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Ph.D. Curriculum
The Ph.D. in Biostatistics is 34 credit hour program, including 12 hours of core coursework and 22 hours of elective coursework, which is in part determined by a student’s area of emphasis – biostatistics or bioinformatics. Free electives are chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor, typically from any of the doctoral level courses offered by the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (PHST 700-level).
Required Coursework – All Students
| Course No. | Course Title | Offered | Credits |
| PHST 691 | Bayesian Statistics | Spring, annually | 3 |
| PHST 710 | Advanced Statistical Computing I | Fall, annually | 3 |
| PHST 762 | Advanced Statistical Inference | Fall, annually | 3 |
| PHST 781 | Advanced Linear Models | Fall, annually | 3 |
| Total | 12 |
Elective Coursework – Biostatistics Emphasis
| Course No. | Course Title | Offered | Credits |
| PHST 703 | Doctoral Practicum in Consulting | As needed | 1 |
| PHST 724 | Advanced Clinical Trials | Spring, odd years | 3 |
| PHST 782 | Generalized Linear Models | Spring, even years | 3 |
| PHST 783 | Advanced Survival Analysis | Spring, even years | 3 |
| Various | Additional Electives | Various | 12 |
| Total | 22 |
Elective Coursework – Bioinformatics Emphasis
| Course No. | Course Title | Offered | Credits |
| PHST 703 | Doctoral Practicum in Consulting | As needed | 1 |
| PHST 750 | Statistics for Bioinformatics | Spring, even years | 3 |
| PHST 751 | High Throughput Data Analysis | Spring, odd years | 3 |
| BIOC 545 | Advanced Biochemisty | Fall, annually | 3 |
| CECS 632 | Data Mining | Fall, annually | 3 |
| Various | Additional Electives | Various | 6 |
| Total | 22 |
Elective Offerings Not Listed Above
| Course No. | Course Title | Offered | Credits |
| PHST 671 | Special Topics in Biostatistics | As needed | 1-3 |
| PHST 675 | Independent Study in Biostatistics | As needed | 1-3 |
| PHST 752 | Statistical Genetics | Fall, odd years | 3 |
| PHST 780 | Advanced Nonparametrics | Fall, odd years | 3 |
Examples course plans for completion of Ph.D. coursework are available here.
In order to satisfy accreditation requirements, all students graduating with a Ph.D. in Biostatistics must complete 3 semester credit hours of instruction (PHPH 523) that provides a broad introduction to public health. Credit hours earned satisfying the public health requirement do not apply to the total credit hour requirement.
Other PHST courses, including 704, 711, 725, and 785, are not currently in rotation, but can be offered per instructor availability and student demand. Students are welcome to explore biostatistics- and bioinformatics-related courses outside the department to complete coursework requirements, subject to the approval of a faculty advisor.
Upon completion of the first year of coursework, students are eligible to take the comprehensive examination in the summer of the first year. Go to our comps page to learn more about the exams. You can also check out the full Ph.D. curriculum – coursework, exams, and dissertation – here.
The Ph.D. in Biostatistics is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. To learn more about the accreditation of the School of Public Health and Information Science, visit the accreditation page.
