Biostatistics

Biostatistics PhD Program
FALL 2010 APPLICANTS: Please note that the application deadline has changed.  Completed applications for Fall 2010 are due by December 15, 2009.

The PhD program in Biostatistics is intended primarily for the graduate student who seeks a career as a professional, academic, or industrial researcher in the biomedical and epidemiologic sciences. The program meets the needs of (1) the health professional who wishes to continue with public health training and achieve a higher and more specialized degree; and (2) the statistician who wishes to specialize in statistical methods for biomedical and epidemiologic applications.

Students in the PhD program entering with only a bachelor's degree must complete 64 credits. These must include the nine biostatistics core courses and at least four of the designated courses in biostatistics and epidemiology, including at least one each from the Department of Mathematics and the School of Public Health. Students select remaining credits from courses suggested by the Program Committee. Students entering the Ph.D. program with master's degrees may be accepted into 32-credit programs. However, they may be required to take extra courses if there are deficiencies in their backgrounds. The intent of the course requirement is to provide a firm foundation in biostatistics and mastery of a broad range of applied techniques.

Students must demonstrate the ability to read the biostatistical literature in at least one foreign language. Foreign students may use English to fulfill their language requirement.

Upon nearing the completion of coursework, the doctoral student must pass two comprehensive written examinations. These require proficiency in the foundation areas covered in the nine core courses. Before embarking on dissertation research, the student must develop a dissertation proposal outlining the nature of the research to be undertaken. The dissertation provides documentation of the student's creative scholarship and ability to design, conduct, and report on independent, original research in biostatistics. The dissertation research consists of the development of statistical methodology for biomedical or epidemiologic applications. This original methodology should, in general, be applied to data collected by the student or to already existing data sets collected by other investigators. The student must present an oral defense of the dissertation to a five-member committee (See previous theses topics).

The PhD program is administered jointly through theBiostatistics Department at BUSPH and the Math Departmentat the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The curriculumfor the master's and doctoral programs in Biostatisticsconsists of the following combination of courses atthe BUSPH and the Department of Mathematics of theGraduateSchool of Arts and Sciences. Please refer to the MathDepartment for additional information on courses taught at the Math Department.

Biostatistics Core Courses
  • CAS MA 575 Applied Regression and Analysis of Variance I
  • CAS MA 581 or MET MA 581 Probability
  • CAS MA 582 or MET MA 582 Mathematical Statistics
  • GRS MA 781 Estimation Theory
  • GRS MA 782 Hypothesis Testing
  • SPH EP 712 Epidemiologic Methods
  • SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing and Applied Regression Analysis
  • SPH BS 852 Statistical Methods for Epidemiology
  • SPH BS 853 Generalized Linear Models
Elective Biostatistics and Epidemiology Courses

Please note that applications are submitted through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Application materials are available online. Please submit completed paper applications to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Boston University
705 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112
Boston, MA 02215
USA

For more information about the PhD program in Biostatistics, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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