Biostatistician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a biostatistician. Biostatisticians usually study statistics, biostatistics, or mathematics. 47% of biostatisticians hold a bachelor's degree, and 41% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 944 real biostatistician resumes to see exactly what biostatistician education sections show.

The most common colleges for biostatisticians are the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are also many online biostatistician courses to help get the education required to be a biostatistician.

What education do you need to become a biostatistician?

What degree do you need to be a biostatistician?

The most common degree for biostatisticians is bachelor's degree, with 47% of biostatisticians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 41% and master's degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 47%

Master's, 41%

Doctorate, 11%

Associate, 1%

Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a biostatistician?

You should major in statistics to become a biostatistician. 27% of biostatisticians major in statistics. Other common majors for a biostatistician include biostatistics and mathematics.

Statistics, 27%

Biostatistics, 19%

Mathematics, 16%

Biology, 6%

Other Majors, 32%

Most common colleges for biostatisticians

Biostatisticians often get their degrees at University of California, Santa Barbara, University of California - Davis, and University of Utah. Here are the most common colleges for biostatisticians in the US based on their resumes.

Biostatistician common college	Percentages
University of California, Santa Barbara	10.07%
University of California - Davis	9.35%
University of Utah	7.19%
University of Kentucky	6.47%
Grand Valley State University	5.76%

Show more common biostatistician colleges

Best majors for biostatisticians

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Statistics	27.4%
2	Biostatistics	18.9%
3	Mathematics	16.2%
4	Biology	6.1%
5	Psychology	4.3%

Show more common biostatistician majors

Best colleges for biostatisticians

The best colleges for biostatisticians are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

A biostatistician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for biostatisticians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become biostatisticians.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

4. Emory University

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,306

Enrollment

6,975

5. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$53,909

Enrollment

6,348

9. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick, NJ • Private

In-state tuition

$14,974

Enrollment

35,656

20 best online courses for biostatisticians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for biostatisticians

The most affordable schools for biostatisticians are University of Florida, brigham young university, and florida state university.

If the best universities for biostatisticians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for biostatisticians.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$8,178

Cost of attendance

20,934

8. California State University - East Bay

Hayward, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,983

Cost of attendance

21,371

9. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

In-state tuition

$9,283

Cost of attendance

22,243

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for biostatisticians

The hardest universities for biostatisticians to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for biostatisticians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for biostatisticians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for biostatisticians

The easiest schools for biostatisticians to get into are Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden, washington state university, and the university of texas at el paso.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a biostatistician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for biostatisticians.

1. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

2. Washington State University

Pullman, WA • Private

Admissions rate

77%

SAT average

1,123

3. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

4. Augusta University

Augusta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,172

5. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

64%

SAT average

1,132

6. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

7. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

8. Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI • Private

Admissions rate

76%

SAT average

1,025

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

67%

SAT average

987

Average biostatistician salary by education level

According to our data, biostatisticians with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $110,711 annually. Biostatisticians with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $92,780.

Biostatistician education level	Biostatistician salary
Master's Degree	$92,780
Bachelor's Degree	$81,063
Doctorate Degree	$110,711

Biostatistician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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