KTH Royal Institute of Technology
MSc Biostatistics and Data Science
Stockholm, Sweden
MSc
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SEK 360,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for non-EU/EEA/Swiss | no tuition fee for citizens of EU/EEA country or Switzerland
Key Summary
About: The MSc Biostatistics and Data Science is a joint KTH, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm University programme for students with mathematics, statistics, or computer science backgrounds. It covers probability, inference, biomedical modelling, computational methods, machine learning, missing and correlated data, Bayesian inference, study design, and a research project.
Career Outcomes: Graduates have career opportunities in biomedical, healthcare, pharmaceutical, insurance, public health, and academia; work as biostatisticians, data scientists, clinical trial statisticians, or research scientists. The programme prepares students for doctoral study in biostatistics and data science and for developing or applying statistical methods to biology, medicine, and public health practice.
The master's programme in Biostatistics and Data Science offers a unique combination of Biostatistics and Data Science. Students with backgrounds in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related disciplines are provided with the skills to solve problems in Biology, Medicine, and Public Health. The programme is offered jointly by KTH, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm University through the university alliance Stockholm Trio.
Biostatistics and Data Science at KTH, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University
The first year begins with mathematically rigorous courses in statistics, exploring probability theory and statistical inference, and statistical modelling with a focus on modelling biomedical data. Additionally, you will get an introduction to computer-intensive methods in mathematical statistics. These courses give you the basis for elective courses in machine learning and statistical learning that you will take in the second half of the year. You will also get an introduction to human biology, physiology, and genetics, and an introduction to medical research, emphasising its multidisciplinary nature and the role of biostatistics and data science in medical research and society.
The second year introduces topics in biostatistical science that complicate or extend the concepts and methods covered in previous courses, for example, incomplete or missing data, correlated or clustered data, and Bayesian inference. Courses in the second year build upon previous courses by giving an overview of methods for designing and analysing medical research studies in three areas: pre-clinical studies and animal research, clinical trials, and observational studies.
In the final semester, you will conduct a degree project, which involves completing a research project in an academic setting, government authority, or industrial environment and can potentially include studies abroad.
KTH Scholarships
KTH offers four different scholarship opportunities for master's studies. The KTH Scholarship covers the tuition fee of a one or two-year master’s programme. The KTH One-Year Scholarship is aimed at current KTH master's programme students and covers the tuition fee of the second year of studies. The KTH Joint Programme Scholarship is aimed at students in certain joint programmes and covers the tuition fee for the study period spent at KTH. The KTH India Scholarship is aimed specifically at students from India.
- KTH Scholarship
- KTH One-Year Scholarship
- KTH Joint Programme Scholarship
- KTH India Scholarship
Swedish Institute
SI Scholarship for Global Professionals
The SI Scholarship for Global Professionals covers the tuition fee for a master's programme and also includes living costs. It is open to students from 33 countries with previous work and leadership experience. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM
The SI Scholarship Pioneering Women in STEM covers the tuition fee of a selection of master's programmes at KTH and also includes living costs. It is open to female students from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand or Vietnam. You apply directly to SI after completing your application to KTH.
KTH associated scholarship organisations
KTH cooperates with the following organisations, providing scholarship opportunities for prospective KTH students.
- COLFUTURO (Programa Crédito Beca) for students from Colombia
- LPDP (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education) for students from Indonesia
- FUNED for students from Mexico
- MESCYT for students from the Dominican Republic
- ANII for students from Uruguay
Scholarship portals
- IEFA database: The IEFA database offers a comprehensive scholarship search, grant listing, and international student loan programmes.
- Studyportals: The Studyportals scholarship database lists over 1,000 scholarships and grants for students worldwide applying for studies in the EU.
- Scholars4dev: Scholarships for Development is a database of scholarships open to students from developing countries.
- WeMakeScholars: WeMakeScholars helps students from India secure education loans from banks and NBFCs. They also list more than 26,000 international scholarships from different trusts, foundations, and the government. Bodies.
Deferment of student loans in the United States
KTH is an accredited institution at the US Department of Education and holds a Title IV 'Deferment Only' status (OPE ID 03274300). US students may defer payments on existing federal student loan accounts while enrolled in a master’s programme at KTH. The 'Deferment Only' status does not allow students to take out federal student loans for enrollment at KTH. However, the accreditation facilitates grant and loan opportunities for US students, as many private student loan institutions in the US use this designation as a requirement to grant new loans. Students who wish to defer payments must contact their lending institution in the US.
