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Degree Requirements
Ph.D. in Statistics with Emphasis in Biostatistics

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed the course requirements (or their equivalents) for the master's degree in statistics and at least one semester or two quarters of advanced calculus at a level equivalent to Mathematics 127AB and a quarter of linear algebra at a level equivalent to Mathematics 167. While students may be admitted to the program with a less complete background, they would be expected to achieve this level during the first year of graduate work. For more information, please see our Admissions Section.


Program of Study

A Ph.D. student will select an area of specialization within Biostatistics and will choose a major professor/dissertation adviser in that area, usually in the second or third year of study. Financial support is contingent on normal progress towards the degree goal. The student’s program of study will be developed by the student jointly with the Graduate Adviser.


The required core courses are as follows:

  • Analysis of Categorical Data: Statistics 138 (4 units)
  • Statistical Computing: Statistics 141 (4 units)
  • Biostatistics: Survival Analysis: Statistics 222 (4 units)
  • Biostatistics: Generalized Linear Models: Statistics 223 (4 units)
  • Biostatistics: Clinical Trials and Advanced Topics: Statistics 224 (4 units)
  • Mathematical Statistics: Statistics 231A-231B-231C (4/4/4 units)
  • Applied Statistics: Statistics 232A-232B-232C (4/4/4 units)
  • Seminar in Statistics: Statistics 290 (1 unit, each quarter, to be taken until advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D., graded S/U)
  • Methods in Teaching Statistics: Statistics 390 (2 units, once, at the first offering of the course during residence, graded S/U)
  • Methods in Statistical Consulting: Statistics 401 (3 units, twice during program, graded S/U)

An additional 8 units of elective graduate level courses, in statistics, to be selected from the following or similar courses (with approval of the Graduate Adviser)

  • Statistics 235A/B: Probability Theory (3, 3)
  • Statistics 237A/B: Time Series Analysis (4)
  • Statistics 240A/B: Nonparametric Inference (4, 4)
  • Statistics 250: Topics in Applied and Computational Statistics (4)
  • Statistics 251: Topics in Statistical Methods and Models (4)

Breadth Courses:

An additional 6 units of breadth courses, to be selected as upper-division or graduate work in Biological and Environmental Sciences, Medicine, Epidemiology and Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural Sciences or Psychology/Sociology. At least one non-quantitative course and at least one course in Biological/Environmental Sciences or Medicine must be included. Credit for other similar courses is possible, provided the agreement of the Biostatistics Subspecialty Standing Committee is obtained. Please see the Graduate Program Guidelines for a full list of Breadth Course possibilities.


Written Examinations

The written Basic Examination is required of every graduate student. Graduate students must pass the Basic Exam on material covered in the courses Statistics 131A-131B-131C, 106 and 108. Every student is required to take this examination at the end of the first year. The exam can be repeated once if necessary. Such a second attempt must be at the end of the second year. This exam will be given once a year, the week after the end of Spring Quarter finals. Failure to pass the exam at the second attempt terminates the student’s stay in the Statistics graduate program.


There is the possibility of a waiver of the Basic Exam requirement for students intending a “fast track” program (see below).


The Written Ph.D. Exam is required of every graduate student. Students are required to take the Written Ph.D. Exam as soon as they complete the core sequences 231ABC and 232ABC. This requirement may not be waived. Incoming students are also allowed to take the exam. Taking the exam then counts as their first attempt; in case of failure to pass, such students are left with only one additional attempt at the exam. Such a second attempt must be in the year immediately following the failure to pass. Failure to pass the exam at the second attempt terminates the student’s stay in the Statistics Ph.D. program.


Waiver: Ph.D. students may be considered for a waiver of the Basic Exam by the Educational Policy Committee of the Graduate Program in Statistics. If the waiver is granted, the student must take the Written Ph.D. Exam (the Preliminary Ph.D. Exam) the following September. For students with a waiver of the Basic Exam, passing the Written Ph.D. Exam the following September also satisfies the requirement of passing the Basic Exam. Failing to pass the Written Ph.D. Exam also means failure to pass the Basic Exam. Consequently the student then has one and only one attempt left for each of the two written exams. In such a case, students will be required to take the Basic Exam the following June. Failure to pass the Basic Exam terminates the student's stay in the Statistics graduate program because exercising the option of taking the Written Ph.D. Exam in lieu of the Basic Exam is deemed as having used one of the two times that students are allowed to take the Written Ph.D. Exam.


Oral Examinations

Data Analysis Oral Examination. Required of every student in this program. This exam must be taken in the second year. The student needs to demonstrate the ability to perform a state-of-the-art data analysis. Successful completion of this exam will be considered equivalent to the M.S. Comprehensive Qualifying Exam. This exam may be attempted a second time after failure to pass the first time. Each attempt is counted as an attempt to pass the M.S. Oral Exam. Please see the guidelines for the Master’s program for more information on the M.S. Oral Exam.


The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is an oral exam. The exam will be attempted as soon as the Ph.D. Written Examination has been passed and all required coursework for the Ph.D. degree in Statistics has been completed. In accordance with university rules, students are requested to take their qualifying examination before the end of the third year to remain eligible for academic appointments such as Teaching Assistantship. The preparation for the exam will be done by working closely with a faculty mentor (independent study). The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination covers a special research topic assigned by an examining committee consisting of five faculty members. The examining committee will be appointed by Graduate Council at the recommendation of the graduate adviser who consults with the student prior to making the recommendation. The major professor is not eligible to serve as chair of the examining committee. Graduate Studies guidelines for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations apply. These can be obtained from the Graduate Studies Website.


A student who passes the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam is promoted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Title and abstract of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam presentation will be distributed to all faculty and students of the Graduate Program in Statistics, who are invited to attend the presentation.


You can download a pdf of the complete Graduate Program in Statistics Guidelines here.