Students may elect an emphasis in health services administration through an interdepartmental master's program. For information see Health Services Administration elsewhere in this section of the catalog. This degree is an option in the University wide Master of Statistics degree program. The biostatistics option trains students to deal with a wide variety of data drawn from the biomedical area. Graduates of this program have practical experience in the design and analysis of actual medical studies.
Candidates generally require four semesters to complete the program.
The curriculum emphasizes both didactic and clinical learning experiences. The first 12 months of the two-year program consist of lectures, demonstrations, laboratories, and clinical experiences at the University's School of Medicine. This didactic phase is divided into three major components. Subjects covered during the first semester include data collection skills, a survey of anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, immunology, and therapeutics. The second semester, students build their knowledge of body systems and medical specialties.