Concentration · Verified September 2026

Biostatistics Master's and MPH Programs

154verified programs
144at CEPH-accredited schools
28offered online
$992median tuition per credit

What Is a Master's in Biostatistics, and Should It Be an MS or an MPH?

A master's in biostatistics trains you to design studies and analyze health data, and it's the standard credential for the work: the BLS says statisticians typically need a master's degree. This site lists 154 biostatistics master's programs at 94 schools, and unlike most public health fields, MS degrees (74) outnumber MPH degrees (69). Choose the MS if you have calculus and want to be the statistician on a study; choose the MPH if you want strong data skills inside a broader public health career, and see the biostatistician career guide for pay.

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Biostatistics is the part of public health that builds the numbers: how big a study needs to be, which model fits the data, and how sure you can be of the answer. The BLS calls statisticians in this field biostatisticians and places them in drug companies, public health agencies and hospitals.

This page covers 154 biostatistics master’s programs at 94 schools in 40 states, 144 of them at CEPH-accredited schools or programs. New York has the most with 24, followed by California with 15 and Massachusetts with 11.

Why Most Master’s in Biostatistics Programs Aren’t MPHs

In epidemiology or health policy, the MPH dominates. In biostatistics it doesn’t. The degree mix on this page:

Degree Programs
MS 74
MPH 69
MA 5
Other master’s titles 3
MSPH 2
MHS 1

That split reflects how CEPH sorts degrees. It uses “MS in biostatistics” as its example of an academic master’s degree: a research degree that ends with a discovery-based paper or project and does “not function as MPH equivalents.” Some prepare you for a PhD, others for technical jobs such as data scientist. The MPH, by contrast, is a professional degree with a practice placement and at least 42 semester credits.

So the question isn’t which is better. It’s whether you want to be the statistician (MS) or a public health professional with strong statistics (MPH).

How Hard Is a Biostatistics MPH? The Math You Need First

The honest answer depends on the degree, and admissions rules show it plainly. UAB publishes three tiers:

  • MS in Biostatistics: a three-semester calculus sequence and linear algebra, with a B or better. Prior programming is preferred.
  • MSPH in Biostatistics: a two-semester calculus sequence and linear algebra, with programming experience preferred.
  • Graduate certificate: no math requirement.

An MPH with a biostatistics concentration usually sits closest to the MSPH tier. If you haven’t taken calculus, an MPH or a certificate is the realistic starting point. Taking calculus and linear algebra first opens the MS.

154 programs

Program facts come from each school's own program pages, reviewed September 2026. Tuition is the school's published figure with its basis; per-credit sorting uses programs that publish a per-credit rate. CEPH status comes from the CEPH accredited list.

MS vs MSPH in Biostatistics: One School, Two Paths

UAB offers both, which makes the trade-off easy to see:

UAB MS in Biostatistics UAB MSPH (Biostatistics)
Credits 43 36 minimum
Math to get in 3 semesters of calculus, linear algebra 2 semesters of calculus, linear algebra
Theory Statistical Theory I and II Not required
Applied core Statistical Methods I and II, General Linear Models, Categorical Data Analysis, SAS Same methods core plus Design/Conduct Clinical Trials
Research 6 hours of research At least 6 hours of directed research
How you apply UAB Graduate School SOPHAS

The University of Kansas MS runs 36 credit hours, adds a collaborative research experience and a master’s general exam, and is normally finished in two years. Kansas says its graduates are prepared to work as biostatisticians or biostatistical consultants.

What You Study in a Biostatistics Master’s

The core looks similar almost everywhere: regression and linear models, categorical data analysis, survival analysis, study design, and a statistical programming language such as SAS. UAB’s MS adds two semesters of statistical theory and one epidemiology course, Principles of Epidemiologic Research.

A newer group of programs blends biostatistics with data science. Examples on this page include the UTHealth Houston MS in Biostatistics and Data Science, the University of Nevada, Reno MS in Health Analytics and Biostatistics and the UCLA Master of Data Science in Health. If your goal is health data work beyond research studies, compare these with the health informatics programs.

Within MPH programs, look at how the concentration is named. “Biostatistics” appears 37 times across programs here, but combined tracks are common too: “Epidemiology and Biostatistics” appears 8 times and “Epidemiology & Biostatistics” 4 times. A combined track usually means fewer pure statistics courses. If you lean toward study design and disease causes, the epidemiology programs may fit better.

What a Master’s in Biostatistics Costs

Among 51 programs with a published per-credit rate, tuition runs from $205 to $2,507 per credit, with a median of $992. Estimated tuition (published per-credit rate times credits, before fees) is available for 49 programs and ranges from $10,332 to $115,322, with a median of $44,964.

