A companion to Brown’s traditional Master’s in Biostatistics program, this fully online version brings a world-class education to a globally diverse student body while maintaining the same academic rigor and excellence of an Ivy League University. A flexible format delivered asynchronously gives working professionals global access to graduate education from one of the country’s leading universities.
Learning Objectives
Students in Brown’s 100% online Master’s in Biostatistics program will graduate with the skills to be able to:
- Use statistical concepts and methods to describe and draw scientific inferences from biomedical and health-related data at both the individual and population levels.
- Form proper statistical hypotheses based on research questions to guide clinical or public health investigations.
- Identify and apply appropriate statistical methods to analyze data of different types and structures.
- Select and design appropriate studies and/or sampling mechanisms needed to address research questions, and meet scientific and inferential objectives.
- Use statistical software for data management, implementation of comprehensive statistical analysis, and presentation of results.
- Write a report of comprehensive and novel statistical analysis of public health data.
Career Trajectory
Demand for professionals with advanced expertise in biostatistics continues to be high across academia and the public and private sectors, particularly in settings emphasizing research in biomedicine and biotechnology. More recently, the expansion of big data and its potential influence on the healthcare sector has generated an increased demand for more data scientists. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 13-18% growth in employment across areas of biostatistics & data science through 2033, surpassing the national average.
The online Master’s in Biostatistics offers an academically rigorous curriculum focused on developing the data analysis, mathematical and statistical skills required for success. The courses will be delivered through highly-sophisticated online modules developed by Brown’s world-class faculty and a team of online learning specialists.
Students will take classes similar to that of those studying on-campus. Further, the program is featured with a health data science concentration to allow learners to develop highly sought-after foundational knowledge in health data science.
Online Master’s in Biostatistics, Health Data Science Curriculum & Course Sequence
Semester 1
- BHDS 2000: Probability and Statistical Inference
- BHDS 2010: Statistical Programming for Health Data Science
Semester 2
- BHDS 2110: Methods I: Linear and Generalized Linear Models
- BHDS 2020: Design of Observational and Experimental Studies
Semester 3
- BHDS 2120: Methods II: Extensions to Regression
- BHDS 2030: Causal Inference
Semester 4
- BHDS 2130: Methods III: Statistical Machine Learning
- BHDS 2040: Advanced Topics in Health Data Science
Semester 5
- BHDS 2050: Problem-driven Biostatistics and Capstone Project
Program Format
All courses are delivered 100% online and will combine asynchronous and synchronous components to make the most of the online learning environment. Each week on your own schedule, you’ll engage with faculty-created asynchronous coursework such as interactive multimedia, recorded lectures and demonstrations, expert/guest lecture videos and discussion boards. Synchronous sessions will occur one time per week and will be recorded for students to access at their convenience.
Our unique curriculum combines the foundations of biostatistics and health data science with the power of instructional technologies to engage cross-continental learners, intellectually, personally and professionally. The program is designed to develop experts and leaders who will make critical contributions across interdisciplinary fields in human health and life science.
During the final semester, students will complete a final capstone course and project. The capstone project topic will be chosen by the student, with approval of their faculty, and focus on health data analysis in a particular application area.
At the end of the course, students will submit a paper and/or give a presentation of their work and are expected to complete their project in a format that is ready for journal submission. The project can be a report from a clinical/public health investigation; a comprehensive literature review; or a meta-analysis. Development of R/Python packages that are ready to submit to a repository for public use is also acceptable.
At Brown University’s School of Public Health, we take a holistic approach to our online Master of Science in Biostatistics admissions process, as we actively seek a diverse student population from across the globe.
We require that applicants have at least one year of professional work experience. This allows you to enter the program with ideas about where you want to take your career, along with real-world expertise you can share with your classmates.
The GRE is not required, however, applicants need to have completed at least one semester of calculus (including differentiation & integration), at least one semester of linear algebra and at least one semester of probability. A grade of B or better in the required prerequisite courses is recommended. Prior experience in programming languages such as R or Python is recommended and preferred, but not required. Applicants who lack this experience in their academic or work background are encouraged to complete an introductory programming course prior to matriculation.
Applicants who are missing one or more of the required mathematical prerequisite courses are strongly encouraged to upload an additional statement outlining their plan for completing the prerequisite course(s) prior to starting the program and/or how their professional work experience supplements any missing prerequisite requirement.
