Appendix 2.6.c. Biostatistics MPH and MS Program Competency Statement

Biostatisticians are key collaborators in scientific research, providing expert advice on and direct involvement in study design, implementation, analysis, and communication. The Biostatistics programs balance education in applied and theoretical biostatistics, mathematical statistics, and computing, all within the context of public health, medicine, and clinical translational research. Employers' requirements are periodically assessed by surveys of and informal discussions with alumni and their employers, and the curriculum is often modified as a result of that feedback. No biostatistics or statistics professional organizations have developed competency sets for graduate programs. Thus, the Biostatistics programs' competencies reflect the views of the faculty and alumni on the critical knowledge and skills needed by biostatisticians, as well as review of peer programs' curricula.

Competency Area
Specific Competencies	Learning Opportunities	Evaluation Opportunities
Uses a general understanding of public health research, practice, and ethics to inform biostatistical practice
Uses general knowledge of the core areas of epidemiology, environmental health, social and behavioral science, and public health management to inform biostatistical practice	MPH PubH 6751, 6752, 6020, 6101, 6102, 6320, 6330, 6331 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship	Course Work & Exams Masters Project Oral Exam
Uses general knowledge of the core areas of epidemiology, environmental health, social and behavioral science, and public health management to inform biostatistical practice (continued)	MS PubH 6341 or PubH 6320 required Courses in environmental health, health policy and management and ethics are encouraged PubH 7420 clinical trials and survival data analysis Biostatistics methods courses, in which data analysis techniques are applied to real life public health research questions	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Incorporates knowledge of the ethical issues involved in public health research and practice into the biostatistical design and conduct of health studies which respect the safety, privacy, and individuality of participants	MPH PubH 6741, 6742 PubH 7406, 7420 Research Assistantship MS Research Assistantship Thesis credits	Course Work & Exams Practicum (MPH only) Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam
Collaborates in the design of research studies of human health and disease
Uses an understanding of the distinctions between, advantages/disadvantages of, and scientific and ethical appropriateness of experimental (randomized) vs. observational studies to inform an appropriate choice of study design	PubH 7406, 7420 PubH 6330 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Incorporates knowledge of the concept of confounding to inform an appropriate choice of study design	PubH 7406, 7407 PubH 6330 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Translates the study’s scientific aims, with collaborating scientists when appropriate, into testable statistical hypotheses and identifies the appropriate biostatistical method to test those hypotheses	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Carries out appropriate sample size and power calculations to ensure that the study is sufficiently powered to achieve the scientific aims	PubH 7406, 7407, 7420 Research Assistantship	Course Work & Exams Practicum (MPH only)
Writes the study protocol, with collaborating scientists when appropriate	PubH 7420	Course Work & Exams Practicum (MPH only)
Designs data collection forms and data entry, editing, management, and quality control procedures	PubH 7420	Course Work & Exams Practicum (MPH only)
Implements tabular and graphical displays of quantitative information in ways that are clear to non-statistical scientists
Uses an understanding of the basic statistical concepts in tabular and graphical displays (mean, standard deviation, standard error, proportions, quantiles, frequency and probability histogram, basic scatterplot smoothing) to inform appropriate choices of summaries to include in display	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407 Stat 5101-5102, 8101-8102 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Written (Qualifying) Exam Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Decides, with collaborating scientists when appropriate, on an appropriate way to structure each display	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Uses statistical and other software to generate tabular and graphical displays of data	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Communicates (verbally and in writing) the salient features of and trends in the displays to collaborating scientists and to other non-statistical scientists	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Electives EngC 5051, 5052 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Draws inferences from quantitative data and communicates those inferences and their interpretation to non-statistical scientists
Uses an understanding of the biostatistical methods for making scientific inferences (hypothesis tests, confidence intervals, and basic non-parametric techniques for one- and two-sample comparisons of means or proportions, linear models, generalized linear models, life-table methods, and survival analysis) to inform appropriate choices of methods	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Stat 5101-5102, 8101-8102 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Written (Qualifying) Exam Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Decides, with collaborating scientists when appropriate, upon biostatistical methods appropriate for the data, study design, and scientific aims	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Written (Qualifying) Exam Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Uses statistical and other software to carry out statistical analyses of data	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Uses statistical reasoning and theory to deal effectively with non-standard biostatistical problems by drawing analogy to other solved problems	Stat 5101-5102, 8101-8102 Elective Math 5615H, 5616H Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Written (Qualifying) Exam Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Communicates (verbally and in writing) the salient inferential results and their scientific interpretation to collaborating scientists and to other non-statistical scientists	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7420, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Electives EngC 5051, 5052 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Writes programs in two or more statistical packages with intermediate to advanced skill
Writes programs in two or more statistical packages (e.g., SAS, S-Plus/R, BUGS) with intermediate to advanced skill	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Practicum (MPH only)
Addresses a public health or statistical research question with a major statistical analysis or simulation study
Learns sufficient background material to understand the scientific and/or statistical motivation of the research question	Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Practicum (MPH only)
Decides upon an appropriate statistical approach to address the research question, and carries it out	PubH 7406, 7407 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Practicum (MPH only)
Correctly interprets statistical findings in the scientific context	PubH 7405, 7406, 7407, 7450 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Written (Qualifying) Exam Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)
Summarizes the motivation, methods, results, and conclusions in written and oral presentations	PubH 7406, 7407 Biostatistics Electives PubH 7430, 7435, 7440, 7445, 7460, 8472 Electives EngC 5051, 5052 Research Assistantship Masters Project	Course Work & Exams Plan A or B Written Project Plan A or B Oral Exam Practicum (MPH only)

Appendix 2.6.c. Biostatistics MPH and MS Program Competency Statement

Competency Area