Program Overview

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MSc Applied Statistics in Health Sciences

The MSc Applied Statistics in Health Sciences is a conversion course, offering the opportunity to develop skills in statistics and data analysis even if you have never studied statistics before. You will be supported by members of staff who work directly with industry to develop skills which are relevant to current areas of research including population health and medicine, animal and plant health, finance and business.

Key Facts

• Start date: September
• Accreditation: Royal Statistical Society: MSc graduates may qualify for GradStat status
• Study mode and duration: 12 months full-time (on campus)

Study with Us

The course is designed for those with a background in a broad range of disciplines. You will learn about probability and how to analyse data, and gain skills in problem-solving, big data, and the use of statistical software packages.

Why this Course?

Our MSc in Applied Statistics in Health Sciences is a conversion course, offering the opportunity to develop skills in statistics and data analysis even if you have never studied statistics before. You will be supported by members of staff who work directly with industry to develop skills which are relevant to current areas of research including population health and medicine, animal and plant health, finance and business.

What You'll Study

The three modules covered in Semester 1 will equip you with fundamental probability and data analysis skills. In Semester 2, there are four modules studying full-time on campus, each focusing on a different applied element of being a statistician. The course concludes with a research project that will involve the analysis of a real-life data set.

Programme Skills Set

On the MSc Applied Statistics in Health Science programme, you'll have the opportunity to acquire:

• an in-depth knowledge of modern statistical methods used to analyse and visualise real-life data sets, and the experience of how to apply these methods in a professional setting
• skills in using statistical software packages used in government, industry, and commerce
• the ability to interpret the output from statistical tests and data analyses, and communicate your findings to a variety of audiences including health professionals, scientists, government officials, managers, and stakeholders who may have an interest in the problem
• problem-solving and high numeracy skills widely sought after in the commercial sector through the contacts with APHA and NHS staff, an understanding of what it's like to work as an applied statistician in practice including, for example, during disease outbreaks

Facilities

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics has teaching rooms which provide you with access to modern teaching equipment and computing laboratories that are state-of-the-art with all necessary software available. You'll also have a common room facility, a modern and flexible area which is used for individual and group study work, and also a relaxing social space.

The Department of Mathematics & Statistics

At the heart of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics is the University’s aim of developing useful learning. We're an applied department with many links to industry and government. Most of the academic staff teaching on this course hold joint appointments with, or are funded by, other organisations, including APHA, Public Health and Intelligence (Health Protection Scotland), Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS). We bridge the gap between academia and real-life. Our research has societal impact.

Guest Lectures

Several modules will be taught by academics who also work for other organisations, including government and health services.

Teaching Staff

Staff members include:

• Dr Neil Banas
• Dr Bingzhang Chen
• Dr Alison Gray
• Prof David Greenhalgh
• Dr Kim Kavanagh
• Dr Louise Kelly
• Prof Chris Robertson
• Dr David Young
• Dr Ainsley Miller
• Ryan Stewart
• Andrew Browne

Entry Requirements

• Academic requirements/experience: Minimum second-class (2:2) Honours degree or overseas equivalent. Mathematical training to A Level or equivalent standard. Prospective students with relevant experience or appropriate professional qualifications are also welcome to apply.
• Mathematical knowledge: Applicants are required to have some prior mathematical knowledge, e.g., A level or equivalent in calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations.
• English language requirements: You must have an English language minimum score of IELTS 6.0 (with no component below 5.5).

Fees & Funding

• Scotland: £11,900
• England, Wales & Northern Ireland: £11,900
• Republic of Ireland: If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status.
• International: £25,500
• Available scholarships: British Council Scholarships for Women in STEM

Careers

We work closely with the University's Careers Service. They offer advice and guidance on career planning and looking for and applying for jobs. In addition, they administer and publicise graduate and work experience opportunities.

There are many exciting career opportunities for graduates in applied statistics. The practical, real-life skills that you'll gain mean you'll be much in demand in international organisations. A report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry identified statistics and data mining as “two key areas in which a 'skills gap' is threatening the UK's biopharmaceutical industry.”

Graduates from the MSc Applied Statistics programme have gone on to be employed in a number of different sectors such as:

• Clinical Trials Statistician at Usher Institute
• Data Analyst at Bending Spoons
• Associate Statistician at Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Biostatistician at Optical Express
• Statistician at Phastar (x7)
• Statistician at Quotient Sciences (x3)
• Information Analyst at NHS Scotland
• Statistician at Scottish Government (x4)
• Statistician at Abbots Diabetes Care
• Medical Statistician at University of Oxford
• Credit Risk Analyst at Clydesdale Bank
• Statistical Analyst at Medpace
• Data Scientist at Scottish Water
• PhD studentship in social sciences

Course Content

Throughout your studies, you will take 80 credits of compulsory taught classes, 40 credits of elective taught classes, and in the third (summer) term, you'll also undertake your MSc Project (60 credits).

Compulsory Classes

• Foundations of Probability & Statistics (20 credits)
• Data Analytics in R (20 credits)
• Experimental Design (10 credits)
• Multivariate Analysis (10 credits)
• Medical Statistics (20 credits)

Elective Classes

Students are required to take at least 10 credits from List A and the remaining 30 credits can be from List A and/or List B modules.

List A

• Quantitative Risk Analysis (10 credits)
• Bayesian Spatial Statistics (10 credits)
• Survey Design & Analysis (10 credits)
• Effective Statistical Consultancy (10 credits)
• Financial Econometrics (10 credits)
• Financial Stochastic Processes (10 credits)
• Data dashboards with RShiny (10 credits)
• Big Data Tools & Techniques (10 credits)
• Big Data Fundamentals (10 credits)
• Machine Learning for Data Analytics (20 credits)
• Statistical Machine Learning (10 credits)

Learning & Teaching

Classes are delivered by a number of teaching methods:

• lectures (using a variety of media including electronic presentations and computer demonstrations)
• tutorials
• computer laboratories
• coursework
• projects

Teaching is student-focused, with students encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and development. Classes are supported by web-based materials.

Assessment

The form of assessment varies from class to class. For most classes, the assessment involves both coursework and examinations.

• The assessment will ask you to demonstrate your statistical knowledge and skills to analyse real-world data and interpret the results in the context of the research question
• Projects will involve writing code, interpreting statistical outputs, and producing a report, or presentation outlining the findings from your analysis
• Group work may be undertaken in some classes

Pre-Masters Preparation Course

The Pre-Masters Programme is a preparation course held at the University of Strathclyde International Study Centre, for international students (non-UK/Ireland) who do not meet the academic entry requirements for a Masters degree at the University of Strathclyde.

Upon successful completion, you'll be able to progress to this degree course at the University of Strathclyde.