Requirements For Degrees Offered By The Department of Biostatistics

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Master of Science (Biostatistics) 
Ph.D. (Biostatistics)
Master of Public Health (Public Health Statistics)
Dr.P.H. (Public Health Statistics)

Core Curriculum grading policy July 09

MASTER OF SCIENCE (BIOSTATISTICS)

1. Graduate School of Public Health Admissions Requirements

1. Applicants most possess a B.S. or B.A. degree in arts, science, engineering or nursing, or an M.D., D.D.S., or D.D.M. from an approved school.

2. Applicants must have 3 credits of undergraduate biology. Students not meeting this requirement may be accepted conditionally and satisfy the requirement while matriculating.

2. Additional Department of Biostatistics Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must be interested in the application of statistics to the study of biological and social aspects of health and disease in population groups.

2. Applicants must give evidence of preparation in mathematics (one year of calculus or equivalent).
   Where a deficiency exists, applicants may be admitted conditionally until these are corrected. Students who need to strengthen their background in mathematics are encouraged to take BIOS 2081 in their first term of study.

3. Scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytic portions of the Graduate Record Examination must be submitted (this requirement is waved for individuals with a doctoral degree or M. D.)

3. Length of Program

Candidate normally completes degree in four to five terms (two years). Students usually enter the program in the fall term.

4. Credit Requirements

1. Satisfactory completion of 36 credits of course work, excluding thesis credits (BIOST 2021) and seminar credits (BIOST 2025).

BIOST (20 credits):    2041(3), 2042(2), 2043(3), 2044(3), 2046(3), 2049(3), 2087(1), 2092(1), 2093(1)

School Core (6 credits):    EPIDEM 2110(3), PUBHLT 2011(3)

2. Selection of three courses from BIOST 2016, BIOST 2035, BIOST 2045, BIOST 2054, BIOST 2062 and BIOST 2096. (In situations where a students special interest or needs indicate an alternative course is more appropriate it may be substituted with the permission of the primary academic advisor and the Departmental Chair.)

3. Electives to make up the total 36 credits, to be selected with permission of the student's advisor.

4. Participation in the Departmental Seminar, BIOST 2025, for two terms (these credits do not count toward the required 36 credit requirement).

5. Comprehensive Examination

A written comprehensive examination must be passed satisfactorily. The examination is given once in the Fall and once in the Spring Term. Students must be registered in the term during which they take the comprehensive examination.

6. Thesis

All master's students must complete a minimum of two special study (BIOST 2021) credits (these credits do not count toward the required 36 credit requirement) and meet the master's thesis requirement. The form of the thesis must be in accord with specifications stipulated in the University's Style and Form Manual and Regulations Governing Graduate Study at the University of Pittsburgh, November 1995 Revision.

7. Advanced Standing

A maximum of six credits towards a master's degree may be allowed as advanced standing credit for work done in an approved graduate school other than the University of Pittsburgh. It must be clear which of the requirements that the six credits are replacing.

TYPICAL M.S STUDENT SCHEDULE

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Biostatistics)

1. Graduate School of Public Health Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must hold a graduate or bachelor's degree in a field or profession relevant to the Ph.D. program to which they are applying.
2. Applicants must have 3 credits of undergraduate biology. Students not meeting this requirement may be accepted conditionally and satisfy the requirement while matriculating.

2. Department of Biostatistics Admission Requirements

1. Candidates must be interested in the application of statistics and the development of statistical methods relevant to the study of biological and social aspects of health and disease in population groups.

2. Candidates must give evidence of a good undergraduate record with adequate preparation in mathematics (one year of calculus or equivalent).
   Where deficiencies exist, applicants may be admitted conditionally until these are corrected. Students who need to strengthen their background in mathematics are encouraged to take BIOS 2081 in their first term of study.

3. Scores on the verbal, quantitative and analytic portions of the Graduate Record Examination must be submitted (this requirement is waived for individuals with a doctoral degree or M.D.)

3. Length of Program

Candidate normally completes degree in four to five years. Students usually enter the program in the fall term.

