Prospective Students

Biostatistics Programs

Ph.D. Degree Program

Degree Description and Learner Objectives

The Ph.D. program will produce biostatisticians who can develop biostatistical methodology that can be utilized to solve problems in public health and the biomedical sciences. In addition, graduates of the Ph.D. program will be prepared to apply biostatistical and epidemiology methodology for the design and analysis of public health and biomedical research investigations. Finally, graduates of the Ph.D. program will be well suited to function as collaborators or team leaders on research projects in the biomedical and public health sciences. The program requires competency in the theory of statistics and probability, in introductory and advanced biostatistical methods and theory, and in fundamentals of epidemiologic study design. The doctoral dissertation will be the culminating experience in the Ph.D. program. Graduates of the doctoral program will have written a doctoral dissertation which focuses on the development of a new methodology or on the innovative application of biostatistical methods to a health sciences research problem.

Graduates of the Ph.D. program will be in a position to:

1. develop new biostatistical methods,
2. begin careers in academia, government, or pharmaceutical research institutions, and
3. have demonstrated proficiency in matters of biomedical and public health study design, data management, analysis, and presentation of findings.

The goals of the Ph.D. program are to train students in the application of appropriate statistical methods for diverse problems in medicine and public health, and to provide a solid theoretical foundation for the development and investigation of new statistical methods. In addition to the formal statistical training, students will have adequate flexibility in choosing statistical and non-statistical electives to tailor their curriculum towards a specific application area such as genetics, epidemiology, or environmental health.

Graduates of the Ph.D. program in Biostatistics will have:

1. The ability to develop careers in academia, research institutes, government, and industry;
2. A broad understanding of current statistical methods and practices in the health sciences;
3. A solid theoretical training necessary for the development and study of new statistical methods;
4. The ability to assume all responsibilities of a statistician in collaborative health science research; in particular, the graduate will have experience in the design, data management, analysis, and interpretation of a variety of experimental and observational studies;
5. Experience in writing reports and giving oral presentations describing health science studies.

Prerequisites

The entrance requirements are the same as stated for the master’s degree. In addition, completion of an M.S. program in biostatistics or statistics, either at the University of Iowa or elsewhere, is generally required.

Course Requirements

M.S. Level Background: 26 s.h.
Ph.D. students must take the following 26 s.h. of Required Courses listed in the M.S. Program in Biostatistics: 171:201, 171:202, 171:203 (or 171:241), 171:280, 173:140, 22S:153/154 (or 22S:193/194), and an approved Biology/Public Health elective. (Students may request waivers and/or transfer of credit if they have already had the material at another institution. Course credits are automatically transferred for students who received their M.S. in Biostatistics from the University of Iowa.)

Electives and Dissertation: 32 s.h.
Electives: 15-22 s.h.
With approval by a student's academic advisor, students choose 15-20 s.h. of courses according to their interest in biostatistics, statistics, genetics, microbiology, etc. No more than 5 s.h. of credit in non-quantitative courses (e.g., microbiology, epidemiology, community and behavioral health, etc.) may count towards this requirement. Courses required for the MS degree that are not listed above (i.e., 171:178, 171:173, and 171:266) may also count towards this requirement.

Dissertation Requirement:

Total Semester Hours for Ph.D.: 79 s.h.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The Ph.D. qualifying examination is required for all entering Ph.D. students and should be taken during the first year of Ph.D. studies. This exam is the same as the biostatistics master's exam and is offered twice each year. Students in our biostatistics program who have passed the M.S. exam may petition the biostatistics faculty for permission to have the M.S. exam count as the Ph.D. qualifying exam. If the PhD qualifying exam is not passed, the student must retake the exam at the next administration to remain in the program. The exam cannot be repeated more than once.

Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination

The Ph.D. comprehensive examination is offered once yearly. If the examination is not passed in the first attempt, it may be repeated one time. The examination consists of a two-day in-class component (two 3-hour examinations on consecutive days) and a take-home component. The in-class component contains a closed-book set of theory problems drawn from the Ph.D. required courses (171:251, 171:252, 22S:255, 171:261, 171:262, and 171:264). The topic areas for the take-home examination include topics covered by the in-class exam, as well as topics covered in 171:201 and 171:202 (Biostatistical Methods I and II). The primary focus of the take-home exam is a data analysis project and report, though problems of a more theoretical nature may also be included. In highly unusual circumstances, an oral examination may be given as a follow-up to the written examination if clarification is felt to be necessary by the departmental Comprehensive Examination Committee.

Ph.D. Dissertation Prospectus

The dissertation prospectus describes the rationale for the proposed research and outlines its basic components. Prior to initiation of the research, the prospectus is submitted to the student’s dissertation committee members (consisting of a dissertation advisor and at least four other members of the Graduate College faculty, no fewer than three of whom are faculty in the Department of Biostatistics and at least one who is from outside the department). A meeting of the committee to evaluate the prospectus is required, and written approval by all committee members is required.

Dissertation Defense

The student and the student’s committee are required to comply with Graduate College guidelines with regard to preparation of the dissertation and meeting Graduate College deadlines for graduation. During the dissertation defense, the dissertation committee will thoroughly examine the student’s knowledge in the content area of the research.