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Program Requirements

Students will study theoretical and applied statistics and related fields; the program will train them to become independent scientists able to develop and apply statistical methods in medicine and biology and make original contributions to the theoretical and scientific foundations of statistics in these disciplines. Graduates will be prepared to develop new statistical methods as needed and apply new and existing methods in a range of collaborative projects. Graduates will be able to communicate methods and results to collaborators and other audiences, and teach biostatistics to biostatistics students, students in related fields, and professionals in academic and other settings.

Thesis

A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

Required Courses

• BIOS 700 Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Part A

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Assessment of student's ability to assimilate statistical theory.

  Terms: Summer 2014

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.

  • Restriction: Enrolment in the Ph.D. in Biostatistics

  • Exam is held once yearly

• BIOS 701 Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Part B

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Assessment of student's ability to assimilate and apply statistical theory and methods for biostatistics.

  Terms: Summer 2014

  Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2013-2014 academic year.

  • Restriction (s): Enrolment in the Ph.D. in Biostatistics

• BIOS 702 Ph.D. Proposal

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Essential skills for thesis writing and defence, including essential elements of research proposals, methodological development and application, and presentation.

  Terms: Fall 2013, Winter 2014

  Instructors: Abrahamowicz, Michal; Kramer, Michael (Fall) Abrahamowicz, Michal; Kramer, Michael (Winter)

  • Note: Required for Ph.D. students

Complementary Courses (28 credits)

0-28 credits from the following list: (if a student has not already successfully completed them or their equivalent)

• BIOS 601 Epidemiology: Introduction and statistical models (4 credits)

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Examples of applications of statistics and probability in epidemiologic research. Source of epidemiologic data (surveys, experimental and non-experimental studies). Elementary data analysis for single and comparative epidemiologic parameters.

  Terms: Fall 2013

  Instructors: Hanley, James Anthony (Fall)

  • Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. Undergraduate course in mathematical statistics at level of MATH 324.

• BIOS 602 Epidemiology: Regression Models (4 credits)

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Multivariable regression models for proportions, rates and their differences/ratios; Conditional logic regression; Proportional hazards and other parametric/semi-parametric models; unmatched, nested, and self-matched case-control studies; links to Cox's method; Rate ratio estimation when "time-dependent" membership in contrasted categories.

  Terms: Winter 2014

  Instructors: Saarela, Olli (Winter)

  • Prerequisites: Permission of instructor. MATH 556 and BIOS 601, or their equivalents.

• BIOS 624 Data Analysis & Report Writing (4 credits)

  Offered by: Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)

  Administered by: Graduate Studies

  Overview

  Biostatistics : Common data-analytic problems. Practical approaches to complex data. Graphical and tabular presentation of results. Writing reports for scientific journals, research collaborators, consulting clients.

  Terms: Winter 2014, Fall 2013

  Instructors: Benedetti, Andrea; Hanley, James Anthony (Winter) Benedetti, Andrea; Hanley, James Anthony (Fall)

  • Prerequisites: MATH 533 Analysis of Variance and Regression. MATH 523 Generalized Linear Models.

• MATH 523 Generalized Linear Models (4 credits)

  Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Modern discrete data analysis. Exponential families, orthogonality, link functions. Inference and model selection using analysis of deviance. Shrinkage (Bayesian, frequentist viewpoints). Smoothing. Residuals. Quasi-likelihood. Contingency tables: logistic regression, log-linear models. Censored data. Applications to current problems in medicine, biological and physical sciences. R software.

  Terms: Winter 2014

  Instructors: Neslehova, Johanna (Winter)

  • Winter

  • Prerequisite: MATH 423

  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MATH 426

• MATH 533 Honours Regression and Analysis of Variance (4 credits)

  Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : This course consists of the lectures of MATH 423 but will be assessed at the 500 level.

  Terms: Fall 2013

  Instructors: Khalili Mahmoudabadi, Abbas (Fall)

  • Prerequisites: MATH 357, MATH 247 or MATH 251.

  • Restriction: Not open to have taken or are taking MATH 423.

  • Note: An additional project or projects assigned by the instructor that require a more detailed treatment of the major results and concepts covered in MATH 423.

• MATH 556 Mathematical Statistics 1 (4 credits)

  Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Distribution theory, stochastic models and multivariate transformations. Families of distributions including location-scale families, exponential families, convolution families, exponential dispersion models and hierarchical models. Concentration inequalities. Characteristic functions. Convergence in probability, almost surely, in Lp and in distribution. Laws of large numbers and Central Limit Theorem. Stochastic simulation.

  Terms: Fall 2013

  Instructors: Neslehova, Johanna (Fall)

  • Fall

  • Prerequisite: MATH 357 or equivalent

• MATH 557 Mathematical Statistics 2 (4 credits)

  Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

  Overview

  Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Sampling theory (including large-sample theory). Likelihood functions and information matrices. Hypothesis testing, estimation theory. Regression and correlation theory.

  Terms: Winter 2014

  Instructors: Asgharian-Dastenaei, Masoud (Winter)

  • Winter

  • Prerequisite: MATH 556

12 credits (chosen and approved in consultation with the student's academic adviser), at the 500 level or higher, in statistics/biostatistics.

6 credits (chosen and approved in consultation with the student's academic adviser), at the 500 level or higher, in related fields (e.g., epidemiology, social sciences, biomedical sciences).