College: School of Medicine and Public Health
Designation: Department
Majors and degrees offered: None
Other: Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics
Faculty: Professors DeMets (chair), Brennan, Chappell, Dyer, Gianola, Kim, Kosorok, Newton, Palta, Serlin, Shavlik, Wahba; Associate Professors Fine, Lindstrom, Page, Rosenberg; Assistant Professors Anantharaman, Chung, Craven, Kendziorski
In collaboration with the Department of Statistics, graduate students may earn an M.S. or Ph.D in statistics with an emphasis in biostatistics. The department also collaborates with the Department of Computer Sciences in training graduate students in bioinformatics. The department offers a graduate certificate in bioinformatics for students simultaneously enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate degree program, and capstone certificates in bioinformatics or in fundamentals of clinical research for students not currently enrolled in a UW-Madison degree program. Capstone certificate applicants are admitted as Special students through the Division of Continuing Studies; see www.dcs.wisc.edu/capstone.
Biostatistics is the application of statistical concepts and methods to biological research, usually medical research. Students interested in a degree in statistics with emphasis in biostatistics are encouraged to contact the Department of Statistics with questions and for application instructions. The philosophy of the degree programs is to provide students with a strong foundation in statistical theory, a mastery of a range of statistical methodology, and an ability to exploit this methodology in the setting of biomedical research. Requirements for the degrees are essentially the same as for a degree in statistics except that there are additional required courses in order to ensure basic knowledge in topics of relevance to biostatistics.
The M.S. program requires approximately two years to complete. Basic required courses are a one-semester, graduate-level mathematical statistics course, a consulting course, plus a two-semester sequence in regression and analysis of variance. The emphasis in biostatistics also requires two biostatistics courses. One additional required course may be selected from topics in probability, categorical data, sample survey, nonparametrics, and multivariate analysis. In order to complete the M.S. degree requirements, students must take a written exam involving the analysis of two applied problems, plus an oral defense of the solutions.
The Ph.D. program has six key components: a core statistics department curriculum; biostatistics courses including clinical trials, epidemiologic studies, survival analysis, and regression and linear models; a biology course; seminars in statistics and biostatistics; consulting/collaboration experience; and a thesis demonstrating novel statistical methodology motivated by a biomedical application.
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science theory and methods to molecular biology. Students interested in a degree in computer sciences with a research focus in biomedical informatics are encouraged to contact the Department of Computer Sciences with questions and for application instructions.
The graduate certificate in bioinformatics is intended for students currently enrolled in medical school or biological science graduate programs at UW-Madison who are interested in bioinformatics training. This program provides formal training in the use and application of bioinformatics methods to solve problems in molecular biology. The goal is to give students enough basic knowledge to continue their own research and to collaborate effectively with computer scientists specializing in bioinformatic methods. The graduate certificate in bioinformatics consists of four courses for a total of 12 credits. Three of the courses are required; one is an elective. Depending on their course and/or research load, students are given two years to complete the program.
Students interested in a degree in statistics with emphasis in biostatistics apply for admission to the graduate program in statistics. Students interested in a degree emphasizing bioinformatics are encouraged to apply for admission to the graduate program in computer sciences.
Students applying for the graduate certificate program in bioinformatics submit application materials to the Bioinformatics Admissions Committee in the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics.
For more information: Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, K6/446 Clinical Science Center, 600 Highland Avenue, Box 4675, Madison, WI 53792-4675; 608/263-1706 or 265-8627; towers@biostat.wisc.edu; www.biostat.wisc.edu; Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics: www.biostat.wisc.edu/training/bioinfograd.html.