Biostatistics

Biostatistics as a discipline is driven by the interaction between problems from medical research and rigorous mathematical analysis. Complex scientific challenges require the development of new and appropriate statistical methods. Currently such challenges emerge, for example, in environmental and infectious disease epidemiology, evidence-based medicine and especially in the rapidly expanding fields of genetics and genomics. – A statistician aiming to be successful at applying methodological developments in the life sciences has to be proficient in a wide variety of modern statistical techniques such as regression of correlated data, treatment of missing values, analysis of longitudinal and event time data, model selection and model validation, to name but a few. The Master Program in Biostatistics is based on the cooperation between the Institute of Mathematics and the Division of Biostatistics of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine of the University of Zurich (UZH) and offers the only – to date – specialized program for the training of biostatisticians in Switzerland. – The Master Program in Biostatistics is a specialized master and is hence open to students with (Bachelor) degrees from different fields with sufficient mathematical and statistical component in the curriculum such as, for example, mathematics, statistics, computer science and physics. The program provides students with a deeper scientific understanding and the capability to carry out independent scientific work in biostatistics.