Master of Science
New York, USA
DURATION
2 up to 3 Semesters
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 60,480 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Listed deadline pertains to the full-time Biostatistics and Sociomedical Sciences MS degree programs. Visit https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/become-student/how-apply/deadlines for a complete list of deadlines by program.
** Anticipated annual 3% increase. Est. program fees: $6823. Tuition pertains to certain MS programs. Visit https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/become-student/how-apply/financial-aid/tuition-fees for full listing.
Key Summary
Introduction
The Master of Science (MS) degree is offered by the departments of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Sociomedical Sciences, and Population and Family Health.
While the primary focus of the MS curriculum is specialized knowledge, the Mailman School’s emphasis on interdisciplinary education ensures that students also gain a broad public health perspective that facilitates successful careers. Typical applicants are people with science backgrounds and/or experience in health, medicine, or science-related fields.
Biostatistics
The Department of Biostatistics offers five MS programs:
- Clinical Research Methods
- Pharmaceutical Statistics
- Statistical Genetics
- Theory and Methods
- Patient Oriented Research
- Public Health Data Science
Environmental Health Sciences
EHS students can choose a concentration in Environmental Toxicology or Environmental Health Data Science to prepare for challenging and fulfilling scientifically oriented careers in government, non-profits, pharmaceuticals, and academia. While finishing their degree in as little as 12 months, students also obtain valuable Applied Practice Experience (APEx) and complete a Master's research thesis.
- Toxicology
- Environmental Health Data Science
Epidemiology
MS students in Epidemiology select one of two program options, which differ only in their timeframe and schedule. The new Online MS program is meant for working professionals and meets for one long weekend a month for 22 months.
- MS in Epidemiology
- Online MS in Epidemiology
Population & Family Health
MS students who have started their careers will deepen their knowledge in a key concentration area of population and family health, such as maternal/child, youth and family health; sexuality, sexual and reproductive health; and public health and humanitarian assistance.
This program is designed to be either completed in 9 months over an academic year or part-time over 2-3 years, not to exceed 5 years.
Visit the Population and Family Health program page for more information.
Sociomedical Sciences
MS students in Sociomedical Sciences focus on the history and ethics of Public Health. Visit the program page for more information.
Admissions
Curriculum
Biostatistics
The Department of Biostatistics offers five MS programs:
- Clinical Research Methods
- Pharmaceutical Statistics
- Statistical Genetics
- Theory and Methods
- Patient-Oriented Research
- Public Health Data Science
Environmental Health Sciences
EHS students can choose a concentration in Environmental Toxicology or Environmental Health Data Science to prepare for challenging and fulfilling scientifically oriented careers in government, non-profits, pharmaceuticals, and academia. While finishing their degree in as little as 12 months, students also obtain valuable Applied Practice Experience (APEx) and complete a Master's research thesis.
- Toxicology
- Environmental Health Data Science
Epidemiology
MS students in Epidemiology select one of two program options, which differ only in their timeframe and schedule. The new Online MS program is meant for working professionals and meets for one long weekend a month for 22 months.
- MS in Epidemiology
- Online MS in Epidemiology
Population & Family Health
MS students who have started their careers will deepen their knowledge in a key concentration area of population and family health, such as maternal/child, youth, and family health; sexuality, sexual and reproductive health; and public health and humanitarian assistance.
This program is designed to be either completed in 9 months over an academic year or part-time over 2-3 years, not to exceed 5 years.
Visit the Population and Family Health program page for more information.
Sociomedical Sciences
MS students in Sociomedical Sciences focus on the history and ethics of Public Health. Visit the program page for more information.
Program Outcome
Through a curriculum of 36 credit hours of course work, a practicum, and the capstone experience, the MS/PHDS track provides students with the skills necessary for a career as a public health data scientist and a rigorous grounding in traditional biostatistics.
In addition to achieving the MS in Biostatistics core competencies, students in the PHDS Track gain the following specific competencies in the areas of public health and collaborative research, the foundations of applied data science, teaching biostatistics and biostatistical research. Upon satisfactory completion of the MS/PhDs, graduates will be able to:
Public health and collaborative research
- Formulate and prepare a written statistical plan for analysis of public health research data that clearly reflects the research hypotheses of the proposal in a manner that resonates with both co-investigators and peer reviewers;
- Prepare written summaries of quantitative analyses for journal publication, presentations at scientific meetings, grant applications, and review by regulatory agencies;
Foundations of applied data science
- Develop expertise in one or more statistical software and database management packages (often R and SQL, among others) routinely used by data science professionals;
- Implement a reproducible workflow for data analysis projects, including robust project organization, transparent data management, and reproducible analysis results;
- Develop and execute analysis strategies that use traditional statistical tools or modern approaches to statistical learning, depending on the nature of the scientific questions of interest;
- Identify the uses to which data management can be put in practical statistical analysis, including the establishment of standards for documentation, archiving, auditing, and confidentiality; guidelines for accessibility; security; structural issues; and data cleaning;
Teaching biostatistics
- Review and illustrate selected principles of study design, probability theory, estimation, hypothesis testing, statistical learning, and data analytic techniques to public health students enrolled in introductory level graduate public health courses; and
Biostatistical research
- Apply probabilistic, statistical, and data scientific reasoning to structure thinking and solve a wide range of problems in public health.
Scholarships and Funding
The Mailman School offers students and families a single, simple approach to meeting the cost of attendance. The plan is a combination of federal, institutional, and private sources of funds that provide options for part-time, full-time, and international students and families. For information on outside sources of funding please, visit the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (the link is external and opens in a new window).
For a comprehensive database of extra funding resources along with curated scholarships for graduate students in the public health field that can help minimize the cost of your degree, please visit Masters In Public Health (the link is external and opens in a new window).
Please refer to our website or sfs.columbia.edu for information on HEAL Federal loan programs available at The Mailman School of Public Health.
The following types of assistance may be available to students:
Student Loans
Columbia University students have a wide range of financial assistance options from federal, state, institutional, and private sources. The rates for both the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and the Federal Direct Graduate Plus Loan for 2023-2024 are 7.05% and 8.05% respectively. The Department of Education determines new annual rates after July 1st of the new fiscal year. To learn more about obtaining a loan, including a detailed description of each of these funding sources, please see the University's overview on Graduate Financial Aid.
Students applying for the Graduate Plus Loan should log in to complete the required forms and manage their accounts.
Scholarships, Fellowships, and Grants
Scholarships, fellowships, and grants are awarded based on need or merit. Amounts and availability vary by school. See the full list.
Student Employment Opportunities
Mailman School students can access school-related employment through one or more of the following:
- Work-Study: Students certified by the Financial Aid Office as eligible for federally funded work-study can choose from a variety of part-time employment positions. Jobs are available in many offices throughout the University. Learn more.
- Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA): Departments offer these positions, in which students gain valuable experience working part-time on faculty-run research projects and receive a stipend and/or tuition assistance, on a limited basis. These positions are not available to first-year Master's students.
- Teaching Assistantship (TA): Some departments have limited teaching assistantship positions available to students with substantial preparation in their area of study. TAs provide part-time assistance to faculty members in instruction, grading, and course administration, and receive a stipend and/or tuition assistance. These positions are specifically offered to Doctoral students and second year Master's students.