To support students in progressing toward the degree and to further their educational experience, the Department offers a comprehensive written examination at the end of the first year and a departmental oral examination at the end of the second year. In addition, the University requires students to successfully complete a preliminary oral examination, typically taken at the beginning of the third year where a thesis proposal is presented and discussed, and an oral thesis defense, where the completed thesis is defended in a public forum. In exchange, students are required to apprentice with faculty as research and teaching assistants for up to 20 hours per week. Students find the teaching and research assistantships to be the most valuable part of their PhD experience. The Department offers a weekly seminar program featuring recent work by outstanding statistical scientists from around the world.
Attendance is required for all graduate students.
306.671 Year Three 550.865 Public Health Perspectives on Doctoral Research Electives Click here for a complete listing of School of Public Health courses .