University Statistics Committee/Master of Statistics
Biostatistics Track Procedures

1. location

The Biostatistics Track of the Master of Statistics Program (MStat) is located within the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

2. track faculty

The Biostatistics Track faculty consist of statistician faculty with regular appointments in Family and Preventive Medicine who are advising students in the MStat program along the Biostatistics track, and adjunct statistician faculty who are serving on Biostatistics student supervisory committees.

3. Biostatistics Track Representative to the University Statistics Committee

The University Statistics Committee votes to nominate regular, voting committee members, one from each track plus the chair, and sends these nominations to the Dean of the Graduate School annually in the spring.  The Dean of the Graduate School appoints the University Statistics Committee.  Nominations for track representatives come from each track, according to each track’s procedures, each spring.  Track faculty other than the track representative may opt to serve as ad hoc members of the University Statistics Committee.  However, only the track representative is a voting member of the Committee.

The procedures of the Biostatistics track for nomination of Track Representative to the University Statistics Committee are as follows: the regular faculty of the Biostatistics track alternate as track nominees for Biostatistics track representative, recognizing that individuals may pass when it is their turn.

4. Track Interface with the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine

The interface between tracks and departments is described in the University Statistics Committee’s Procedures as follows:

“The MStat degree is granted in a specific department (e.g., MStat in Biostatistics is granted in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine). However, the Chair of the University Statistics Committee signs on all forms (e.g, admissions, candidacy, etc.) as department chair for this program, by agreement with the home departments of each track when the MStat program was created.

Track faculty follow each track’s procedures to coordinate with their home department.

The committee coordinates with related programs to assure that course content meets MStat students’ needs.”

The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine determines teaching assignments and course schedules and pays for the required courses in the Biostatistics Track to be taught. The Biostatistics students graduate in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, and they march in the Medical School’s Graduation.

5. Biostatistics Track Admissions

Applicants to the MStat Program apply to the Graduate School, which forwards their applications to the University Statistics Committee and from there to the Track Representatives.

The due date for completed applications to the Biostatistics Track is April 1 for the following autumn. The Biostatistics faculty meet to vote on admissions and identify advisors. The Biostatistics Track Representative initials forms indicating the track’s wishes and forwards the forms back to the Program Director (i.e., the Chair of the University Statistics Committee). The University Statistics Committee Chair reviews forms for program-level issues and provides the department-level signatures.

6. Biostatistics Track Curriculum

The Biostatistics Track prerequisites and curriculum are detailed in the MStat Program Brochure and on the Biostatistics Track portion of this website.