School of Public Health
CONTACT
Graduate Secretary: Stephanie Wong
Phone: (306) 966-8544
School of Public HealthU of S Health Sciences Building 107 Wiggins Road Saskatoon SK CAN S7N 5E5
The Biostatistics Program provides a first-class graduate training for students who aim to develop their career as biostatisticians in academia, government and industry. The course work is designed to provide us with a solid background in statistical theory and its application to problems in biomedical sciences. I have also gained communication skills needed to present statistical results to different audiences. Being a collaborative program, faculty members have expertise in different research areas and are engaged in a wide range of research projects from which students can develop their research topics. The program provides an interdisciplinary environment which stimulates learning and collaboration with program faculty on various clinical and population health research projects. I am fascinated by the opportunity to develop leadership skills needed to be a statistical collaborator on large scale research projects in the future. I highly recommend this program to others.
Tolulope Sajobi
Vanier Scholar and PhD student
Biostatistics
Biostatistics is the study of statistical techniques applied to medical, biological and agricultural data. Applications arise in areas such as public health, clinical medicine, veterinary medicine, health services, and occupational/environmental health.
The Biostatistics Program is a collaborative venture of the School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, and Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Through classroom participation, laboratory sessions, biostatistical consulting opportunities with core faculty members, and research, MSc and PhD students will have opportunity to explore developments in theoretical statistics and the application of this theory in the life sciences.
The program provides students with opportunities to study and conduct research in such areas as:
- Design and analysis of clinical trials
- Longitudinal data analysis
- Analysis of complex survey data
- Measurement error models
- Computational statistics
- Multivariate statistics
FUNDING AND SCHOLARSHIPS
There are a limited number of scholarships for students enrolled in the collaborative Biostatistics Program. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit.
Through the College of Graduate Studies and Research, the University of Saskatchewan offers a wide of range of awards and scholarships to help students succeed in their programs.
For information on the dean’s scholarship program and other financial awards offered by the College of Graduate Studies and Research visit www.usask.ca/cgsr.
Students should also discuss with their faculty advisors the opportunities that exist to apply for Tri-Council funding or other external awards.
M.Sc. +
The program prepares MSc graduates for positions that require expertise in data management, study design, and statistical modelling.
After completing the program, graduates will be able to:• Demonstrate proficiency in statistical theory;
• Apply statistical theory to problems in the medical, biological, and agricultural sciences;
• Collaborate on research teams;
• Address problems involved in the collection and management of data; and
• Participate actively in the drawing of conclusions from data analysis and in the presentation and writing of research reports and papers.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- a four-year BSc or BA degree from a recognized university in one of the following disciplines: mathematics, statistics, applied statistics, biostatistics, quantitative psychology, or any other discipline with a strong background in mathematics or statistics. bachelor's degree in a relevant program
- 75% GPA in the last 60 credit units
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The required credit and non-credit courses for the MSc degree in the collaborative Biostatistics Program are as follows:
- minimum of 15 credit units coursework, of which 9 credit units are required courses
- CHEP 800.3
- STAT 850.3
- PUBH 842.3
- BIOS 990
- BIOS 994
- 6 credit units of elective courses appropriate to student's research
- a residency requirement of one year
Ph.D. +
The program prepares PhD graduates to assume faculty or other research-oriented positions in academic institutions or to take leadership positions in organizations that conduct health-related research. After completing the program, graduates will be able to:
- Develop new statistical methods using existing theory or apply existing statistical methods to address problems in the medical, biological, and agricultural sciences;
- Collaborate on research teams;
- Take a leadership role in study design, data management, statistical analysis, and interpretation of study results; and
- Be proficient in both the oral and written presentation of research results.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- thesis-based M.Sc. in a relevant program - mathematics, statistics, applied statistics, biostatistics, quantitative psychology, or another discipline with a strong background in mathematics or statistics
- minimum 75% GPA in the last 2 years
To be eligible for admission as a PhD student, an applicant must have taken the following courses (or equivalents) during his/her MSc program: CHEP 800.3 (Epidemiology I), STAT 850.3 (Mathematical Statistics and Inference), and PUBH 842.3 (Current Topics in Biostatistics and Statistical Applications).
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students must maintain continuous registration in the 996 course.
- a minimum of 15 credit units of coursework, of which 12 credit units are required
- CHEP 806.3 - Applied Statistical Methods for Follow-up Data
- CHEP 810.3 - Advanced Topics in Clinical Trials, or STAT 834.3 - Advanced Experimental Design
- STAT 841.3 - Probability Theory
- STAT 848.3 - Multivariate Data Analysis
- BIOS 990 - Seminar in Biostatistics
- BIOS 996
- 3 credit units elective course appropriate to student's thesis research
- qualifying examination
- comprehensive examination and dissertation
- residency requirement of 2 years
