Resources For:

The First Two Years

Advising and Course Selection

• Each first-year student is assigned a faculty advisor by the Biostatistics Student Ad­vising Committee. The faculty advisor will assist the student in course selection and other academic issues until the student has selected a dissertation advisor. The Stu­dent Advising Committee oversees student advising and orientation, funding con­cerns, teaching and research assistantships, and other related matters.

• The particular courses a student is required to take may vary based upon his or her academic background. The specific requirements for the PhD in Biostatistics are outlined in the Biostatistics Graduate Student Handbook. The director of graduate studies is responsible for reviewing the student’s program of study and has the au­thority to consider exceptions to the rules and regulations established by the depart­ment. The recommendations of the director of graduate studies are forwarded to the department chair for final approval.

• Advising of students comes from faculty advisors, course instructors, the Biostatis­tics Student Advising Committee, the department chair, other faculty, and GSAS. All students are monitored by the Committee on Academic Standing. Third-and higher-year students are also monitored by their dissertation advisor and their Re­search Committee. 

Credit for Work Done Elsewhere

Master of Arts (AM)

• No one is admitted as a candidate for the AM, only for the PhD. Nevertheless, the requirements for the master’s degree must be satisfied by all students as they move toward the PhD and are expected to be completed by the end of the fourth term. The AM degree may be granted when these requirements are fulfilled. In addition, the department may confer a terminal AM on students who will not be completing the requirements for the PhD.

• For the AM degree, four terms of course work with a minimum average grade of B is ordinarily required. With the department’s approval, students with a previous graduate degree in a medical, scientific, or statistical field and with prior sufficient prior statistical training may qualify for the AM degree with two terms of course work. The specific requirements for the AM in Biostatistics are outlined in the Bio­statistics Graduate Student Handbook. Upon fulfilling the AM requirements, stu­dents should submit an application for the master’s degree.

Teaching

• The Biostatistics program encourages its students to gain meaningful teaching ex­perience as part of their graduate training. All PhD students participate as a teaching assistant in courses offered by the department.

Computing

Qualifying Examinations

• Each student must take and pass two qualifying examinations: a written qualifying examination and, later, an oral examination.

• The written qualifying examination assesses the student’s background in probabili­ty and statistical theory and in applications. It is administered annually by the Bio­statistics Qualifying Examination Committee. The written examination is typically given just prior to the spring term of the second academic year. The Biostatistics Qualifying Examination Committee supervises the writing and grading of the ex­amination. A student who has not passed the written qualifying examination after two attempts will be asked to leave the program.

• The oral qualifying examination assesses the student’s potential to perform research in a chosen field, and examines the student’s knowledge of his or her fields of study. The oral examination should be scheduled within three terms of passing the written examination. The student nominates an Oral Qualifying Examination Committee of at least three faculty members who will give this examination. The membership of the Oral Qualifying Examination Committee must be approved by the department chair. Successful completion of the written qualifying examination is a prerequisite for taking the oral qualifying examination.

Dissertation

Dissertation Advisor Selection

Research Committee

• After a student has passed the oral qualifying examination, the student, in consul­tation with the dissertation advisor, nominates a Research Committee to oversee the student’s progress. The Research Committee ordinarily consists of the disser­tation advisor, who serves as the chairperson, and two or more faculty members. The membership of the Research Committee must be approved by the director of graduate studies.

• The Research Committee will provide timely and considered advising to the stu­dent. The Research Committee helps set logical goals for the completion of the dis­sertation and monitors progress toward completion of degree requirements.

• The student is responsible for arranging periodic meetings with the Research Com­mittee. The student and his or her dissertation advisor will prepare a written report twice per year.

Preparation for the Dissertation Defense

• The FAS Registrar specifies deadlines by which the dissertation must be submitted and the dissertation examination passed to receive the PhD diploma in November, March, or May of each academic year. A dissertation information packet is available from the Registrar’s office or from the biostatistics administration office specifying the steps to be taken when the student is ready to apply for the PhD degree and the various forms that need to be submitted.

• The dissertation should be an original contribution to scientific knowledge. It can contribute to a subject matter field through innovative application of existing meth­odology, can produce an original methodologic contribution, or be a combination of the two.

• Acceptance of the dissertation is the responsibility of the student’s Research Com­mittee, the department, and GSAS. When the dissertation is complete, the student defends it to the Research Committee at a public presentation. The defense must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance. Copies of the dissertation should be given to members of the Research Committee and the department chair at least two weeks before the defense.