4. Credit Requirements (72 credits)

The following are required and electives for the Ph.D. program

1. Required courses (or equivalent knowledge):

BIOST (28 credits):  2041(3), 2042(2), 2043(3), 2044(3), 2046(3), 2049(3), 2051(3), 2061(2), 2083(3), 2087(1), 2092(1), 2093(1), EPIDEM 2110(3)

(In situations where a students special interest or needs indicate an alternative course is more appropriate it may be substituted with the permission of the primary academic advisor and the Departmental Chair.)

2. Select 3 courses from BIOST:

2016(2), 2017(2), 2035(3), 2045(2), 2048(2), 2054(3), 2055(3), 2062(3)

3. Select 5 courses from BIOST:

2013(2), 2040(3), 2052(3), 2053(3), 2063(3), 2064(3), 2065(3), 2084(3), 2086(3), 2096(3)

4. Select courses totalling 11-15 additional credits at least five of which are outside of the Department of Biostatistics. (Note these five credits are in addition to EPIDEM 2110.)
   
   
5. Participation in the Departmental Seminar, BIOS 2025, for three terms.
   
   
6. Doctoral students should complete at least three credits of BIOST 3010 (dissertation) or register for one term of Full-time Dissertation Study (FTDR 0000) as follows: Doctoral students who have completed all credit requirements for the degree, including any minimum dissertation credit requirements and are working full-time on their dissertations may register for "Full-time Dissertation Study," which carries no credits or letter grade but provides students full-time status. Students so enrolled are assessed a special tuition fee.

5. Preliminary Evaluation (Qualifying Examination)

The preliminary evaluation is designed to assess the breadth of the student's knowledge of the discipline, the student's achievement during the first year(s) of graduate study, and the potential to apply research methods independently. The evaluation is used to identify those students who may be expected to complete a doctoral program successfully and also to reveal areas of weakness in the student's preparation. The committee administering the preliminary exam must have at least five members of the graduate faculty representing at least three departments in the Graduate School of Public Health.

The preliminary/qualifying examination for the Ph.D. consists of three separate (usually written) examinations: a theory examination, an applications examination and a general public health exam based on epidemiology and one other area in the school of public health.

6. Doctoral Committee

Before admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree, the student's major advisor proposes for the approval of the department chairperson, a committee of four or more persons, including at least one from another department, to serve as the doctoral committee. The majority of the committee, including the major advisor, must be full or adjunct members of the graduate faculty. This committee must review and approve the proposed research project before the student may be admitted to candidacy.

This doctoral committee has the responsibility to advise the student during the progress of the candidate's research and has the authority to require high quality research and/or the rewriting of any portion or all of the dissertation. It conducts the final oral examination and determines whether the dissertation meets acceptable standards.

Meetings of the doctoral candidate and her or his dissertation committee must occur at least annually from the time the student gains admission to doctoral candidacy. During these meetings, the committee should assess the student's progress toward degree and discuss objectives for the following year and a timetable for completing degree requirements.

7. Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's mastery of the general field of doctoral study, the student's acquisition of both depth and breadth in the area of specialization within the general field, and the ability to use the research methods of the discipline. It should be administered at approximately the time of the completion of the formal course requirements and should be passed at least eight months before scheduling of the final oral examination and dissertation defense. In no case may the comprehensive examination be taken in the same term in which the student is graduated. Examination results must be reported promptly to the GSPH Registrar but no later than the last day of the term in which the examination is administered.

8. Overview or Prospectus Meeting

Each doctoral student must prepare a dissertation proposal for presentation to the doctoral committee at a formal dissertation overview or prospectus meeting. The overview requires the student to carefully formulate a plan and permits the doctoral committee members to provide guidance in shaping the conceptualization and methodology of that plan. The doctoral committee must unanimously approve the dissertation topic and research plan before the student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Approval of the proposal does not imply either the acceptance of a dissertation prepared in accord with the proposal or the restriction of the dissertation to this original proposal.

