M.S. Degree, Epidemiology 
The program leading to the M.S. degree in Epidemiology requires a minimum of 37 credits, including 3 credits of field placement in the public health field. For students with a bachelor's degree and no graduate education or experience in the field, it is expected that at least two years of full time study will be needed to complete the program.
General Requirements- School of Public Health, 9 Credits
EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (3)
STA 552 Principles in Statistical Inference I (3)
STA 553 Principles in Statistical Inference II (3)
General Requirements- M.S. Degree Program, 10 Credits
EPI 502 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology (3)
EPI 503 Principles of Public Health (3)
EPI 514 Computer Programming for Data Management
and Analysis in Public Health (3)
EPI 602 Master's Seminar in Epidemiology (1)
Supporting Courses, 12 Credits
Students must take at least 12 credits of supporting coursework, of which at least 6 must be selected from the following courses. Student's can also choose to take supportive coursework in areas of specialization from the School of Public Health's other departments: Biomedical Sciences; Environmental Health & Toxicology; Biological Sciences; Anthropology; and Biometry & Statistics, as well as courses at Albany Medical College.
EPI 601 General Topics in Epidemiologic Methods (3)
EPI 604 Cancer Epidemiology (3)
EPI 605 Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
EPI 608 Injury Epidemiology (3)
EPI 609 Reproductive Epidemiology (3)
EPI 610 AIDS Epidemiology (3)
EPI 611 Controversies in Epidemiology (3)
EPI 612 Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology (4)
EPI 613 Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (3)
EPI 615 Hospital Epidemiology (3)
EPI 616 Social Class & Race in Epidemiology (3)
EPI 619 Epidemiology of Diabetes (3)
EPI 620 Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease (3)
EPI 631 Advanced Seminar in Infectious Disease
Epidemiology Research Methods (3)
EPI 701 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology (3)
Field Placement, 3 Credits
EPI 690 Field Placement (3)
The capstone experience of the program is provided by field placement in areas of public health as practiced in state or local government or other health related agencies. This requirement gives students the opportunity to observe and participate in the application of their theoretical knowledge in the real world.
Thesis 3 Credits
EPI 699 Thesis (3)
A thesis is to be conducted under the guidance of two members of the faculty (a thesis advisor and a reader). The thesis advisor and the faculty advisor need not be the same person. Students may choose to have two readers instead of one. The thesis must involve the analysis of data and should include a statement of the research question, a review of the literature, a description of methods and results, and a discussion. The thesis must be presented before the faculty and students.
M.S. Degree, Biostatistics
The program leading to the M.S. degree in Biostatistics requires a minimum of 36 credits. For students with a bachelor's degree and no graduate education or experience in the field, it is expected that at least two years of full time study will be needed to complete the program.
General Requirements- M.S Degree Program,12 Credits
STA 554 Introduction to the Theory of Statistics I (3)
STA 555 Introduction to the Theory of Statistics II (3)
Recommended Courses, 0-18 Credits
Choose at least one from the following:
STA 558 Methods of Data Analysis I (3)
STA 559 Methods of Data Analysis II (3)
STA 556 Introduction to Bayesian Inference I (3)
STA 562 Design of Experiments I (3)
STA 564 Sample Survey of Methodology I (3)
STA 566 Analysis of Categorical Data I (3)
Biology, epidemiology or public health courses (6+ credits) as approved by advisor.
Supporting courses (0-12 credits) as approved by advisor for the statistics sequence.
Master's Seminar, 3 Credits
STA 669 Master's Seminar in Biometry and Statistics (3)
Selected topics in statistics. A report is written on the subject studies. Required of all candidates for a Master's Degree in Biostatistics, except those who write a master's thesis. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. With departmental approval, a thesis may be presented in place of STA 669.
Thesis, 1-6 Credits
STA 699 Master's Thesis (1-6 credits)
Research leading to an acceptable master's thesis in biostatistics. May be repeated once for credit. Pre-requisite: Consent of thesis director. S/U graded.
MPH Degree
The program leading to the MPH degree requires 45 to 51 credits, including 6-12 credits of internships, depending on the student's prior experience in public health or related fields. For students with a bachelor's degree and no graduate education or experience in the field, it is expected that at least two years of full time study will be needed to complete the program.
*Degree requirements are determined at enrollment to program.
(pdfs of the BST plan of study, EPI plan of study)
Ph.D. Degree
In general, the requirements for the Ph.D. degree follow the University at Albany policies and procedures. The program in Epidemiology requires a minimum of 60 graduate course credits beyond the baccalaureate plus registration for and completion of a satisfactory doctoral dissertation. Students are required to meet the requirements for the M.S. in Epidemiology along with additional course work and are expected to devote at least one year to the research and writing of an acceptable dissertation. Students should consult the University's Graduate Bulletin for more information on Ph.D. requirements and regulations.
Each student plans a course of study with a faculty advisor who takes into account the student's previous preparation, area of specialization and professional objectives. In addition to the core courses, supporting courses and field placement at the master's level (or their equivalent), the following course work is required:
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A minimum of four advanced methodology courses (12 credits). One of these must be Epi 601 General Topics in Epidemiologic Methods; two must be graduate level statistics courses offered by the Department of Biometry and Statistics or other graduate departments. |
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A minimum of 14 credits of supporting graduate courses, including an area of specialization. Further courses may be required at the discretion of the dissertation committee. |
Field Placements
Ph.D. students are required to complete a field placement during which they work closely with a faculty member on actual epidemiologic projects, including experience in the areas of study design, data management and analysis. This requirement can be met by completion of EPI 690 Field Placement or by equivalent experience obtained in a prior degree program, in a work setting, or as part of the dissertation. The acceptability of equivalent experience is determined by the Department's academic committee.
Research Tool
Proficiency in computer programming/data management fulfills the research tool requirement.
Qualifying Examination
Upon completion of all required courses, each doctoral candidate must pass a two-part written qualifying examination. The first part covers general epidemiologic and appropriate biostatistical principles and methods. The second part covers the student's chosen specialty area in epidemiology. Ordinarily, both parts of the exam are administered in the same semester.
Admission To Candidacy
A student is admitted to candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy upon the following:
Satisfactory record in course and research study (minimum GPA of 3.0);
Completion of the University's residency requirement;
Satisfactory completion of the research tool requirement;
Satisfactory completion of the qualifying examination; and
Approval by the student's committee of a proposed dissertation topic.
Dissertation
The Ph.D. dissertation is part of each candidate's curriculum for the doctorate. The dissertation committee must approve form and content of the dissertation which must represent an original and significant contribution in the field of epidemiology. The chair of the dissertation committee must be a member of the Department of Epidemiology; the committee consists of a minimum of three members, all of whom must hold the rank of assistant professor or above. One of the committee members must be from outside the Department of Epidemiology. The dissertation topic, proposed study design, methods and detailed analysis plan must be presented in writing to and approved by the committee before the student initiates dissertation research. Outside readers may be included at the discretion of the committee. The dissertation must be approved by and successfully defended before the dissertation committee; the defense is open to the University community.
Teaching
Each Ph.D. candidate is required to take part in and demonstrate competence in the teaching of epidemiology. Satisfaction of this requirement is determined by the Department's Academic Committee.
*Please note: These materials are for informational purposes only. To be sure all requirements are completed, students should always consult the Assistant to the chair for guidance. |
