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Program Requirements for Biostatistics (Data Science in Health)
Applicable only to students admitted during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Biostatistics
School of Public Health
Graduate Degrees
The Department of Biostatistics offers the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Biostatistics, and the Master of Data Science in Health (M.D.S.H.) degree.
Master of Data Science in Health Degree
Advising
An adviser is appointed for each new master’s student by the MDSH Program Director. Advisers will review MDSH students’ progress quarterly and students are expected to meet with their advisers each quarter.
An adviser is a teaching faculty in the MDSH program and is responsible for the student’s academic progress. Progress is evaluated on an ongoing basis. At the end of each quarter, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs reviews academic listings of students and notifies them and the advisers when the cumulative grade-point average is below 3.0. Advisers review each case with their advisees and make recommendations to the Division of Graduate Education for academic continuance or disqualification. Students who wish to change advisers must file a petition which must be approved by the new adviser, the MDSH Program Director, and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.
Areas of Study
The MDSH degree is offered in the Department of Biostatistics with courses in Biostatistics (BIOSTAT) and Public Health (PUB HLT).
Foreign Language Requirement
None.
Course Requirements
The MDSH degree program requires 12 4-unit courses, including one capstone project. It takes a minimum of 20 months (6 academic quarters) to complete. Required courses are Public Health C201, Biostatistics 203A, 203B, 203C, 201A, 212A, 212B, and 401. Students must take 16 units from the following electives: Biostatistics 213-218, 230-241, 273-280, 285, and 410-413. Students who have a degree from a CEPH-accredited public health school or program are waived from Public Health C201, but must take an additional elective from the program’s approved list to reach the 48 units required for the program.
Only courses in which a grade of C or better is received may be applied toward the requirements for a master’s degree. Courses taken for S/U grading may not be applied toward the degree requirements. Students must maintain an overall average of no less than 3.0 (B) in all courses required or elected during graduate residence at the University of California.
Teaching Experience
Not required.
Field Experience
Not required.
Capstone Plan
A Data Science Capstone project is the final requirement to complete the MDSH. The capstone project must consist of an original written analysis and an oral presentation that addresses an applied health related data science topic and advances existing skills and techniques in healthcare or public health. The capstone project will be administered by the teaching faculty of BIOSTAT 401.
Thesis Plan
None.
Time-to-Degree
From graduate admission to award of the degree, normative time is 6 academic quarters (20 months). Maximum time allowable from enrollment to graduation is 15 academic quarters (5 years).
| DEGREE | NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters) | NORMATIVE TTD |
MAXIMUM TTD |
| M.D.S.H. | 6 | 6 | 15 |
Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification
University Policy
A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.