Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with concentration in Biostatistics
About the Program
The PhD program in Epidemiology and Biostatistics with concentration in Biostatistics offers a cutting-edge, advanced training to prepare individuals for academic and research careers. It is designed to be completed in three years for students with a master's degree in Biostatistics or a related field. Requirements include the equivalent of two years of full-time coursework, written and oral comprehensive examinations, and the completion an oral defense of an independent, original dissertation in the concentration area. There are competitive graduate assistantships available with full tuition waiver and annual stipend.
PhD degree can be earned in-person and full-time or part-time.
What will you learn?
Students will learn to analyze large, complex datasets, applying advanced statistical and machine learning techniques and gain hands-on experience in programming tools to uncover patterns and insights that inform public health strategies. Graduates of the program are prepared to conduct innovative, interdisciplinary, and translational research in community and scientific settings, and develop and utilize advanced and novel biostatistical methods to strengthen public health studies.
Where to after graduation?
This concentration is designed to prepare students to teach and conduct innovative and high impact research through collaborating with researchers in public health areas. Graduates from this concentration have job placement in academic units, government, research institutes, and industry such as pharmaceutical companies.
Is this degree right for you?
The PhD degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics is the highest academic degree for individuals planning to pursue scholarly careers under the discipline of biostatistics.
Connect with our Admissions Team
Briana McNeil, MEd
Coordinator, Recruitment and Admissions
sphadmissions@memphis.edu
901.678.3740
Shirl Sharpe, MS
Academic Services Coordinator II
ssharpe@memphis.edu
901.678.1710
Meredith Ray, PhD, MPH
EBE Program Coordinator (Biostatistics)
maray@memphis.edu
Admission Information
Requirements:
- Completed SOPHAS application
- Master鈥檚 degree in biostatistics or statistics with a minimum GPA of 3.0, in a relevant subject area including the completion of Calculus I, Calculus II, probability theory and statistical inference, or equivalent courses with a grade of B or higher.
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Statement of Purpose (750-1,000 words)
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Credentials evaluation for foreign transcripts visit Graduate Admissions.
- International students must provide evidence of English language proficiency
Deadlines
Priority Deadline - February 1
Curriculum
The Epidemiology and Biostatistics doctoral program is a 54-semester hour degree program. The Biostatistics concentrations include 42 hours of graduate course work beyond the master鈥檚 degree and 12 hours of PUBH 9000 for dissertation. In particular, students are required to take 12 credit hours of general core courses, 12 credit hours of biostatistics core courses, 6 credit hours of doctoral seminar core, 12 credit hours of elective courses, and 12 credit hours of dissertation.
General Core (12 credit hours)
- PUBH 8152 Biostatistical Methods II
- PUBH 8172 Epidemiology in Public Health II
- PUBH 8310 Mixed Model Regression Analysis
- PUBH 8311 Applied Categorical Data Analysis
Biostatistics Core (12 credit hours)
- PUBH 8460 Advanced Survival Analysis*
- PUBH 8455 Clinical Trials II*
- MATH 7643 Least Square and Regression Analysis*
- MATH 7654 Inference Theory*
* These courses are built upon knowledge in corresponding Master-level courses. In particular, PUBH 7309 is the pre-requisite for PUBH 8460, PUBH 7450 is the pre-requisite for PUBH 8455, MATH 6635 is the pre-requisite for MATH 7643, and MATH 6636 is the pre-requisite for MATH 7654.
Doctoral Seminar Core (6 credit hours)
- PUBH 8201 Doctoral Seminar: Professional Development
- PUBH 8720 Grant Writing in Health Sciences
Other Requirements (24 credit hours)
- Electives (12 credit hours)
- PUBH 9000 Dissertation (12 credit hours)
Competencies
- Recognize philosophy and professional and ethical standards of public health.
- Critically analyze published literature, evaluating the appropriateness of biostatistical methods and the strength and limitations of the epidemiologic design and methodology.
- Demonstrate the ability to derive theoretical properties of statistical methods.
- Design and conduct data analyses using advanced statistical methods.
- Develop expertise in an area of independent research and write a rigorous grant proposal.