Programs in our department offer interesting courses and various scholarships and funding opportunities. In addition, our prerequisites align with many undergraduate programs, making it easy for qualified students to transition into our programs. We're proud of the caliber of our students.
From the first time students step onto campus they can feel the difference in our programs. Students enter our programs with a cohort of potential friends who navigate the courses together. By nature, people in Colorado are unbelievably nice and welcoming which is eye-opening in the best way. This hospitality along with everything Colorado boasts including majestic mountains, a variety of outdoor and indoor activities for the adventurous student, and continuous sunny days even in winter.
Academically, our programs are well balanced with theory, application, and computing. We are located on a large health science campus including schools or colleges of Public Health, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Dental Medicine, and the Graduate School, as well as three major hospitals (University, Children's, and VA) doing cutting edge clinical and research work. This environment affords all students opportunities to gain real world collaborative and research experience during their program.
As an immigrant, as a Latina, I have lived a sort of dual life, separating my academic life from all the rest of who I am. In college, I struggled to find my place in academia, to find mentors, to understand the research institution and how it functions. I felt like I did not belong. This changed at some point in my MPH. I found professors who were interested in helping me succeed, professors who saw my background and my culture as a superpower. It felt amazing to have mentors convince me that I had a place in academia, that I was welcome, that I belonged.
— Laura Grau, MPH in Applied Biostatistics, Class of 2018
Faculty members in the Department of Biostatistics & Informatics support all students enrolled in our programs and foster growth and learning opportunities.
Our tight-knit group of faculty admire and respect each other’s areas of expertise. They are always willing to connect students to fellow colleagues and biostatisticians who can mentor them based on areas of expertise. This connected group of faculty makes it easy for students to navigate their MPH capstone, MS thesis/research paper, and/or PhD dissertation and find answers to questions about certain types of analyses.
From day one, students will be able to feel how invested our faculty are in ensuring that students learn the material and are successful in the program. The pride and dedication that it takes to be a strong teacher and mentor is recognized by several
school-wide awards. The strong desire to want students to learn paired with our students' driven nature create the best dynamic learning environment.
What makes our programs unique is the balance between research and applied opportunities that students gain access to, support from faculty, and hands on opportunities to work with real data. There are several funding options including scholarships, teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and other funding opportunities to inquire about.
In addition to the financial benefits, our programs offer hands-on, real experience in professional roles as a biostatistician which is an unparalleled experience to understanding where you might want to go with your career (research, industry, academia, etc.) after graduation.
Our classes, practicum and capstone (MPH/AB), thesis/research paper (MS), and PhD dissertation are designed to help you develop your resume, your portfolio, and your tangible skills. When you begin the job application process, students will have SAS and R programs that you have written for your projects to show as evidence that you are qualified.
Advice from former students to prospective applicants or current students is to use the career center early. The Colorado School of Public Health has staff to support students’ success after the program. Our Career & Employer Relations team can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses in your resume. Identifying these early on will help you focus your academic goals so you can fill those gaps before graduating.
Graduate assistant (GA) and research assistant (RA) student jobs can have the greatest impact on your preparation to move out of the student role. This provides real experience with real data and real investigators and you learn first-hand what a typical day would be like as a biostatistician and data scientist.
The GA and RA jobs are made all the more impactful when combined with the statistical strengths of the program. The statistical competency that the program teaches you is intense enough that you will learn so much to where you feel confident taking on any position anywhere.
