| |
Nov 21, 2024
|
|
|
|
|
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Biostatistics, Ph.D.
|
|
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Ph.D. program in biostatistics must hold a bachelor’s degree and must have taken mathematics courses through advanced calculus and linear algebra. Some background in biology or medicine is preferred but not required. Applicants must have taken the GRE graduate school admission test and have excellent English communication skills. International students applying from countries where English is not the native language are required to provide scores on the TOEFL English language proficiency test.
|
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. in biostatistics requires a minimum of 60 credit hours, no more than 12 of which can be in dissertation research. Students complete their coursework in two to three years (four courses per term in the first year, three or four courses per term in the second year, and the final two years consisting primarily of research). In addition, students must pass the Comprehensive Exams, the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam, and complete and defend a dissertation.
Required Courses (33 Credit Hours)
Theory and Methods
Modern Computational Biology (1-3 Credit Hours)
Students must take at least one credit hour in statistical genetics, genomics, or bioinformatics. Students can satisfy this requirement either by taking an elective at SMU (see below for options) or one of the courses offered annually in the spring at UT Southwestern.
Elective Courses (15-26 Credit Hours)
The Department of Statistical Science offers advanced elective courses each semester. Students complete the remaining required credit hours from among these courses, or from courses offered in other departments at SMU or UTSW with approval from the program director. Students may also take reading courses to satisfy elective credits; registration in reading courses is reserved for doctoral students who have passed the Basic Exam and are either discerning a dissertation topic or undertaking the early stages of dissertation research. Examples of frequently offered electives include the following:
Comprehensive Exams
Students must pass the Comprehensive (Basic) Exams, typically at the end of the first year.
Ph.D. Qualifying Exam
This is a personalized exam that assesses the student’s readiness for research. It is typically taken before the end of the second year.
Dissertation (0-12 Credit Hours)
Students must write and successfully defend a dissertation. While not required, students may choose to enroll in dissertation research courses, with no more than 12 credit hours counting toward the degree (STAT 8198 , STAT 8398 , STAT 8698 ).
|
|
|