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Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Health Curriculum - Biostatistics (72 credits)

Students seeking the Ph.D. in public health - biostatistics degree must complete a minimum of 72 credits of academic work with a minimum GPA of at least 3.2 overall and 3.2 in the set of required courses specified by their concentration; earn no more than 9 credits bearing grades less than B; and complete the degree requirements within seven years. Courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Master's degree in a related field
Courses in multivariable calculus and linear algebra
Working knowledge of a programming language

PREREQUISITES (6 credits)

Prerequisites do not count toward the minimum 72-credit Ph.D. curriculum. MPH from a CEPH-accredited school or program meets prerequisite requirements. PHCO 0502 and PHCO 0504 must be completed before Year 1, fall semester (e.g., online summer before) if student does not have graduate-level coursework in these two areas.

PHCO 0502 - Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (or equivalent)
PHCO 0504 - Introduction to Biostatistics [Prerequisite: Quantitative Skills Assessment]¹ (or equivalent)

PHD IN PUBLIC HEALTH CORE COURSES (9 credits)

PHCO 0512 - Public Health Foundations (If a student holds an M.P.H. from a CEPH-accredited school or program of public health, course is waived, but not the credits.)
ENOH 0701 - Public Health Research Ethics
HBSP 0700 - Advances in Public Health Theories

REQUIRED CONCENTRATION COURSES (18 credits)

Note: Students should review the Course Descriptions in the School Catalog for specific information about prerequisites required for required courses and recommended electives.

BIST 0700 - Advanced Theory of Biostatistics I [or 16:960:652 within Department of Statistics. Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences]
BIST 0701 - Advanced Theory of Biostatistics II [or 16:960:652 within Department of Statistics, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences]
BIST 0720 - Advanced Biostatistical Computing
BIST 0725 - Generalized Linear Models
BIST 0727 - Survival Analysis
BIST 0750 - Longitudinal Data Analysis

Recommended Electives (21 credits):

BIST 0610 - Advanced Regression Methods for Public Health Studies
BIST 0660 - Clinical Trials: Design and Analysis of Medical Experiments
BIST 0663 - Statistical Learning in Biomedical Studies
BIST 0688 - Statistical Methods in Genetics
BIST 0690 - Advanced Topics in Biostatistics
BIST 0721 - Advanced Bayesian Inference
EPID 0653 - Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods
EPID 0656 - Intermediate Epidemiologic Research Methods

REQUIRED RESEARCH (24 credits)

RESH 0701 - Doctoral Colloquium I (0 credits) Taken in fall and spring in Year 1
RESH 0702 - Doctoral Colloquium II (0 credits) Taken in fall and spring in Year 2
RESH 0760 - Doctoral Research (20 credits)
RESH 0761 - Doctoral Research: Dissertation Proposal Seminar (3 credits) Taken in Year 2
1611-5556 - Ethical Scientific Conduct (1 credit) [Offered through School of Graduate Studies] Taken in spring in Year 1

OTHER DOCTORAL REQUIREMENTS (0 credits)

Pass Qualifying Exam (written and oral) Typically completed at the end of Year 2
RESH 0730 - Ph.D. Seminar (0 credits) Attend Ph.D. seminar once per month for fall and spring semesters, every year
Earn a Teaching Certificate from Rutgers Teaching Assistant Program (TAP) (0 credits) or complete HBSP 0725 - Effectively Teaching and Training Adults (3 credits)
Complete Ethical Scientific Conduct Refresher (0 credit) Taken in Year 5
Complete Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) online training on Human Subject Research Protections (For Students Enrolled Fall 2024 and After)

All Ph.D. students are expected to engage in research activities with their Faculty Advisor.

Notes: ¹Only matriculated Ph.D. in Public Health-Biostatistics students are waived from taking the Quantitative Skills Assessment.