The programme courses cover topics such as biostatistics, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, epidemiology, programming, statistical methods, mathematics, and medical science.
Year 1
Mandatory Courses
- Probability Theory (SF2940) 7.5 credits
- Computer Intensive Methods in Mathematical Statistics (SF2955) 7.5 credits
Conditionally Elective Courses
- Numerical algorithms for data-intensive science (SF2526) 7.5 credits
- Regression Analysis (SF2930) 7.5 credits
- Time Series Analysis (SF2943) 7.5 credits
- Deep Learning in Data Science (DD2424) 7.5 credits
- Biomedicine for Engineers (SK2532) 7.5 credits
Year 2
Mandatory Courses 60 credits (45 credits year 1, 45 credits year 2)
- SF2940 Probability Theory 7,5 credits (KTH)
- MT5017 Theory of Statistical Inference 7,5 credits (SU)
- 5BD000 Biostatistics 1 7,5 credits (KI)
- MT5022 Classification and Analysis of Categorical Data 7,5 credits (SU)
- 5BD001 Survival analysis with applications in medicine 7,5 credits (KI)
- SF2955 Computer Intensive Methods in Mathematical Statistics 7,5 credits (KTH)
- 5BD002 Biostatistics 2 7,5 credits (KI, year 2)
- 5BD003 Study design and analysis in medical research 7,5 credits (KI, year 2)
- Degree project in biostatistics and data science 30 credits (KI, year 2)
Conditionally Elective Courses 30 credits (15 credits year 1, 15 credits year 2)
- MT7050 Unsupervised learning 7,5 credits (SU)
- MT7042 Statistical deep learning 7,5 credits (SU)
- MT7032 Statistical information theory, 7,5 credits, SU
- MT7051 Reinforcement Learning 7,5 credits (SU)
- MT5020 Mathematics and Statistics of Infectious Disease Outbreaks 7,5 credits (SU)
- MT7049 Statistical Learning 7,5 credits (SU)*
- DD2421 Machine Learning 7,5 credits (KTH)*
- SF2935 Modern Methods of Statistical Learning 7,5 credits (KTH)*
- SF2526 Numerical algorithms for data-intensive science 7,5 credits (KTH)
- SF2930 Regression Analysis 7,5 credits (KTH)
- SF2943 Time Series Analysis 7,5 credits (KTH)
- DD2424 Deep Learning in Data Science 7,5 credits (KTH)
- SK2532 Biomedicine for Engineers 7,5 credits (KTH)
- DD2420 Probabilistic Graphical Models 7.5 credits (KTH)
- DD2610 Deep Learning, advanced course 7,5 credits (KTH)
- SF2957 Statistical Machine Learning 7,5 credits (KTH)
- 5BD005 Mathematics of causal inference 7,5 credits (KI)
- 5BD006 Fundamentals of Statistical Modeling 7,5 credits (KI)
*Of the 30 credits, conditionally elective courses, students must choose one (and only one) of the following conditionally elective courses: SF2935 Modern Methods for Statistical Learning, DD2421 Machine Learning or MT7049 Statistical Learning.
Up to 15 credits of the conditionally elective courses can be at the undergraduate level.
Conditionally Elective Courses
- Machine Learning (DD2421) 7.5 credits
- Deep Learning, advanced course (DD2610) 7.5 credits
- Modern Methods of Statistical Learning (SF2935) 7.5 credits
- Topological Data Analysis (SF2956) 7.5 credits
- Statistical Machine Learning (SF2957) 7.5 credits
- Probabilistic Graphical Models (DD2420) 7.5 credits
In this two-year master's programme, you will learn the key skills required to work as a biostatistician or data scientist. You will get training in statistics, computational science, and programming, along with the theoretical and practical education to apply these skills to challenges in biology, medicine, and public health.
In addition, you will learn the analytic techniques used in data science to prepare you for the data-driven challenges of modern medical research and a career as a data scientist. During your two years in Stockholm, you will study a tailored selection of courses from three universities with prominent research in their respective fields: Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Stockholm University.
The combination of biostatistics and data science gives graduates an excellent profile for challenging and rewarding careers in industry (for example, biomedical, healthcare, insurance, and pharmaceutical sectors), government (for example, public health agencies) and academia. There is a shortage of trained biostatisticians and data science professionals, both in Sweden and internationally.
After graduating from this programme, you will find excellent opportunities for doctoral studies, both in developing new biostatistics and data science methods and applying your knowledge and skills in biostatistics and data science to address research topics in biology, medicine, and public health.