Graduate Degree

The master’s degree program in biostatistics is designed to provide graduate students with essential quantitative training necessary for public health and medical research. Students completing the program will be well prepared to design experimental studies and analyze data in important areas of clinical and biomedical investigations. Required courses concentrate on the principles of study design,  methods for analysis of biomedical data of the continuous, categorical and mixed types from clinical experiments and from observational studies. Elective courses are offered in analytic methods for longitudinal data, genomic and genetic data, and censored data. 

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university, and of the College of Human Medicine, students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be considered for admission applicants must:

1. Have a bachelor’s degree including undergraduate or graduate level quantitative methods with at least two semesters of college-level calculus, a course in matrix or linear algebra, and an introductory course in statistics.
2. Demonstrate interest or experience in a public health field by submitting a statement of purpose. 
3. Provide an official transcript.
4. Submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. Test results should not be older than five years.
5. Submit three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from an academic advisor from a previous program.
6. Provide Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores, if an international applicant. A minimum score of 80 on the internet-based test, 550 on the paper-based test or 237 on the computer-based test, or passing grade on the MSU English Language Test (MSUELT). Scores must be no older than two years. International students with full native fluency in English are exempt.

Students with less preparation may be provisionally admitted. Credits earned in collateral course work will not count towards the degree requirements.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree in Biostatistics

The program is available under either Plan A (with thesis) or Plan B (without thesis). A total of 33 credits is required for both Plan A or Plan B, with no more than 6 credits at the 400-level.  The student's program of study must be approved by the student's academic advisor and guidance committee with the approval of the Dean of the College of Human Medicine.

Students must: