The Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree Program is a 42.5 credit program with the goal of training clinicians with the quantitative skills needed for a clinical research career. Research training is provided through a series of required and elective courses. In addition, students in this program are required to complete a research thesis under the joint supervision of a local research advisor and a member of the faculty of the Department of Epidemiology at HSPH.
This program begins with a core set of required courses in introductory epidemiology and biostatistics. Students have two options for completing this requirement. Under Option A, students can initiate their training by enrolling in the 15-credit Program in Clinical Effectiveness and take the full summer morning courses in introductory epidemiology (EPI208) and biostatistics (BST206/BST208). Alternatively, under Option B, students begin their training by taking the introductory courses in epidemiology (EPI500/EPI202) and biostatistics (BST202/BST203) through the Summer Session for Public Health Studies. The target audience for the introductory core courses listed under Option A are for physicians seeking careers as clinical investigators, while those under Option B are aimed at both a clinical and public health audience.
The following table summarizes the three options for starting the Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Program.
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Options for Starting Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree Program |
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| Option A | Option B | |
| Core Courses in Introductory Epidemiology and Biostatistics | Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness (July – August) |
Summer Session for Public Health Studies (July – August) |
| Introductory Epidemiology | EPI208 Introduction to Clinical Epidemiology (5 credits) |
EPI500 Fundamentals of Epidemiology (2.5 credits)EPI202 Elements of Epidemiologic Research (2.5 credits) |
| Introductory Biostatistics | BST206Introduction to Statistics for Medical Research(2.5 credits) AND BST208 Statistics for Medical Research Advanced(2.5 credits) OR BST207 Statistics for Medical Research II (2.5 credits) |
BST 202Principles of Biostatistics: Part I (2.5 Credits) AND BST 203Principles of Biostatistics: Part II (2.5 Credits) |
| Total Credits | 10 credits | 10 credits |
The following table describes full set of requirements for the Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree Program. In addition to one of the two above options for training in introductory epidemiology and biostatistics, students must take an advanced course in epidemiology (EPI236), another course in epidemiology methods and a biostatistics course on regression methods. The latter requirement can be fulfilled in three ways. Students must also take between 17.5 – 22.5 additional credits from a list of elective credits and complete a thesis for 5.0 -12.5 credits. The following table summarizes the current requirements for the Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Program.
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Requirements of Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree Program |
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| Introductory Epidemiology | EPI208 and BST206 and (BST207 or BST 208) (10 credits) or EPI500/EPI202 and BST202/BST203(10 credits) |
| Advanced Epidemiology Methods | EPI236 (5 credits) |
| Study Design in Clinical Epidemiology | EPI210 (2.5 credits) |
| Required: an additional 2.5 ordinal credits from the following: | EPI 202 (2.5 credits) EPI 288 (2.5 credits) EPI 293 (2.5 credits) EPI 271 (1.25 credits) BST 224 (2.5 credits) BST 213 (5 credits) |
| Elective Courses | All students must have ordinal 30 – 37.5 credits from required and elective courses |
| Thesis Preparation | EPI315 (variable credits) |
| Additional Thesis Credits | EPI315 All students must have 5 -12.5 thesis credits |
| Total | 42.5 credits |
The following table displays the current list of over 30 courses covering a variety of research methods that can be taken as required courses or as electives.
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Required and Elective Courses of Summer-Only Master of Science in Epidemiology Degree Program |
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| Course | Number | Instructor | Credits | Period | Length |
| Analysis Aspects of Clinical Epidemiology | EPI236 | Fran Cook | 5.0 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Comparative Effectiveness Methods I | EPI500 | Bert Hofman | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Measuring Health Outcomes | HPM530 | Marcia Testa | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Health Services Research | HPM276 | Arnold Epstein | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Decision Analysis in Clinical Research | RDS286 | Uwe Siebert | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Environmental and Occupation Epidemiology | ID215 | Francine Laden | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Society and Health | SBS201 | Ichero Kawachi | 2.5 | Summer1 | 3 weeks |
| Elements of Epidemiologic Research | EPI202 | Murray Mittleman | 2.5 | Summer2 | 3 weeks |
| Survival Methods for Clinical Research | BST224 | Roger Davis | 2.5 | Summer2 | 3 weeks |
| Methods for Decision Making in Medicine | RDS288 | Myriam Hunick | 2.5 | Summer2 | 3 weeks |
| Economics for Health Policy | HPM209 | Meredith Rosenthal | 2.5 | Summer2 | 3 weeks |
| Research with Large Databases | HPM299 | John Ayanian Ellen McCarthy | 2.5 | Summer2 | 3 weeks |
| Applied Regression for Clinical Research | BST213 | John Orav | 5.0 | Fall Semester (online) | 16 weeks |
| Data Mining and Prediction | EPI288 | Nancy Cook Fran Cook | 2.5 | Winter | 3 weeks |
| Propensity Scores | EPI271 | Tobias Kurth John Seeger | 1.25 | Winter | 1 week |
| Analysis of Genetic Association Studies | EPI293 | Liming Liang | 2.5 | Winter | 2 weeks |
| Stochastic Processes with Applications to Biology and Medicine | BST222 | Cristian Tomasetti | 1.25 | Winter | 3 weeks |
