MSc Medical Statistics
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
About this program
MSc Medical Statistics
The programme trains students from a variety of academic backgrounds to work as statisticians in various sectors including higher education, research institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, central government and national health services. It provides training in the theory and practice of statistics with special reference to clinical trials, epidemiology and clinical or laboratory research.
Medical statisticians play a vital role in creating impact in global health and development. Their job involves the design of local, national, and global clinical studies, analysing data and interpreting results to identify the causes of a given disease, as well as measuring performance outcomes of hospitals and other organisations to gauge the health and wellbeing of populations on a large scale.
There is a shortage of well-trained medical statisticians and graduates from this programme are in high demand; employment opportunities are numerous and varied.
Objectives
By the end of this program students should be able to:
- select appropriate study designs to address questions of medical relevance
- select and apply appropriate statistical methods for analysing data typically encountered in medical applications, including binary, categorical, count, quantitative data; survival data; hierarchical data; data affected by measurement error and missingness
- use a range of software packages to: organise and manage datasets; carry out statistical analysis; construct tables and figures; create programs to provide problem specific solutions
- interpret correctly the results of statistical analyses and critically evaluate the use of statistics in the medical literature
- communicate effectively with other statisticians and the wider medical community, including the ability to present results of statistical analyses through written and oral presentations
- understand the principles behind statistical methods to allow future adoption and appreciation of new methodology, to develop problem specific solutions to new problems, and to provide a basis for the understanding of limitations and issues surrounding currently used methods
Admission requirements
The normal minimum entrance qualification for registration at the School on a Master's program is at least one of the following:
- a second-class honours degree of a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a subject appropriate to that of the course of study to be followed
- a registrable qualification appropriate to the course of study to be followed, in medicine, dentistry or veterinary studies
Applications with an appropriate technical qualification, or equivalent qualification and experience from overseas, are also welcomed.
For the MSc Medical Statistics it is preferred that students should normally have obtained a mathematically-based first degree which includes some statistics. Graduates from other fields who have quantitative skills and some familiarity with statistical ideas may also apply.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the institute website.
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Structure
Term 1
All students take five compulsory modules:
- Basic Epidemiology
- Clinical Trials
- Foundations of Medical Statistics
- Introduction to Statistical Computing
- Robust Statistical Methods
Terms 2 and 3
Students take a total of five modules, one from each timetable slot (Slot 1, Slot 2 etc.). The list below shows recommended modules. There are other modules which can only be taken after consultation with the course director.
Slot 1
- Generalised Linear Models (compulsory)
Slot 2
- Statistical Methods in Epidemiology (compulsory)
Slot 3
- Analysis of Hierarchical and Other Dependent Data
Slot 4
- Survival Analysis and Bayesian Statistics (compulsory)
Slot 5
- Advanced Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Advanced Statistical Modelling
Scholarships & funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the institute website for more information.
Tuition
Up to date information on tuition fees can be found on the LSHTM website.
Qualification
Medical Statistics (or Biostatistics) is essential in both identifying the factors that cause disease, finding methods for epidemic prevention in future, and improving health services and public health.
TheDepartment of Medical Statisticscarried out theBRAIN study, a major investigation into the effects of the sport on brain health, in which former England rugby players took part.
Why study the MSc Medical Statistics at LSHTM?
- Gain practical, computer-based skills and broad theoretical knowledge
- Be prepared for immediate entry into the world of work; “hit the ground running” in your career.
- Identify, explore and deepen your personal interests
- Be exposed to different areas of medical statistics, including Advanced Statistical Modelling and Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Learn to select and apply appropriate statistical methods for analysing data
- Communicate effectively with other statisticians and the wider medical community
- Learn to present results of statistical analyses through written and oral presentations
- Learn to use a wide range of software packages
Career paths
There is a shortage of well-trained medical statisticians and graduates from this course are in high demand. Graduates typically pursue careers in medical and epidemiological research, the pharmaceutical industry and various governmental institutions.
Below you will find just a few of the positions and organisations that our graduates from this course have entered after graduating:
Example job titles:
- Biostatistician
- Clinical Programmer
- Consultant
- Fellow in Medical Statistics
- Marketing Analyst
- Medical Doctor
- Medical Statistician
- Post-Doctoral Researcher
- Public Health Consultant
- Quantitative Epidemiologist
- Research Fellow
- Data Manager
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About this institute
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Established in 1899, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is dedicated to improving health worldwide through training the next generation of health leaders to address major public and global health challenges. LSHTM has a unique range and...
Why study at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
LSHTM is highly ranked in various university league tables, winning the Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2021 in recognition of its response to COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness, as well as being #1 in the UK and #3 in the world for Public Health in the ShanghaiRankings (2021).
Teaching staff are all experts in their respective fields and continue as active researchers, bringing their wealth of experience and up-to-date knowledge directly into the lecture halls and seminar rooms. Many of the staff are well renowned, so students may find themselves being taught by figures they have read about in previous studies.
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