Master of Science in Biostatistics (M.Sc.)

Program Advisor: Prof. David Steinberg (dms@tauex.tau.ac.il)

Secretariat: Sachar Erez and Roei Abramovitch (mathcompsc@tauex.tau.ac.il)

Biostatistics is concerned with development and implementation of statistical research methods and with data analysis in the areas of medicine, health, biology and the environment. These research areas have common characteristics from a statistical research perspective which are specific to these areas and consequently Biostatics is acknowledged as a multi-disciplinary topic which is of independent interest. The methods and principles of Biostatistics serve researchers in health sciences, academics, research institutes, the pharmaceutical industry and governmental research authorities to collect information effectively and derive well-founded conclusions from this information.

A central area of Biostatistics is the planning and analysis of clinical trials in medicine and public health. Such trials pose some central problems of medical research which are statistical in nature. These trials are a major component of medical research and testing, and the developed methods thus serve all bodies involved in such research, as mentioned above.

Another area of Biostatistics which is rapidly evolving in recent years is the use of statistics in genetics research. Challenges of this area include the identification and modeling of links between phenotypes (traits like height or disease) and genotypes (genetic information), for example identification of genetic risk factors for disease; analysis of gene expression levels under different conditions, in an attempt to gain understanding on relations between genes and their functions; and understanding and modeling of connections between genomes of different species, like humans and mice. The Biostatistics training is predicated on the notion that from a statistical methodology perspective, these varied research areas are closely related.

Biostatistics is inter-disciplinary by nature. The major topic of this area is statistics, but knowledge of the application areas is also necessary. Therefore our program (joined with the School of Mathematical Sciences of Tel Aviv University), like those of the leading institutions abroad, combines studies in statistics with studies in epidemiology, public health and medical sciences. The program aims to train students that will be able to continue their studies to PhD, as well as professionals who can integrate into the medical research community, in organizations that determine public policy in public health, as well as in the relevant industries: pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and bioinformatics.

Admissions Requirements

• Ability to read, write, and speak Hebrew fluently.
• Applicants must have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution with a minimum grade average of 80 points (B), as well as experience and/or interest in Public Health.

Program Requirements

• Every student in the program will be required to take courses for a total of 30 credits (class hours), to write an MSc thesis and defend it orally to a committee. Students without appropriate background in statistics and/or biology will also be required to take make-up undergraduate courses in mathematics, statistics and health sciences.

All courses are taught in Hebrew unless specified otherwise.