2011-2012 University Catalog 
  
2011-2012 University Catalog

Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MS (VS)


Banner Code: HH-MS-EBST

School:  Volgenau School of Engineering 

Department:  Statistics 

This program prepares participants to apply epidemiological and statistical principles to quantitative analysis of health issues.  It will prepare health scientists to work as professionals in government agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, pharmaceutical companies, research hospitals, public health agencies, and other health-related organizations that need to analyze data and design experiments for medical and public health research.  Graduates are expected to analyze and interpret increasingly complex health data.  The degree is taught jointly by faculty from the Department of Statistics in The Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering and the Department of Global and Community Health in CHHS.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program is competitive, and a variety of criteria are evaluated in the admissions process: undergraduate academic performance, recent post-baccalaureate course work, work experience, professional goals, and letters of recommendation. Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree in a discipline related to health science or statistics with undergraduate calculus through multivariate calculus with a B or better (equivalent to Math 113, 114, and 213), and a calculus-based probability course such as STAT 346. Admissions decisions are made by a joint faculty committee from the Department of Statistics and the Department of Global and Community Health.

Applicants must meet the admissions standards and application requirements specified in the Admission  chapter of the catalog and apply using the online Application for Graduate Admission. Applications are considered for the fall and spring semesters. For application deadlines and detailed application requirements, please refer to Graduate Application Database.

Transfer of Credit

Transfer credit is governed by university transfer of graduate credit policy  and the university requirements for master’s degrees , and transfer credit must be approved by the program director and the dean. Students who enroll initially through Nondegree Studies should seek course advising through the department prior to taking a course and plan to submit their application to the MS program in their first semester of study.

Degree Requirements


Students must complete 36 credits of graduate course work.  A graduate course in which a grade of C or below is earned may be repeated only once.  Graduate students may repeat no more than two courses in their stated program of study.  Students much achieve a minimum GPA of 3.00 to graduate.

Epidemiology Electives (6 credits)


Select a minimum of two courses from the following:

Electives (6 credits)


Choose two electives (6 credits) in consultation with the academic advisor.  Students may choose to work with their advisor to conduct an epidemiology/biostatistics research project.

Total: 36 credits