PhD in Biostatistics

Course Requirements

Students in the PhD program entering with only a bachelor’s degree must complete 16 courses (64 credits) from the designated program courses listed below, including the following nine courses:

• CAS MA 581 Probability or MET MA 581 Probability
• CAS MA 582 Mathematical Statistics or MET MA 582 Mathematical Statistics
• CAS MA 575 Linear Models
• SPH EP 713 Introduction to Epidemiology
• SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing and Applied Regression Analysis
• SPH BS 852 Statistical Methods for Epidemiology
• SPH BS 853 Applications of Generalized Linear Models
• GRS MA 781 Estimation Theory
• GRS MA 782 Hypothesis Testing

For students entering the PhD program with a bachelor’s degree, four additional courses must be taken from the biostatistics/epidemiology course listing, including at least one each from the MA and BS series. The remaining three courses may be selected from the MA or BS series of courses or from the listed elective courses. One elective (of the remaining three courses) may be in the biological sciences. Given the large number of biology courses, a comprehensive list is not entered here. Please contact the Program Directors to seek permission for a specific course in the biological sciences.

Students entering the PhD program with MPH or MA degrees may be accepted into an eight-course program. However, they may be required to take extra courses if there are deficiencies in their background.

For post-master’s PhD students, the core courses required will be determined at the start of their program by the Co-Directors. The remaining courses must come from the list of Biostatistics (either BS or MA) or Elective courses. Students must earn a grade of B- or better in all courses applied to the PhD.

Qualifying Examinations

The doctoral candidate must satisfactorily pass two comprehensive written examinations upon completion of coursework. These will require proficiency in the material covered in the nine core courses. Students are allowed two attempts to pass a qualifying exam. The Biostatistics Qualifying Exam Committee will evaluate requests by students to take an exam for the third time on a case-by-case basis.

Language Requirements

Students must demonstrate proficiency in reading the biostatistical literature in at least one foreign language. International students may use English to fulfill the language requirement. Students who have not previously completed at least two years of study in foreign language at the undergraduate level or the equivalent must make up the deficiency through coursework or examination.

Dissertation

The PhD dissertation provides the student with the opportunity to design, conduct, and report on independent, original research in biostatistics. The dissertation consists of original research in the development of statistical methodology for biomedical or epidemiologic applications. This original methodology will, in general, be applied to data collected by the student or to already existing data sets. Once students complete their qualifying examinations, they select a dissertation advisor who guides them through their dissertation research. Second and third readers, who provide additional advice, are often selected shortly thereafter. Students who are working on their dissertation are required to attend a doctoral dissertation seminar once a month and to present material from their dissertation research once per year.

Final Oral Exam

The candidate presents an oral defense of the dissertation before a five-member doctoral committee.

PhD Curriculum

Program Courses in Biostatistics

Descriptions are given under departmental listing or in the School of Public Health Bulletin, which may be obtained from Admissions, School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118.

Core Courses (required)

• CAS MA 575 Linear Models
• CAS MA 581 Probability
• CAS MA 582 Mathematical Statistics
• GRS MA 781 Estimation Theory
• GRS MA 782 Hypothesis Testing
• SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing and Applied Regression Analysis
• SPH BS 852 Statistical Methods for Epidemiology
• SPH BS 853 Generalized Linear Models with Applications
• SPH EP 713 Introduction to Epidemiology

Biostatistics Courses

• CAS MA 576 Generalized Linear Models
• CAS MA 583 Introduction to Stochastic Processes
• CAS MA 584 Multivariate Statistical Analysis
• CAS MA 585 Time Series Modeling and Forecasting
• CAS MA 586 The Design of Experiments
• CAS MA 587 Sampling Design: Theory and Methods
• CAS MA 588 Nonparametric Statistics
• CAS MA 685 Advanced Topics in Statistics
• GRS MA 750 Advanced Statistical Methods I
• GRS MA 751 Advanced Statistical Methods II
• SPH BS 722 Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials
• SPH BS 735 Quantitative Methods in Public Health Surveillance
• SPH BS 775 Applications of Advanced Statistical Methods in Clinical Research
• SPH BS 790 Data Management in Public Health Research
• SPH BS 810 Meta-analysis for Public Health and Medical Research
• SPH BS 820 Logistic Regression/Survival Analysis
• SPH BS 821 Categorical Data Analysis
• SPH BS 822 Avanced Statistical Computing
• SPH BS 830 Design and Analysis of Microarray Experiments
• SPH BS 845 Advanced Statistical Modeling and Prog in R
• SPH BS 850 Advanced Statistical Methodology for the Computational Biosciences
• SPH BS 851 Applied Statistics in Clinical Trials I
• SPH BS 857 Analysis of Correlated Data
• SPH BS 858 Statistical Genetics I
• SPH BS 859 Applied Genetic Analysis
• SPH BS 860 Statistical Genetics II
• SPH BS 861 Applied Statistics in Clinical Trials II

Elective Courses

• CAS MA 511 Introduction to Analysis I
• CAS MA 512 Introduction to Analysis II
• CAS MA 539 Methods of Scientific Computing
• CAS MA 555 Numerical Analysis I
• CAS MA 556 Numerical Analysis II
• CAS MA 578 Bayesian Statistics
• GRS MA 711 Real Analysis
• GRS MA 750 Advanced Statistical Methods I
• GRS MA 751 Advanced Statistical Methods II
• GRS MA 779 Probability Theory I
• GRS MA 780 Probability Theory II
• GRS MA 861 Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Bioinformatics
• GRS MA 882 Seminar: Statistics (limit 4 cr)
• SPH BS 771 Topics in Biostatistics
• SPH EP 813 Intermediate Epidemiology

One of the following three:

• SPH EP 854 Modern Epidemiology
• SPH EP 855 Design Issues in Epidemiology
• SPH EP 856 Selected Topics in Epidemiologic Methods

Limit 4 credits among the following two (post-bachelor’s PhD students may petition co-directors to allow more than 4 credits):

• SPH BS 901 Directed Study in Biostatistics
• SPH BS 902 Directed Research in Biostatistics