PhD in Biostatistics
Lead the future of biological data analysis with our doctorate in biostatistics.
Bayesian methods. Biomarker discovery. Machine learning. Experiment with these and other areas of research to examine causes and effects of disease as you harness your quantitative aptitude and sense of curiosity to pursue UMass Amherst’s PhD in biostatistics.
Designed to prepare you for research and teaching positions in academic institutions as well as leadership roles in health-related agencies, our program offers both major and minor areas of concentration. Core courses include graduate work in generalized linear models, Bayesian inference, survival analysis, as well as statistical theory. Every student is encouraged to select, in consultation with their academic advisor, the elective courses to take, based on their training, background, and interests.
Completion of a doctorate in biostatistics requires self-direction, independence, perseverance, and, naturally, quantitative aptitude. Evidence of these qualities plays an important role in our admissions decisions.
Benefits list
Funding Your Education
Many PhD students are supported with research assistant (RA) positions funded by faculty grants. Doctoral students are also provided financial support via teaching assistant (TA) positions. All full-time PhD students are currently fully funded.
Partner With Research Centers and Institutes
You’ll find a wealth of opportunities in our campus research centers, including state-of-the-art research hubs like the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, and international collaborations with researchers in the Institute for Global Health, to support a wider breadth of research inquiries.
CEPH Accreditation
Every program in the School of Public Health and Health Sciences is fully accredited by the Council of Education for Public Health, a key benefit of attending UMass.
Featured class
The goal of this course is to introduce statistical modeling approaches that are widely used in medical and public health research, including novel approaches developed in the past few years.
Featured faculty
Nicholas Reich
Director, COVID-19 Forecast Hub
Director, Influenza Forecasting Center of Excellence
Focus on forecasting, machine learning, time series, infectious disease modeling, cluster-randomized trials.
Leontine Alkema
Focus on Bayesian inference; statistical demography; global child, maternal, and reproductive health.
Raji Balasubramanian
Associate Chair, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Metabolomic studies, pediatric HIV studies, measurement error in self-reported outcomes, study design, high-dimensional data and analysis of biological networks
Ken Kleinman
Focus on cluster-randomized trials, missing data, statistical software, electronic medical records
In the spotlight
"Biostatistics as a field has helped me find that niche of working collaboratively with other people who are trying to make the world a better place, and you're putting your math and data science skills to work in a way that feels important."
Application information & deadlines
Prospective students must apply first through the SOPHAS site and then the UMass Graduate School Supplemental Application, which will be emailed to you upon completion of the SOPHAS application.
Priority Deadline
Priority consideration will be given to applicants who submit the application by Dec. 1.
Application Deadline
The application deadline is Feb. 1.
Biostatistics
Advancing public health, medicine, and biology through statistics