StudyQA — Master: Biostatistics — State University of New York at Buffalo

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

Advance your training in statistical theory, methods and applications.

You can pursue your specific areas of interest with your selection of elective courses and with a thesis option versus the master’s project requirement.

You will have numerous opportunities to work closely with faculty members on methodological, theoretical and applied research projects. You will also work with departments and schools throughout the university, as well as our community partners, including Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Gynecological Oncology Group.

The master’s degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours
of coursework. Additional program requirements include passing two written master’s exams, participating in a practical training project, and preparing a written paper about the project which you will present and defend as a final oral exam.

Core Required Courses

All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated.

STA 503 Regression Analysis
STA 504 Analysis-of-Variance
STA 521 Introduction to Theoretical Statistics I
STA 522 Introduction to Theoretical Statistics II Completion or demonstrated knowledge of the material in STA 511 Math Analysis for Statisticians is a prerequisite for this course.
STA 782 Departmental Seminar (0 credits) held weekly

Below are elective options offered by the Department of Biostatistics. All courses are 3 credit hours unless otherwise noted.

STA 509 Statistical Genetics
STA 511 Advanced Statistical Computing (formerly Mathematical Analysis for Biostatistics)
STA 515 Distribution-Free Inference
STA 517 Categorical Data Analysis
STA 525 Statistics for Bioinformatics
STA 526 Design and Analysis of Clinical Experiments
STA 531 Theory and Methods of Sample Surveys
STA 536 Statistical Design and Analysis
STA 537 Sequential Analysis
STA 545 Data Mining I
STA 546 Data Mining II
STA 551 Stochastic Processes
STA 561 Longitudinal Data Analysis and Time Series Analysis
STA 567 Bayesian Statistics
STA 571 Special Topics in Statistics
STA 575 Survival Analysis
STA 581 Multivariate Data Analysis

6 credit hours of either STA 600 Independent Study or of coursework from outside the Department of Biostatistics can be taken to satisfy elective requirements provided the courses are relevant to your training and are approved by your advisor and the director of graduate studies.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
Minimum GPA of 3.0
Minimum GRE scores of 146 for verbal and 155 for quantitative

International applicants must demonstrate understanding of English as shown by one of the following:

Minimum PTE Academic score of 55 will be required with no individual section below 50. In addition, we now accept the Cambridge English Advanced (CEA) and the Cambridge English Proficiency (CEP) tests. Minimum University requirement for both of these new tests is 185 overall on the new scoring scale.
Minimum TOEFL scores of 550 for the paper-based test (our department prefers closer to 600) or 79 for the Internet-based test (our department prefers closer to 100); IELTS with a minimum score of 6.5 with no individual sub-score below 6.0; or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) scores.

If you have completed a degree program in the United States and have a TOEFL score (or similar) that meets the minimum University at Buffalo requirements as cited above, you may submit a copy of that TOEFL score for a waiver of the TOEFL exam for this degree program.

Additional Requirements

A strong background in mathematics or statistics
At least three semesters of advanced calculus
One semester of statistics is recommended

The financial aid process for graduate and professional degree students is similar to that of an undergraduate student; however post-baccalaureate students also need to be aware of a few additional factors that may influence your financial aid awards.

Types of Aid Available

Federal financial aid options that you may be eligible for include:

Federal Direct Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loans
Federal Graduate/Professional PLUS Loans
Health Profession Student Loans
Federal Nursing Student Loans
Federal TEACH Grant

To be eligible for federal financial aid awards you must complete a FAFSA application and indicate that you are seeking a graduate or professional degree.

New York State also offers the following programs for graduate and professional study: