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.
By the end of this programme students will 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
Duration: one year full-time; part-time or split-study over two years. Ways to study explained.
Medical Statistics
Programme Director Kathy Baisley talks about the programme.
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.
The Department of Medical Statistics carried out the BRAIN 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
What are my career prospects as a medical statistician?
There is a shortage of well-trained medical statisticians and graduates from this programme are in high demand; employment opportunities are numerous and varied.
LSHTM Graduates of the MSc Medical Statistics typically pursue careers in:
- Medical and epidemiological research
- Research councils
- The pharmaceutical industry
- Non-governmental organisations
- Governmental institutions (such as the Health Protection Agency and the World Health Organization)
- Ministries of health
- Academia
- National health services
- Contract research organisations
Why choose LSHTM?
- LSHTM is a specialist public health institution, renowned all over the world for its research excellence and prestigious postgraduate study programmes
- We consistently rank highly in various global university league tables, and have a strong academic and media presence worldwide
- The international character of LSHTM contributes significantly to the quality and range of its teaching and training: our students come from over 155 countries, with over 60% from outside the UK
- Our global graduate network of over 20,000 actively engaged alumni and international research collaborations create fantastic networking opportunities for students.
The below structure outlines the proposed modules for this programme. Programme and module specifications provide full details about the aims and objectives of each module, what you will study and how the module is assessed.
- Structure of the year
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Term 1 (September - December) consists of ten teaching weeks for AB1 slot modules, plus one Reading Week* in the middle of the term, followed by the Winter break.
Term 2 (January - March) consists of a further ten weeks of teaching for C and D slot modules, plus a Reading Week in the middle of the term. C modules are taught in five half-week blocks before Reading Week. D modules are taught in five half-week blocks after Reading Week, followed by the Spring break.
Term 3 (April - September) consists of five weeks of teaching for E slot modules, taught in half-week blocks, and the project report.
*Reading Week is a week during term where no formal teaching takes place. It is a time for private study, preparing for assessments or attending study/computer skills workshops. There are two Reading Weeks at LSHTM: one in November and the other in February.
- Term 1
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All students take four compulsory AB1 modules:
- Concepts and Methods in Epidemiology
- Clinical Trials
- Foundations of Medical Statistics
- Introduction to Statistical Computing
- Terms 2 and 3
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Students take a total of five study modules, one from each timetable slot (C1, C2, D1, D2, E). The list below shows recommended or compulsory modules. There are other optional modules which may be taken only after consultation with the Programme Director.
C1 slot
- Statistical Models for Discrete Outcomes (compulsory)
C2 slot
- Statistical Analysis (compulsory)
D1 slot
- Analysis of Hierarchical and Other Dependent Data
D2 slot
- Bayesian Analysis (compulsory)
E slot
- Advanced Statistical Methods in Epidemiology
- Causal Inference and Missing Data
- Project report
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During the summer months (July - August), students complete a research project, for submission by early September. This usually consists of analysing a set of data and writing a report, but methodological research can also be undertaken.
Please note: Should it be the case that you are unable to travel overseas or access laboratories in order to complete your project, you will be able to complete an alternative desk-based project allowing you to obtain your qualification within the original time frame. Alternatively, you will be able to defer your project to the following year.
Prize
The Andrew Hewett Prize is founded in memory of Andrew Hewett, an alumnus of LSHTM, and awarded to the best student on the programme.
Changes to the programme
LSHTM will seek to deliver this programme in accordance with the description set out on this programme page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for LSHTM to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.
In order to be admitted to an LSHTM master's degree programme, an applicant must:
- hold either a first degree at Second Class Honours (2:2) standard in a relevant discipline, or a degree in medicine recognised by the UK General Medical Council (GMC) for the purposes of practising medicine in the UK, or another degree of equivalent standard awarded by an overseas institution recognised by UK ENIC or the GMC.
or
- hold a professional qualification appropriate to the programme of study to be followed obtained by written examinations and judged by LSHTM to be equivalent to a Second Class Honours (2:2) degree or above.
or
- have relevant professional experience or training which is judged by LSHTM to be equivalent to a Second Class Honours (2:2) degree or above.
If you have not previously studied in the UK, you can check our guide to international equivalent qualifications for our master's degrees.
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.
As part of the admissions process all suitable applicants will be invited to interview. Applicants who live overseas will be offered a video or telephone interview and those who live in the UK will be invited to LSHTM. We are also happy to interview UK applicants by video or telephone if preferred, due to work or study commitments.
We accept students from a variety of backgrounds, so a mathematics or statistics-related degree is not necessary in order to be accepted onto the MSc Medical Statistics. What is most important is a firm mathematical foundation. In particular, we require: a good working grasp of elementary calculus; familiarity with matrix algebra; and good working basic algebra, including logarithms and exponents. Some familiarity with elementary probability theory is also helpful.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum entry requirement, but who have relevant professional experience may still be eligible for admission. Qualifications and experience will be assessed from the application.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language, you will need to meet these requirements: Band B
Please see our English language requirements for more information.
Intercalating students
You will need the equivalent of a bachelor's degree to undertake an MSc. This will usually require you to have a BSc degree or have completed the first three years of your medical degree. More information on intercalating an MSc at LSHTM.
Access and widening participation
At LSHTM we are committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds feel encouraged to apply to study with us. To that end, we have introduced an innovative contextual admissions system that is designed to consider any barriers applicants may have faced and take account of the circumstances in which their grades have been achieved, rather than relying on results alone. More information on widening participation at LSHTM.
| Fees 2023/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Home | Full-time | £12,330 |
| Part-time | £6,165 | |
| EU/Overseas | Full-time | £28,540 |
| Part-time | £14,270 |
*Mobile users, scroll right to view fees
Sources of funding:
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:
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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 - Example organisations:
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Amnesty International
Cancer Research UK
Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU)
GlaxoSmithKline
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Medical Research Council
Ministry of Health
MRC Biostatistics Unit
National Collaborating Centre for Women's & Children's Health
Numerus Ltd
Veramed
Infectious Diseases Institute
Novartis
Hear from a MSc Medical Statistics student
Lori describes her experience of studying the MSc Medical Statistics at LSHTM.
Applications should be made online and will only be considered once you have provided all required information and supporting documentation.
Please also read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.
You can apply for up to two master's programmes. Make sure to list them by order of preference as consideration will be given to your top choice first.
Application deadlines
All applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible to ensure availability of a place and a timely decision on their application. This is particularly important for applicants with sponsorship deadlines.
We strongly advise that you apply early as popular programmes will close earlier than the stated deadline if they become full.
The final closing dates for all taught Master’s applications for entry in the 2023/24 academic year is:
- Sunday 23 July 2023 at 23:59 UK time for all students requiring a Student visa
- Thursday 31 August 2023 at 23:59 UK time for all UK, Irish and non-Student visa students
Applicants will be required to meet the conditions of their offer and provide all necessary documents by the date of their Offer of Admission.
Application fee
A standard non-refundable application fee of £50 applies to all taught Master’s degree programmes and is payable upon application submission. Income generated from the application fee is shared between scholarships and student hardship fund.
Tuition fee deposit
Applicants are required to respond to their Offer of Admission and pay the £500 deposit within 28 days of receipt, or their place will be released and the offer automatically declined. The deposit is deductible from tuition fees upon full registration with LSHTM.
Do you need a visa?
Please visit our Visa & Immigration pages for advice and guidance.