Program Overview

Programs of Study

The Graduate Program in Biostatistics offers Master of Science, Master of Public Health, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in quantitative methods applied to the medical and biological sciences. The Master degree takes an average of two-and-a-half years and the Doctor of Philosophy degree an average of five years to complete.

The goal of the graduate program is to equip students to develop and apply the quantitative techniques of mathematics, statistics, and computing approprate to medicine and biology. Because of the faculty's involvement in a diversity of statistical applications, students in the graduate program receive an education of high quality. Students for the M.S. and Ph.D. programs are recruited from undergraduate programs in mathematics, statistics, and biology and are selected on the basis of outstanding quantitative ability.  (Note: potential M.P.H. students must hold a doctoral-level degree or be working concurrently towards such a degree to be considered for the M.P.H. program.)

Related programs at the University of Washington:

Research Facilities

The extensive University of Washington library system includes separate specialized libraries in natural sciences, mathematics, fisheries/oceanography, chemistry, and medicine. The Health Sciences Library is located in the same buliding as the Department of Biostatistics and has a research-level collection in biostatistics. The Department of Biostatistics maintains several computing facilities dedicated to student use. These include a 20-node Linux cluster, an 8-way 64-bit Linux host for analyses requiring large memory sizes, and an 11 seat computer lab with desktop PCs running most common statistical softwares. Student offices are all provisioned with desktop computers and all computers are tied into the UW network. Free use of other campus host computers and of the Health Sciences Library PC Lab is also available.

Financial Aid

A limited number of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and traineeships (fellowships) are available for student support during the academic year. In 2007-08, TAs and RAs receive $1,451-$1,676 per month, plus tuition remission. Fees amounting to about $200 per quarter were not covered by assistantships. Traineeships are restricted to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Trainees received a stipend of $1,731 (2007-08 figure) per month, plus partial remission of tution and fees.

Cost of Study

Estimated tuition and fees for the academic year 2007-2008 are $3,139 per quarter for Washington residents and $7,155 per quarter for nonresidents. Holders of assistantships pay approximately $200 in fees per quarter.

Cost of Living

Information on on-campus and off-campus housing is available on the Web here: Student Life. In general, the neighborhoods near the UW offer: shared housing, starting at about $500 per month; studio apartments starting at about $550 per month; one-bedroom apartments starting at about $650 per month, and two-bedroom apartments at $800 per month.

Student Group

There are typically between 70-80 students in the graduate program, with 45-50 women and 25-30 men; of these, around 20 will be international students. A maximum of eighteen students are supported by traineeships, approximately 45-50 are supported by research assistantships, and approximately 6-8 per quarter were supported by teaching assistantships.

Location

Seattle, the largest city in Washington, is situated between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascade range to the east. The city combines the cultural attributes of an urban setting (for example, good restaurants, opera, ballet, and symphonies) with outdoor activities, such as boating, skiing, and hiking. Seattle has professional basketball, football, and baseball teams as well as amateur leagues in all sports. City parks are located in all areas of the city, and bus transportation is good.

The University

The University of Washington was founded in 1861 and is the oldest state-assisted institution of higher education on the Pacific Coast. The University enrols approximately 41,700 students in a variety of fields, including arts and sciences, business administration, dentistry, education, engineering, fisheries, forest resources, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and public health and community medicine, The Graduate School has approximately 8,500 students and 1,900 faculty members. Comprehensive intercollegiate and intramural athletic programs are offered, as is a range of musical and cultural programs. The beautiful green campus encompasses 680 acres and is bordered on the east by Lake Washington and on the south by Lake Union. The University of Washington is ranked among the top twenty universities in the United States and is an outstanding center of academic excellence in the Northwest.

Applying

Please visit our Admission Procedures web page for further information and instructions on applying to the Graduate Program in Biostatistics. Applications are welcomed from students with an undergraduate or master's degree in mathematics, statistics, or a biological field. Applications for the fall term should be submitted by the first week of January.

Correspondence and Information

Renee Albert, Student Services Counselor
Graduate Program in Biostatistics, Box 357232
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
Telephone: 206-543-1044
bioadmit@u.washington.edu