Master of Science

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For more information about applying to the MS program, kindly visit the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website.

Since 1999 the Department of Biostatistics has offered an MS in Biostatistics designed to train students to meet the growing need in managed care organizations, medical research, and the pharmaceutical industry for graduates with technical skills in data analysis. As opposed to the more general MPH degree, the MS degree, now known as the MS in Public Health in the Biostatistics track, emphasizes the mastery of biostatistical skills from the beginning of the plan of study. Graduates of this program may apply to the PhD degree program.

Like the PhD, the MS in Public Health is offered through the department’s affiliation with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The doctoral committee and the director of graduate studies are responsible for overseeing the progress of these students. For more information, please contact the Melanie Elliot at 203-785-6383.

A limited number of merit scholarships are occasionally available to MS students in Biostatistics. There is no separate application process. All applicants are considered for these limited scholarships (up to $5,000 per year conditional upon maintaining excellent academic progress). Generally, there is no other financial support for Masters Students, although the opportunity to be a Teaching Fellow is available occasionally in the second year of the program. Information regarding funding opportunities, financial aid, tuition and living costs, as well as student loans, can be found at http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/financial/index.html.

MS Competencies

Upon receiving an MS degree in Epidemiology and Public Health with a concentration in Biostatistics, the student will be able to:

  • Describe advanced concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
  • Develop an efficient design for collecting, recording, and storing data collected in the conduct of public health and medical research.
  • Develop sample size and statistical power calculations for basic study designs including those utilized in clinical trials.
  • Design efficient computer programs for study management, statistical analysis, as well as presentation using SAS and other programming languages.
  • Produce edited data sets suitable for statistical analyses.
  • Apply advanced informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
  • Perform analyses of stated hypotheses using a variety of analytical tools including analysis of variance, multiple regression, nonparametric statistics, logistic regression, multivariate analyses, and methods for analyzing rates and failure time data.
  • Interpret results of advanced statistical analyses and use these results to make relevant inferences from data.
  • Produce working tables and statistical summaries describing research in health science.
  • Develop written presentations based on intermediate to advanced statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
  • Develop oral presentations based on intermediate to advanced statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.

Degree Requirements

The M.S. in Biostatistics requires a minimum of 14 course units (12 courses plus a Master’s Thesis). The M.S. in Biostatistics requires the student to complete the following courses. All “a” courses are offered in the fall term, “b” courses are offered in the spring term.

  • BIS 540a, Fundamentals of Clinical Trials 
  • BIS 623a, Applied Regression Analysis 
  • BIS 625a, Categorical Data Analysis 
  • BIS 628b, Longitudinal Data Analysis 
  • BIS 630b, Applied Survival Analysis 
  • BIS 632b, Design and Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies 
  • STAT 541a, Probability Theory 
  • STAT 542b, Theory of Statistics 
  • Master’s Thesis 
  • EPH 600b, Research Ethics and Responsibility 
    (this course does not count towards the 14 course units)

In addition to the required courses, students must take five elective courses. Two of these electives must be in Biostatistics or Statistics and one must be in Public Health (not in Biostatistics).

  • Two Biostatistics and Statistics Electives
  • One Public Health Elective (not in Biostatistics)
  • Two additional Electives

Master's Thesis

In the second year of the MS in the Biostatistics track, the student is required to execute a program of independent research under the direction of a faculty member. This project will usually fall into one of these main areas: development of a new statistical theory or methodology, a computer-based simulation study to illustrate properties of an existing method, or the analysis of a real dataset.

The student is required to prepare a written thesis. The thesis is written under the supervision of a Biostatistics faculty member. Upon completion of the thesis, the student will make an oral presentation of the results.

Curriculum

PDF Version

Download the PDF version of the MS course requirements.

The MS in Biostatistics requires a minimum of 14 course units (12 courses plus a Master’s Thesis). The MS in Biostatistics requires the student to complete the following courses. All "a" courses are offered in the fall term, "b" courses are offered in the spring term.

Required Courses

  • BIS 540a, Fundamentals of Clinical Trials (1 Course Unit)
  • BIS 623a, Applied Regression Analysis (1 Course Unit)
  • BIS 625a, Categorical Data Analysis (1 Course Unit)
  • BIS 628b, Longitudinal Data Analysis (1 Course Unit)
  • BIS 630b, Applied Survival Analysis (0.5 Course Unit)
  • BIS 632b, Design and Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies (0.5 Course Unit)
  • STAT 541a, Probability Theory (1 Course Unit)
  • STAT 542b, Theory of Statistics (1 Course Unit)
  • Master’s Thesis (2 Course Units)
  • EPH 600b, Research Ethics and Responsibility (SAT/UNSAT) (this course does not count towards the 14 course units)

In addition to the required courses, students must take five elective courses. Two of these electives must be in Biostatistics or Statistics and one must be in Public Health (not in Biostatistics).

Master's Thesis

In the second year of the MS program, the student is required to execute a program of independent
research under the direction of a faculty member. This project usually falls into one of these main areas:

1. Development of a new statistical theory or methodology.
2. A computer-based simulation study to illustrate properties of an existing method.
3. The analysis of a real data set.

The student is required to prepare a written thesis under the supervision of a Biostatistics
faculty member. Upon completion of the thesis, the student will make an oral presentation
of the results of his/her work.

For specific instructions on the organization, mechanics, and publication of the thesis,
see Appendix II: Thesis Guidelines in the Bulletin. 

Recent thesis topics:
  • The association between breast feeding and ductal carcinoma in situ 
  • An analysis of pesticide residues in organic conventional foods across fresh and processed categories 
  • Homogeneity of effect in case control studies 
  • Analysis of high dimensional 0-1 data 
  • Determination of proportionality and its applications in biomedical studies

Many MS graduates are accepted into PhD programs or medical school at prestigious universities. Those that choose to work,  have many options available to them in industry or academia as biostatisticians, research analysts,  system analysts or other similar positions.