Should I still apply to biostatistics programs even if I'm more interested in the statistical theory rather than the bio-medicine?

[hcms1]

I will be applying to master's programs (NOT PhD) this upcoming cycle, and I would like to study/research causal inference. I've noticed that this topic seems to be more commonly found in biostatistics departments than a "plain" statistics department. However, I'm not that interested in working with biomedical/genomic/cancer data. It's certainly not a deal breaker, but I do not want to silo myself to only those problems.

So, is it still worth applying to biostatistics programs even though I'm more interested in the statistics/math than health/life sciences? Or should i stay away from them? Thanks!

[bayessays]

Yes, it is worth it if it is a good biostatistics program. But it also depends on your personality. If you don't enjoy that aspect, will you still enjoy grad school if you have to take a public health class and be around people who are more interested in health research all the time? But you'll end up with the skills you want at the end in a good program. 

[hcms1]

14 minutes ago, bayessays said:

Yes, it is worth it if it is a good biostatistics program. But it also depends on your personality. If you don't enjoy that aspect, will you still enjoy grad school if you have to take a public health class and be around people who are more interested in health research all the time? But you'll end up with the skills you want at the end in a good program. 

I certainly do not mind working with public health related topics. In fact, there are some that I actually find quite interesting. However, I do not want to be silo-ed into these fields and end up being stuck working with data from genomics, RNA sequencing, or stuff like that.

Another concern is that I do not have academic or work experience with biology or epidemiology, which may seriously hurt my applications. Do most biostatistics programs care whether I have courses in epidemiology and biology?

[Geococcyx]

Disclaimer:  I'm still in undergrad, this is just what I've seen on the forums.

They shouldn't care that much about a lack of bio experience.  Frankly, I thought I had at least an OK bio background, and it didn't seem to do me much good.  Focus on your math background, you'll be OK!  I think genetics is the one area you'd want some bio background, but you can just do other applications of CI instead.

[bayessays]

47 minutes ago, hcms1 said:

I certainly do not mind working with public health related topics. In fact, there are some that I actually find quite interesting. However, I do not want to be silo-ed into these fields and end up being stuck working with data from genomics, RNA sequencing, or stuff like that.

Another concern is that I do not have academic or work experience with biology or epidemiology, which may seriously hurt my applications. Do most biostatistics programs care whether I have courses in epidemiology and biology?

No, you'll be fine with no biology.  You will not be siloed. Your homework example problems and research opportunities for two years will focus on biology applications but it won't limit you afterwards. 

[statgolem_engineer]

17 hours ago, bayessays said:

No, you'll be fine with no biology.  You will not be siloed. Your homework example problems and research opportunities for two years will focus on biology applications but it won't limit you afterwards. 

I second this.

 

Also, at Harvard, you can cross-register for courses at other schools such as Statistics and CS.