9. Admission to Candidacy for a Doctoral Degree

Admission to candidacy for a doctor degree constitutes a promotion of the student to the most advanced stage of graduate study and provides formal approval to devote essentially exclusive attention to the research and the writing of the dissertation. To quality for admission to candidacy, students must be in full graduate status, have satisfied the requirement of the preliminary evaluation, have completed formal course work with a minimum quality point average of 3.00, have passed the comprehensive examination, shown proficiency in a research or investigative tool, and have received approval of the proposed subject and plan of the dissertation from the doctoral committee following an overview or prospectus meeting of the committee. Students are informed of admission to candidacy by written notification from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who states also the approved doctoral committee's composition.

Admission to candidacy should occur at least eight months before the defense of the dissertation in order to provide an opportunity for the members of the doctoral committee to review, criticize, and monitor the proposed research.

10. Dissertation

Each student must write a dissertation that presents the results of a research project carried out by the student. An appropriate research project involves a substantive piece of original and independent research grounded in an appropriate body of literature. It is the responsibility of the student's doctoral committee to evaluate the dissertation in these terms and to recommend the awarding of the doctoral degree only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate these qualities.

11. Final Oral Examination (Dissertation Examination)

The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee. One copy of the dissertation must be submitted to each member of the doctoral committee at least two weeks before the date set for the final oral examination. The examination may be scheduled not earlier than two weeks following submission of the dissertation, but must be held at least two weeks before the degree is to be conferred.

At least four weeks before the final examination, the chairperson of the doctoral committee must provide the GSPH Registrar with a typed notice, listing the title of the dissertation and the time and place for its defense. The student is to post notice on the Parran Hall bulletin board and send it for announcement to the University Times well in advance of the date of the defense.

12. Advanced Standing

Students with a master's degree from another University may be exempted for a maximum of 24 credits. Students may be exempted from a maximum of 12 credits for graduate work at another University beyond the master's degree. The courses to be exempted should be reviewed by the primary academic advisor and have the approval of the Chair. It should be clear which specific transferred course is being used to exempt a required course. A letter summarizing the exempted courses should be placed in the student's file.

TYPICAL Ph.D. STUDENT SCHEDULE

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (Public Health Statistics)

1. Graduate School of Public Health Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must possess a graduate degree from an acceptable institution in a discipline relevant to public health, or a bachelor's degree from an acceptable institution, with substantial knowledge in a discipline relevant to public health, either through study or experience or a combination of these.

2. Scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination must be submitted.

3. Applicant shall have had a minimum of three college credits in biology, including a basic course in biology (a course in animal or human physiology is desirable); a minimum of six college credits in behavioral sciences, and a minimum of three credits of college mathematics or statistics.

2. Department of Biostatistics Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must be interested in the application of statistics to public health problems and have a prior professional degree and/or background in health.

2. Applicants must have one course in computer programming. If the student does not meet this requirement they may be admitted conditionally until it is corrected.

3. Length of Program

Candidate normally completes degree in four to five terms (two years). Students usually enter the program in the fall term.

4. Credit Requirements

Satisfactory completion of 44 credits of coursework, including two thesis credits (BIOST 2021) and two seminar credits (BIOST 2025).

1. Required courses (or equivalent knowledge):

BIOST (14 credits):  2016(2), 2042(2), 2045(2), 2046(3), 2049(3), 2092(1), 2093(1)

School Core (20 credits): BIOST 2041(3), EPID 2110(3), PUBHLT 2014(1), PUBHLT 2015(2), BCHS 2509(3), EOH 2013(3), HPM 2001(3), PUBHLT 2016(2).

2. Electives to make up the total 40 credits in areas of the student's interest to be selected with permission of the student's advisor.

3. Participation in the Departmental Seminar, BIOST 2025, for 2 terms (these credits do not count toward the required 40 credit requirement).

4. Two credits of thesis work (BIOST 2021).

5. Comprehensive Examination

A written comprehensive examination must be passed satisfactorily. The examination is given once in the Fall and once in the Spring Term. Students must be registered in the term during which they take the comprehensive examination.

6. Thesis

All master's students must complete a minimum of two special study credits (BIOST 2021) and meet the master's thesis requirement. The form of the thesis must be in accord with specifications stipulated in the University's Style and Form Manual and Regulations Governing Graduate Study at the University of Pittsburgh, November 1995 Revision.

