MA in Biostatistics
Curriculum
Coursework leading to a Master of Arts degree in Biostatistics typically takes two years to complete. A minimum of 30 credit hours is required. The student must pass two written comprehensive exams on the first year applied and theoritical core course sequences. In addition, practical data analysis experience is required at a level commensurate with master's degree coursework. A practical training project paper is required. The student must prepare a paper for his/her committee and pass a final oral exam, which is a presentation and defense of their practical training project report.
Core Course Requirements
- STA 503 Regression Analysis (3)
- STA 504 Statistical Comparisons and Associations (3)
- STA 521 Introduction to Theoretical Statistics I (3)
- STA 522 Introduction to Theoretical Statistics II (3)
Completion or demonstrated knowledge of the material in STA 511 (Math Analysis for Statisticians) is a prerequisite for STA 522. Students who have not satisfied this prerequisite must take STA 511 in their first semester in the program. Three semesters of calculus is required before entry into the program. All students are required to attend the weekly departmental seminar.
Elective Requirements
Students must take six masters electives (ME). The following is a list of courses offered by the Department that can be used to satisfy this requirement:
- STA 509 Statistical Genetics
- STA 511 Math. Analysis for Biostatistics
- STA 515 Distribution-Free Inference
- STA 517 Categorical Data Analysis
- STA 526 Design and Analysis of Clinical Experiments
- STA 531 Theory and Methods of Sample Surveys
- STA 536 Statistical Design and Analysis
- STA 537 Sequential Analysis
- STA 551 Stochastic Processes
- STA 561 Longitudinal Data Analysis and Time Series Analysis
- STA 567 Bayesian Statistics
- STA 571 Special Topics in Statistics
- STA 575 Survival Analysis
- STA 581 Multivariate Data Analysis
Six credit hours of either STA 600 or of coursework from outside the Department of Biostatistics can be taken to satisfy elective requirements provided the courses are relevant to the student's training as a biostatistical scientist and are approved by the student's advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies Depending on the content, STA 600 Independent Study might or might not qualify. Also, any STA course that satisfies a requirement of the Department's Ph.D. program can be used as a Master's elective. If a Ph.D. course is used as a Master's elective, that course cannot be used subsequently to satisfy a Ph.D. requirement without also taking an additional course to satisfy the Master's requirement retrospectively.
Practical Training Requirement
Biostatistics Masters students are required to have at least one semester of practical training that involves the application of methods from their master's degree coursework to real data. This requirement can be satisfied by working under a faculty member in a consulting or collaborative research setting or by participating in an internship that has been approved by the student's advisor/committee. The student must submit a detailed written report of a data analysis project to their supervisory committee for evaluation at the final oral exam. The presentation of this report must be given to the committee in the form of a seminar announced to all faculty and students of the Department of Biostatistics.
Master Exams
Students must pass two written exams on applied (STA 503, STA 504) and theoretical (STA 521, STA 522) core courses. These exams typically are taken in August at the end of the first year of study after completion of the core courses. The department's examination committee will determine if each student's performance is satisfactory. Students not passing the applied exam must sit for the final exams of 503 and 504. Students not passing the theory exam must sit for the final exams of 521 and 522. The examination committee will determine if the student's performance is satisfactory on these tests. Any student that does not pass these follow-up exams will be dismissed from the program. Toward the end of their second year, students must pass a final oral exam, which is a presentation and defense of their practical training project. (see previous section.)
Supervisory Committee
The student's M.A. supervisory committee must be appointed prior to the third semester of study. This committee will advise the student, check on qualifications and progress, evaluate the student's written report and oral presentation satisfying the practical training requirement, and conduct the final oral exam. This committee must include three faculty members from the Department of Biostatistics. Students are strongly encouraged to add a fourth committee member from outside the department in their second year, ideally one associated with their practical training project.
Thesis Option
A student who wishes to complete the master's thesis option may substitute up to six research hours (STA 700) for two master's elective courses or for the practical training requirement, provided they complete at least 12 credits of STA master's elective courses. A Master's thesis with general content pre-approved by the student's advisory committee is required. To replace practical training hours the thesis must include an in-depth analysis of data from the health or biological sciences. An oral presentation of the thesis must be given to the supervisory committee at a seminar announced to all faculty and students of the Department of Biostatistics.
Two bound copies of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School and one bound copy to the Department. Copies should be bound in boards covered with blank imitation leather, with the title and author's name embossed, not printed, on the front in gold and the author's last name, degree and year of conferral of the degree on the spine (also in gold). See the section entitled Dissertation and Final Defense for Guidelines for Thesis Preparation.
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