Prospective Students

Biostatistics involves the reasoning and methods for using data as evidence to address public health and biomedical questions. It is a scientific approach and a set of tools for designing studies and quantifying the resulting evidence, for quantifying what we believe, and for making decisions. Biostatistics is rapidly expanding because of exciting new problems in bioinformatics, genetics, neuroimaging, bioterrorism, environmental science, international health and health policy.

Founded in 1918, we were one of the first academic departments of statistical science in the world, and always have ranked among the best. We are a collegial group of 20 faculty and 40 PhD students working together to advance statistical science and public health. Our broad perspective on biostatistics ranges from foundations and methods for inference through application to the solution of public health and biomedical problems. We work with biomedical colleagues from Johns Hopkins as well as other top-rated schools of public health and medicine. Our PhD program provides the full mathematical rigor of mathematical statistics training in addition to methodologic and applications research relevant to bioscience.

Problem solvers and effective communicators. Mathematical aptitude, an ambition to discover, an interest in biological questions and good communication skills are prerequisites. We are flexible about prior coursework. Medical students are encouraged to consider our joint MD/PhD program.

• All full-time PhD students will receive the following support for the first five years of their enrollment in the program: full tuition, a paid research assistantship, individual health insurance, University Health Services clinic fee, vision insurance and dental insurance.
• We have an NIH-funded training program in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics of Aging for PhD students who are US citizens or permanent residents. This provides the above benefits—except that the guaranteed living allowance is as a paid stipend rather than as a research assistantship, plus an annual allowance of personal research funds and a position meriting note on one’s CV.

Because our training is both mathematically rigorous and biologically relevant, our graduates are in demand by academia, government and industry. Of our last 20 PhD graduates, 16 are faculty at leading universities, including Harvard, Brown, Berkeley, the University of Chicago and the University of Washington. PhD graduates can expect starting salaries of approximately $80,000 in academia and $100,000 in industry.