7. Advanced Standing (revised 6/19/98)

A maximum of twelve credits towards a Master of Public Health degree may be allowed as advanced standing credits. Credits taken outside the University of Pittsburgh must be from an accredited institution and program, and must carry a grade of B or higher. Credits may not be granted for work completed in extension courses, correspondence courses, or in the off-campus center of another institution unless those credits are approved for equivalent graduate degrees at that institution.

DOCTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH (Public Health Statistics)

1.    Graduate School of Public Health Admission Requirements

1. Applicants must have completed all requirements for the MPH degree or hold a graduate degree in a field or profession relevant to health care or the health sciences.

2. Applicants must have the approval of the head of the program and of the department in which they propose to do a dissertation.

3. Applicant shall have had a minimum of three college credits in biology, including a basic course in biology (a course in animal or human physiology is desirable); a minimum of six college credits in behavioral sciences and three credits of college mathematics.
   Where deficiencies exist, applicants may be admitted conditionally until these are corrected. Courses taken to correct deficiencies will not count towards fulfillment of residency or credit requirements, nor will they be included in the calculation of grade point average.

4. Scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical portions of the Graduate Record Examination must be submitted.

2. Department of Biostatistics Admission Requirements

1. Applicant must be interested in the application of statistics to public health problems and have a prior professional degree and/or background in health.

2. Applicant must give evidence of a good undergraduate record with adequate preparation in mathematics (minimum of one year of calculus or equivalent).
   Where deficiencies exist, applicants may be admitted conditionally until these are corrected. Students who need to strengthen their background in mathematics are encouraged to take BIOS 2081.

3. Length of Program

Candidate normally completes the degree in four to five years. Students usually enter in the fall term.

4. Credit Requirements

The Dr.P.H. program requires a minimum of 72 credits of coursework for students with no previous Master's degree or 48 credits for students with a Master's degree, excluding dissertation and seminar credits.

1. Required courses (or equivalent knowledge):

BIOST (26 credits): 2016(2), 2042(2), 2043(3), 2044(3), 2045(2), 2046(3), 2049(3), 2054(3), 2087(1), 2092(1), 2093(1), 2095(2)

School Core (20 credits): BIOST 2041(3), EPID 2110(3), PUBHLT 2014(1), PUBHLT 2015(2), BCHS 2509(3), EOH 2013(3), HPM 2001(3), PUBHLT 2016 (2).

EPIDEM (4 credits): Select Two - 2170(2), 2180(2), 2260(2)

BCHS (4-5 credits): Select Two - 2505(3), 2558(2), 2590(2)

2. Participation in the Departmental Seminar, BIOST 2025, for three terms.

3. Electives to make up total 72 credits will include additional coursework in computer science, biostatistics, health administration, environmental health or epidemiology.

4. Doctoral students should complete at least three credits of BIOST 3010 (dissertation) or register for one term of Full-time Dissertation Study (FTDR 0000) as follows: Doctoral students who have completed all credit requirements for the degree, including any minimum dissertation credit requirements and are working full-time on their dissertations may register for "Full-time Dissertation Study," which carries no credits or letter grade but provides students full-time status. Students so enrolled are assessed a special tuition fee.

5. Preliminary Evaluation (Qualifying Examination)

The preliminary evaluation is designed to assess the breadth of the student's knowledge of the discipline, the student's achievement during the first year(s) of graduate study, and the potential to apply research methods independently. The evaluation is used to identify those students who may be expected to complete a doctoral program successfully and also to reveal areas of weakness in the student's preparation. The committee administering the preliminary exam must have at least five members of the graduate faculty representing at least three departments in the Graduate School of Public Health.

The preliminary/qualifying examination for the Dr.P.H. consists of three separate examinations: a theory examination, an applications examination and a general public health exam based on epidemiology and one other area in the school of public health.

