioral sciences to provide a sound foundation for doctoral study. Candidates who enter with deficiencies must make them up without credit toward the degree. Typically, this might involve some of the course work in the Public Health Core of the M.S. in Biostatistics.