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Graduate Committee
Dr. Christopher Wichman (Program Director), Dr. Ying Zhang, Dr. Su Chen, Dr. Hongying Dai, Dr. Ran Dai, Dr. James Dong, Dr. Yeogjin Gwon, Dr. Gleb Haynatzki, Dr. Lynette Smith, Dr. Fang Yu, and Dr. Cheng Zheng

The Ph.D. in Biostatistics is intended to develop the next generation of biomedical informaticians who will advance research and practice in contemporary information and knowledge management using innovative evidence based approaches to improve human health. The program is designed to provide students with the instruction and research experience necessary to become high quality academic faculty members, researchers and leaders in biomedicine and public health throughout Nebraska, the country, and the world. They may also choose careers as scientists in government and private research agencies. The expected completion time for the Ph.D. in Biostatistics is 4-5 years. 

PhD Curriculum

General Requirements

  • successful completion of 60 semester hours of courses beyond the master’s level (including core, required, elective, cognate, and dissertation hours),
  • successful passing of the qualifying exam at the PhD level, based on core courses,
  • passing a comprehensive exam at the Ph.D. level,
  • writing a doctoral dissertation, and
  • oral defense of the dissertation

Coursework

Students pursuing the PhD in Biostatistics must complete the required courses listed below. No more than one-third of the credit hours for the Ph.D. may be master’s level or introductory courses (800-level with 600-level or lower counterparts). Examples of master’s level courses that may be taken by Ph.D. students include those in a cognate field, as well as the 800-level courses from the Biostatistics M.P.H. program, the latter being prerequisites for some of the Ph.D.-level courses.

Biostatistics Core (6 courses/18 credits)
BIOS 901ADVANCED BIOSTATISTICS THEORY I3
BIOS 902ADVANCED BIOSTATISTICS THEORY II3
BIOS 918BIOSTATISTICAL LINEAR MODELS: THEORY AND APPLICATIONS3
BIOS 924BIOSTATISTICAL THEORY AND MODELS SURVIVAL DATA3
BIOS 925THEORY OF GENERAL LINEAR AND MIXED MODELS IN BIOSTATISTICS3
BIOS 941BIOSTATISTICAL CONSULTANT APPLICATION AND PRACTICE3
Health Care Core (1 course/3 credits)3
HPRO 830FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH3
Electives (minimum of 18 credits, see examples below)
BIOS 810INTRODUCTION TO SAS PROGRAMMING3
BIOS 815BIOSTATISTICAL COMPUTING3
BIOS 818BIOSTATISTICAL LINEAR MODELS: METHODS AND APPLICATION3
BIOS 823CATEGORICAL DATA ANALYSIS3
BIOS 824SURVIVAL DATA ANALYSIS3
BIOS 825CORRELATED DATA ANALYSIS3
BIOS 829INTRODUCTION TO BIOSTATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING3
BIOS 835DESIGN OF MEDICAL HEALTH STUDIES3
BIOS 921ADVANCED PROGRAMMING SAS3
BIOS 935SEMIPARAMETRIC METHODS FOR BIOSTATISTICS3
EPI 820EPIDEMIOLOGY IN PUBLIC HEALTH3
EPI 812CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY 3
EPI 825THEORY AND METHODS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES EPIDEMIOLOGY3
EPI 945ANALYTICAL EPIDEMIOLOGIC METHODS 3
Cognate Field Courses (minimum of 6 credits)6
The student will work with his/her Supervisory Committee to identify appropriate cognate field courses
Other Requirements
BIOS 999DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (minimum of 12 credits)1-15
GRAD 800RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT IN RESEARCH TRAINING0
NOTE: The six core courses, completion of GRAD 800, and successful passing of the Qualifying Exam are the prerequisites for taking the Comprehensive Exam.

PhD Competencies in Biostatistics

BIOSPHD1 Serve as an expert biostatistician on a collaborative team of investigators addressing a research question.
BIOSPHD2 Successfully conduct and disseminate original research on the theory and methodology of biostatistics.
BIOSPHD3 Effectively teach biostatistics to biostatistical and non-biostatistical audiences.
BIOSPHD4 Develop a perspective on public health and biomedical research.
BIOSPHD5 Demonstrate knowledge and expertise in a cognate field other than biostatistics.