Master of Public Health Option
Turn numbers into answers
Applications reviewed on Dec 1 (Priority), March 1 & June 1 (Final).
Biostatistics, the basis of all public health and medical research, uses statistics to understand public health and health care challenges.
If you enjoy applying math to real-world problems, working across a variety of disciplines, finding patterns in data and contributing to wide-ranging public health research, biostatistics is for you.
Forbes named biostatistics as the No. 1 best master’s degree for jobs.
As a biostatistics student, you’ll learn to collect, organize and analyze data, then recommend decisions based on that analysis.
You’ll collaborate with your cohort and professors on projects that address topics such as genetic modeling, bone health, kidney disease and the links between stressful experiences, health, well-being and cognition.
Your future biostatistics faculty are experts in Bayesian statistics, spatial modeling, statistical genetics, high-dimensional data analysis, and latent variable and measurement error models, and often collaborate with other disciplines.
If you’re applying for this program, you must have successfully completed a calculus sequence including multivariable differential and integral calculus.
If you have not successfully completed this coursework prior to admission, you will be required to take prerequisite coursework during your first year.
The Oregon State MPH – Biostatistics program requires 59 credit hours of coursework (approximately the equivalent of 40 semester credits).
This includes 12 credits of integrated core coursework, 29 credits of option-specific coursework, 12 credits of elective coursework and a 6-credit internship.
The program does not require a thesis; rather, it culminates with an integrative learning experience (ILE). Each MPH option has its own distinct ILE, created by program faculty to assess students’ mastery of program competencies.
See which courses you'll take as a biostatistics student.
Option-specific handbooks
What you'll learn as an MPH student.
Learning competencies
How you'll apply your knowledge.
MPH internships
You’ll be able to find work in health service organizations, academia, CDC and WHO field programs, research institutions, consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies and more.
Sample careers:
Your graduate public health education is an investment in your future. We understand you must weigh the cost and benefits of your graduate education.
OSU’s MPH options are among the most reasonably priced in the Pacific Northwest.
We have reduced the tuition cost by nearly $4,000 to help address affordability and reduce barriers for the future of public health.
The Oregon State MPH participates in the Western Regional Graduate Program. You may be eligible to save about $12,000 in tuition over the course of the program.
For information on program cost and more visit the main MPH program page.
We’re happy to connect with you by email, phone or virtual meetings.
For questions about the application process and requirements, contact College of Health graduate admissions.
To talk about curriculum and life as an MPH student, contact MPH Administrative Director Hanako Justice, MPH, MSW, CHES.
For academic or professional information specific to the Oregon State MPH Biostatistics Program, please contact the program director Harold T. Bae, Ph.D., M.S.
In 2014, our college was accredited by the Council for Education in Public Health – the first in Oregon. This distinction provides our students with more resources, more opportunities to engage in research, and faculty experts who specialize in a variety of public health topics.