Biostats PhD from Economics Background?

[causalinference]

I'm currently working full-time as a research assistant for a professor of economics, and I initially went into this position with the intention of applying to economics grad school. However, I've realized that although I enjoy research, I don't particularly want to do more economics. I also have an interest in public health, and because of this, I've been thinking about switching from economics to biostats.

Ultimately, I'd like to get a PhD in biostats, but I'm wondering if I have the background to apply to PhD programs with my current background, or if this switch would require an MS in biostats first. I unfortunately don't have much of a stats background, though I do have a small math minor, and I've taken a couple of bio classes. Any guidance would be so appreciated!

Undergrad Institution: low-ranked Ivy
Major(s): Economics
Minor(s): Math
GPA: 3.89

Type of Student: Domestic, not URM
GRE Scores: 168Q, 165V

Undegrad courses: linear algebra, calc I-III, probability, real analysis, abstract algebra, intro to programming, genetics, cell biology, econometrics, advanced econometrics. Mostly A- grades

 

Research Experience: Undergraduate thesis in health economics (presented at an undergrad conference). 1 year independent economics research in seminar classes. 2 years full-time research assistant at top economics department. No publications (pubs prior to grad school are pretty rare in economics)

Coding Experience: R, STATA, Python, SQL, SAS
Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Phi Beta Kappa, award for achievement in economics major, high honors in major

Letters of Recommendation: Three letters regarding research ability, should be strong, but all would be from economics

 

Does anyone have a sense if I have a shot at biostats PhD programs, or if should I stick to applying to MS programs?

 

Thanks so much for any guidance! Feel like I'm shooting in the dark right now.

[bayessays]

You should definitely apply to PhD programs. You might be able to get into some top 5 programs, definitely should be able to get into some top 10s.

[Stat Assistant Professor]

You should go for it, if that's what you really want. A ~3.9 GPA from an Ivy (which most people wouldn't consider "low ranking"), with a minor in math and A/A-'s in abstract algebra and real analysis, are certainly nothing to sneeze at and should put you in great shape to admitted to a top Biostatistics PhD program. I could see you being admitted to UNC and UMich, and it is worth trying UW, JHU, and Harvard as well.

[causalinference]

Thanks for this advice, this is really helpful! Seems like the top 5 schools are pretty clear-- any suggestions at what sources to look at to figure out what schools are in the 5-10 range? 

[Geococcyx]

Just look at the USNews statistics rankings, since they are combined stat and biostat, and then the biostat ones either say biostat or are located in schools of public health/medicine.  Top 5 is Harvard, John's Hopkins, Washington, UNC, and Michigan, as you've seen.  6-10 are UC Berkeley, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Columbia/UCLA/MD Anderson.  Obviously these are just approximations: for instance, working with Marc Suchard at UCLA is potentially better than working with the average Prof somewhere else, and some places like NC State do lots of biostat in a stat department, but they're not a bad starting place.

Edit: there are other places that are probably top-10 level (Brown I think, I assume Yale biostat as well) that are lower ranked because they are very small programs that don't admit many students each year.  Other folks can give better info on that than me.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Geococcyx

[StatsG0d]

I also majored in economics, also worked for 2 years doing research assistance in economics, but went straight into biostatistics. I would encourage you to apply directly.

[cl27]

@Geococcyx @Stat PhD Now Postdoc @bayessays

Don't mean to completely hijack this thread, but I posted in a different forum earlier asking about biostats rankings and you all seem pretty well informed  

I'm deciding between a few schools and having a hard time. I know that the thesis adviser/mentor can be more important for future success than the US news ranking, but I would not know ahead of time which faculty I would be working with at each school so I'm not sure how I would factor that in. 

What are you all's thoughts on being fully funded + stipend from UC Denver (27 on US news I think) vs having to pay out of pocket at Minnesota (top 10)?

btw talking about master's here but am more wondering about your thoughts on the quality and reputation of the PhD programs at said schools as I would ideally like to continue to PhD at whichever school I choose (and not have to uproot my life and make my boyfriend find another job after two years).

PS - to OP - your resume sounds quite well suited for biostats and I think you should shoot for PhD! even if you don't get in they will often offer you admission to their MS program, so there's really no point in applying to MS directly

[bayessays]

@cl27 I'd take the UC Denver offer in a heartbeat, personally.  That's a huge difference in terms of money, and since you're not guaranteed PhD admissions at Minnesota, I think that's a huge risk for a modest return.  What's your end goal? 

[cl27]

nothing is finalized at this point, this is just what I see as a likely hypothetical and I appreciate your input! I am just a bit worried about UC because 27 sounds okay until you realize the list only has 35 schools. I just wanted to make sure it doesn’t have a “bad” reputation or would put me at a big disadvantage later. that said, I’m not entirely sure what the end goal is. Industry is very likely but I certainly haven’t ruled out the academia route

[Jasmine Ng]

@cl27

Hi, I wonder did you get the offer for master or PhD biostatistics in UC Denver? If PhD, do you have the master degree? 

[cl27]

I was offered admission to the masters program! I applied to the PhD program, but when I asked them they said they very rarely admit to the PhD program without a masters degree 

[Stat Assistant Professor]

3 hours ago, cl27 said:

nothing is finalized at this point, this is just what I see as a likely hypothetical and I appreciate your input! I am just a bit worried about UC because 27 sounds okay until you realize the list only has 35 schools. I just wanted to make sure it doesn’t have a “bad” reputation or would put me at a big disadvantage later. that said, I’m not entirely sure what the end goal is. Industry is very likely but I certainly haven’t ruled out the academia route

Attending UC Denver wouldn't put you at a disadvantage (for academia) as long as you have a good PhD advisor who can help you get published and you publish good papers during your studies. Actually, when I was on the academic job market this year, I saw that other job candidates were interviewing on-campus at R1 universities who had PhDs from schools like University of Cincinnati and University of Illinois at Chicago. These people tended to have prestigious postdocs and at least one paper in a top journal, though. I won't deny that the program rankings are correlated with certain things (for example, greater number of professors who can supervise you and who can help you get good postdocs through their networks). But that doesn't mean that the *only* strong academic job candidates are from "the top" schools. An impressive CV is an impressive CV, whether it's from somebody at Stanford or UCD, and I think a lot of hiring committees realize that (in Statistics/Biostatistics anyway).

Edited February 26, 2020 by Stat PhD Now Postdoc

[cl27]

thanks I appreciate the input!