Thanks to the inclusion and welcoming environment of YSPH and the interdisciplinary nature of YSPH, I can work with people with diverse backgrounds, varying perspectives and distinct ways to handle public health programs. Such a culture at YSPH has helped me to succeed in an increasingly diverse and intertwined society.

Joanna Chen

MPH '21

Biostatistics MPH

Photo by Jordan Emont

Biostatistics is one of the disciplines needed for the development and practice of public health – the methods of this discipline are appropriate for quantifying the possible effects of risk factors and health interventions on individuals and groups. The MPH degree in biostatistics emphasizes training in the application of statistical principles and methods to problems in health sciences, medicine, and biology.

Graduates are able to specify and produce valid study designs, perform database management and produce working tables and statistical summaries, analyze data in terms of stated hypotheses, generate new hypotheses and interpret study results for careers in research, healthcare delivery, pharmaceuticals, regulatory affairs and industry. Successful MPH applicants have undergraduate training or experience in biology, health and basic statistics and/or data analysis.

How to Apply

For more information on how to apply visit the YSPH Admissions website.

Apply through SOPHAS.

What are the program's areas of expertise?

The Department of Biostatistics develops quantitative methodologies and tools for rigorous scientific research to solve the world's most challenging problems in biology, medicine and public health. Department faculty are leaders in development and application of statistical methods in genetics/genomics and bioinformatics, epidemiology, causal inference, clinical trials, spatial/spatiotemporal data, high-dimensional analysis, biomedical imaging, statistical computation and implementation science.

What makes us different?

You will learn directly from the statistical innovators developing methodologies for all aspects of scientific method, study design and data collection to computation, statistical analysis and interpretation of findings
You will train with faculty experts in a broad scope of scientific work including genomics, cancer, mental health, HIV and infectious disease epidemiology, reproductive medicine, neuroscience, social science, evolutionary biology, and health informatics.
Opportunities to work with researchers across the Yale Medical School, Veteran Administration, the School of Public Health’s Yale Center for Analytical Sciences and more.

Requirements

2022-23 Matriculation

The M.P.H. degree requires a total of 20 course units. The M.P.H. in Biostatistics (BIS) requires the student to complete or acquire an exemption from the following courses. Full time students must carry a minimum of 4 course units each semester. If a course is waived, a substitute course must be identified. In addition, all 2-year MPH students are required to complete an internship and an Applied Practice Experience (APE). An internship may fulfill both requirements if it meets certain conditions. Please refer to the Internship and Practicum Guidelines for more information.

MPH Core Courses (4 units)

EPH 508 Foundations of Epidemiology for Public Health - 1 unit
EPH 507 Social Justice and Health Equity - 1 unit
EPH 510 Health Policy and Health Care Systems - 1 unit
EPH 513 Major Health Threats: Determinants and Solutions - 1 unit
EPH 100/EPH 101 Professional Skills Series - 0 units
EPH 520 Summer Internship - 0 units (The Summer Internship may meet the APE requirement but the workplan must first be approved by the Office of Public Health Practice. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the APE through the Summer internship requirement. If not, students will need to take a practicum course during the 2nd year using one of their remaining electives.)

Department Requirements

Required Courses (8 course units)

BIS 525/BIS 526 Seminar in Biostatistics and Journal Club (two semesters) - 0 units
BIS 623 Advanced Regression Models - 1 unit
BIS 628 Longitudinal and Multilevel Data Analysis - 1 unit
BIS 630 Applied Survival Analysis - 1 unit
BIS 678 Statistical Practice I - 1 unit
BIS 679 Advanced Statistical Programming in SAS and R - 1 unit
BIS 681 Statistical Practice II - 1 unit
S&DS 541* Probability Theory - 1 unit
S&DS 542* Theory of Statistics - 1 unit

Approved Electives (8 course units).

*These courses are offered in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.