UB to Reactivate Master's, Doctoral Programs in Biostatistics

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo has received approval from the state Education Department to re-activate the graduate program in statistics, which had been suspended in 1998.

The title of both the master's and doctoral programs will be changed to "biostatistics" from "statistics" to better reflect changes in the curricula of those programs to make them more responsive to the education and training needs of UB students, says Alan Hutson, UB associate professor and department chair.

"This change takes advantage of the recent significant strengthening of our faculty in this area of curricular focus," Hutson says. He notes that the new titles also correspond with the administrative structure through which the programs now are offered -- the unit, which regained departmental status in June 2003, now is known as "biostatistics," rather than "statistics."

The graduate program in biostatistics will offer the majority of the courses from the original program in statistics, giving it an identical theoretical underpinning as the former program. In addition, several new biostatistics electives have been incorporated. Practical training for students will be obtained through work on various research projects at UB.

The first class of biostatistics students will enroll this coming fall. For those students interested in this new program, contact Randolph Carter, graduate director, at 829-2884 or at rcarter@buffalo.edu.