Is my math background strong enough for biostats?

[biostatsquestion]

Okay, here goes ... I was an English major in college, but took enough psychology courses that I was literally 2 courses short from a full double-major in English/Psychology. I also worked as a student researcher in a psych lab.

 

I've been working as a high school English teacher for the past 3 years, but I REALLY miss research and working with data. I'm considering a switch to biostats, partly because I'm very interested in public health, and also because it seems to be a marketable and interesting field. However, I'm not sure whether my math/science background would be strong enough to be admitted.

 

Here is some info on my background:

• I took Calculus BC in high school (junior year) and got a 4/5, and I got a 690/800 on the Math section of the SAT.
• I took a pretty heavy-duty Statistics class in college and got an A.
• Didn't take any science courses in college other than Chem for Nonmajors, although I'm super interested in biology and took 2 courses (Intro to Bio and Genetics) at a community college last summer, just for fun.
• I did psych research for 3 years (again, during college), and was published (2nd author) in a decent journal.

 

I'm not sure whether my math/science background is good enough to be admitted to a Biostats program ... does anyone have any advice? Do you think taking community college courses (more science, more math) would help, or would admissions committees look down on the fact that I didn't take the courses at a real university?

 

[bayessays]

BC calc is equivalent to a year of calculus, is it on your transcript as such?  Most MS programs want to see linear algebra as well, but there are some lower-tier programs that don't require it.  Another option would be an MPH with an emphasis in biostats.  I think taking linear algebra and multivariable calculus at a local community college would be the best option if you wanted to get into an MS program--yes, it's not as good as taking it at a university, but MS programs aren't that picky since you're usually paying your own way.

[biostatsquestion]

Great, thanks for the advice! And yes, BC is listed as Multivariate Cal I and II on my transcript.