6. Doctoral Committee

Before admission to candidacy for a doctoral degree, the student's major advisor proposes for the approval of the department chairperson and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs a committee of four or more persons, including at least one from another department, to serve as the doctoral committee. The majority of the committee, including the major advisor, must be full or adjunct members of the graduate faculty. This committee must review and approve the proposed research project before the student may be admitted to candidacy.

This doctoral committee has the responsibility to advise the student during the progress of the candidate's research and has the authority to require high quality research and/or the rewriting of any portion or all of the dissertation. It conducts the final oral examination and determines whether the dissertation meets acceptable standards.

Meetings of the doctoral candidate and her or his dissertation committee must occur at least annually from the time the student gains admission to doctoral candidacy. During these meetings, the committee should assess the student's progress toward degree and discuss objectives for the following year and a timetable for completing degree requirements.

The membership of the doctoral committee may be changed whenever it is appropriate or necessary, subject to the approval of the department chairperson and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

7. Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is designed to assess the student's mastery of the general field of doctoral study, the student's acquisition of both depth and breadth in the area of specialization within the general field, and the ability to use the research methods of the discipline. It should be administered at approximately the time of the completion of the formal course requirements and should be passed at least eight months before the scheduling of the final oral examination and dissertation defense. In no case may the comprehensive examination be taken in the same term in which the student is graduated. Examination results must be reported promptly to the GSPH Registrar but no later than the last day of the term in which the examination is administered. After successfully completing this examination, the student is recommended for degree candidacy.

8. Overview or Prospectus Meeting

Each doctoral student must prepare a dissertation proposal for presentation to the doctoral committee at a formal dissertation overview or prospectus meeting. The overview requires the student to carefully formulate a plan and permits the doctoral committee members to provide guidance in shaping the conceptualization and methodology of that plan. The doctoral committee must unanimously approve the dissertation topic and research plan before the student may be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Approval of the proposal does not imply either the acceptance of a dissertation prepared in accord with the proposal or the restriction of the dissertation to this original proposal.

9. Admission to Candidacy for a Doctoral Degree

Admission to candidacy for a doctor degree constitutes a promotion of the student to the most advanced stage of graduate study and provides formal approval to devote essentially exclusive attention to the research and the writing of the dissertation. To quality for admission to candidacy, students must be in full graduate status, have satisfied the requirement of the preliminary evaluation, have completed formal course work with a minimum quality point average of 3.00, have passed the comprehensive examination, shown proficiency in a research or investigative tool, and have received approval of the proposed subject and plan of the dissertation from the doctoral committee following an overview or prospectus meeting of the committee. Students are informed of admission to candidacy by written notification from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who states also the approved doctoral committee's composition.

Admission to candidacy should occur at least eight months before the defense of the dissertation in order to provide an opportunity for the members of the doctoral committee to review, criticize, and monitor the proposed research.

10. Dissertation

Each student must write a dissertation that presents the results of a research project carried out by the student. An appropriate research project involves a substantive piece of original and independent research grounded in an appropriate body of literature. It is the responsibility of the student's doctoral committee to evaluate the dissertation in these terms and to recommend the awarding of the doctoral degree only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate these qualities.

The final oral examination in defense of the doctoral dissertation is conducted by the doctoral committee. One copy of the dissertation must be submitted to each member of the doctoral committee at least two weeks before the date set for the final oral examination. The examination may be scheduled not earlier than two weeks following submission of the dissertation, but must be held at least two weeks before the degree is to be conferred.

At least four weeks before the final examination, the chairperson of the doctoral committee must provide the GSPH Registrar with a typed notice, listing the title of the dissertation and the time and place for its defense. The student is to post notice on the Parran Hall bulletin board and send it for announcement to the University Times well in advance of the date of the defense.

12. Advanced Standing

Students with a prior master's degree from another University may be exempted for up to 24 credits. Students may be exempted for up to 12 credits for graduate work at another University beyond the master's degree. The courses to be exempted should be reviewed by at least two faculty members and have the concurrence of the chairman. A letter summarizing the exempted courses should be placed in the student's file.

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Department of Biostatistics, 130 Desoto Street, 311 Parran Hall,
Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Phone: (412) 624-3022 Fax: (412) 624-2183

Revised on December 14, 2007