The lowest estimates on this page:

Program Degree Credits Estimated tuition
UTHealth Houston MS, Biostatistics and Data Science 36 $10,332
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences MPH, Biostatistics 56 $11,480
University of Nevada, Reno MS, Health Analytics and Biostatistics 36 $13,797
CUNY online MS, Public Health Data Science 36 $16,920
University of Kansas MS MS, Biostatistics 36 $17,478

These use resident rates where a school lists two. Kansas charges $485.50 per credit in state but $1,141 out of state, and UTHealth charges $287 to Texas residents but $1,124 to non-residents. At the top, NYU’s MS and MPH in Biostatistics both come to an estimated $115,322. Four of the five lowest-cost programs are 36-credit MS degrees, shorter than the 42-credit minimum CEPH sets for an MPH, which helps the total.

One-Year Biostatistics Programs

13 programs on this page are listed as accelerated. A faster degree costs less time out of work, but the per-credit rates at these schools are high:

Online Master’s in Biostatistics Options

28 programs offer an online option and 10 are fully online. Many MS programs are built around on-campus research, so the online list is short. Options include:

A single online biostatistics course is a good way to test your interest, but employers hiring biostatisticians look for the master’s degree. For all online formats, see the online MPH programs.

Biostatistician Jobs and Pay

BLS pay data for statisticians, the occupation that includes biostatisticians, shows 29,030 jobs in May 2025:

Pay level (May 2025) Annual wage
Bottom 10% earned less than $64,000
Median $105,650
Top 10% earned more than $174,050

The federal government is the largest employer at 16%, followed by research and development firms in the physical, engineering and life sciences at 15%, healthcare and social assistance at 8%, and colleges and universities at 6%. The BLS projects 11% job growth from 2025 to 2035.

Pay varies widely by state. The median is $140,670 in the District of Columbia, $136,020 in New York and $132,620 in Maryland, where 2,730 statisticians work. In Missouri the median is $66,330.

How to Choose a Biostatistics Program

  1. Match the degree to your math. Check the calculus and linear algebra prerequisites before you apply. They’re the most common reason an MS isn’t an option yet.
  2. Decide on research or practice. An MS or MSPH ends in research; an MPH adds an applied practice experience and a capstone.
  3. Check accreditation. 144 of the 154 programs are at CEPH-accredited schools. The CEPH accreditation guide explains why that matters.
  4. Look at the software. SAS appears in required courses at UAB; data science programs lean on other tools. Pick what the jobs you want use.
  5. Price it at your residency. UTHealth charges non-residents $1,124 per credit against $287 for Texas residents, so the in-state column in a ranking may not be your number.
  6. Plan the application. 53 programs don’t require the GRE and 26 make it optional. The admission requirements guide covers the rest, and the MPH vs MS guide compares the degrees across all fields.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Need Calculus for a Master's in Biostatistics?

For an MS, usually yes. UAB requires a three-semester calculus sequence plus linear algebra for its MS in Biostatistics and a two-semester sequence plus linear algebra for its MSPH. Its graduate certificate has no math requirement.

How Long Is a Biostatistics Master's?

Most take one to two years full time. The University of Kansas MS is normally completed in two years, Columbia's MS in Biostatistics (Clinical Research Methods) can take one year if you start in summer, and the University of Louisville MS can take as few as three semesters.

Can You Study Biostatistics Online?

Yes. 28 programs on this site offer an online option and 10 are fully online, including the University of Louisville MS in Biostatistics at $850 per credit and the CUNY online MS in Public Health Data Science at $470 per credit for New York residents.

Is a Biostatistics MPH Easier Than an MS?

It asks for less math up front. An MPH covers the full public health core plus a biostatistics concentration, while an academic MS goes deeper into statistical theory and ends with research. At UAB, the MS includes Statistical Theory I and II; the MSPH does not.

Do Biostatistics Programs Use SOPHAS?

Many do: 94 of the 154 programs take applications through SOPHAS and 30 use the school's own application. At UAB, MSPH applicants apply through SOPHAS while MS applicants apply through the UAB Graduate School.

Keep Comparing

From the Blog

Sources

  1. Official program pages of each school listed, reviewed September 2026
  2. Council on Education for Public Health, accredited schools and programs
  3. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Mathematicians and Statisticians
  4. CEPH: Accreditation Criteria, 2024
  5. UAB Graduate Catalog: Department of Biostatistics
  6. University of Kansas Medical Center: MS in Biostatistics

Every program here was checked against the school's own website. Accreditation comes from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) list, and graduate counts from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS). Sponsored listings are labeled and never change which programs we list. How we verify programs