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.
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Biostatistics Core (6 courses/18 credits) | ||
BIOS 901 | ADVANCED BIOSTATISTICS THEORY I | 3 |
BIOS 902 | ADVANCED BIOSTATISTICS THEORY II | 3 |
BIOS 918 | BIOSTATISTICAL LINEAR MODELS: THEORY AND APPLICATIONS | 3 |
BIOS 924 | BIOSTATISTICAL THEORY AND MODELS SURVIVAL DATA | 3 |
BIOS 925 | THEORY OF GENERAL LINEAR AND MIXED MODELS IN BIOSTATISTICS | 3 |
BIOS 941 | BIOSTATISTICAL CONSULTANT APPLICATION AND PRACTICE | 3 |
Health Care Core (1 course/3 credits) | 3 | |
HPRO 830 | FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
Electives (minimum of 18 credits, see examples below) | ||
BIOS 810 | INTRODUCTION TO SAS PROGRAMMING | 3 |
BIOS 815 | BIOSTATISTICAL COMPUTING | 3 |
BIOS 818 | BIOSTATISTICAL LINEAR MODELS: METHODS AND APPLICATION | 3 |
BIOS 823 | CATEGORICAL DATA ANALYSIS | 3 |
BIOS 824 | SURVIVAL DATA ANALYSIS | 3 |
BIOS 825 | CORRELATED DATA ANALYSIS | 3 |
BIOS 829 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOSTATISTICAL MACHINE LEARNING | 3 |
BIOS 835 | DESIGN OF MEDICAL HEALTH STUDIES | 3 |
BIOS 921 | ADVANCED PROGRAMMING SAS | 3 |
BIOS 935 | SEMIPARAMETRIC METHODS FOR BIOSTATISTICS | 3 |
EPI 820 | EPIDEMIOLOGY IN PUBLIC HEALTH | 3 |
EPI 812 | CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
EPI 825 | THEORY AND METHODS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES EPIDEMIOLOGY | 3 |
EPI 945 | ANALYTICAL 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 999 | DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (minimum of 12 credits) | 1-15 |
GRAD 800 | RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT IN RESEARCH TRAINING | 0 |
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. |