Biostatistics
Unlike other programs that are tied to statistics, Harvard’s biostatistics program is specifically related to public health. The program has a rich history of innovation in addressing the greatest challenges in public health, biomedical research, computational biology, and now health data science. You will be joining a community of leading scientists and educators from around the world with easy access to Boston- and Cambridge-area hospitals such as Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and other world-class hospitals.
Current and former students are exploring important issues such as how biostatisticians play a critical role in discovering and developing medicine, using statistical methods in relation to electronic health records research, researching emotional and behavioral issues among youth born to women living with HIV, and working to understand the causes of long-term COVID.
Graduates of the program have secured faculty and research positions at diverse institutions such as Princeton University, Brown University, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Stanford University, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Others have gone into non-academic careers at organizations such as the HealthCore, Cerus Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb, RAND Corporation, the World Health Organization, and Genentech.
Additional information on the graduate program is available from the Department of Biostatistics, and requirements for the degree are detailed in Policies.
Areas of Study
Bioinformatics | Biostatistics
Admissions Requirements
Please review the admissions requirements and other information before applying. You can find degree program-specific admissions requirements below and access additional guidance on applying from the Department of Biostatistics.
Academic Background
All candidates for admission must have:
- successfully completed calculus through multivariable integration, one term of linear algebra and two terms of probability and/or statistics and/or mathematical statistics
- knowledge of a statistical computing package such as R, Python, SAS or Stata.
All candidates for admission are encouraged to have:
- completed courses in advanced calculus or real analysis, and numerical analysis
- completed courses in biology, computational biology, and genetics, if interested in bioinformatics
- knowledge of a scripting language such as Python or Perl and some familiarity with relational databases, if interested in bioinformatics.
Personal Statement
Required
Standardized Tests
GRE General: Required
Theses & Dissertations
Theses & Dissertations for Biostatistics