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MSc Program Details

The MSc program is for students who want to gain research experience by applying epidemiological and biostatistical methods to a thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.

The MSc program generally requires a minimum of two years of full-time study with the first eight months devoted primarily to coursework. Masters students may choose to complete their degree requirements through part-time study. Please see our Timeline page for more information.

A Quick Overview

30 Credits Minimum

Thesis Required

Maintain at Least a 76% (B+) Average

Full-time or Part-time Option

Core Courses

These courses are required of all MSc students.

SPPH 400 Statistics for Health Research 3 Credits

Planned collection, numeric and graphic summarization, and elementary statistical analysis of data.

Syllabus
BL Syllabus

SPPH 500 Analytical Methods in Epidemiological Research 3 Credits

Basic epidemiological designs as a framework for commonly used biostatistical techniques such as the Mantel-Haenszel, chi-squared, linear and logistic regression, and survival analysis.

Traditional Syllabus
DL Syllabus

SPPH 502 Epidemiological Methods I 3 Credits

Sources and uses of epidemiologic data for health services planning and administration including methods of data collection and study design.

Traditional Syllabus
DL Syllabus

SPPH 507 M.Sc. Research Seminar (Rounds and Research in Progress) 1.5 Credits

SPPH 507 in conjunction with SPPH 607 is a required course for students in the MSc program. Students present and discuss their research and other topics of interest.

Syllabus

SPPH 599 M.Sc Thesis 12 Credits

At Least One of the Following

SPPH 503 Epidemiological Methods II 3 Credits

Planned collection, numeric and graphic summarization, and elementary statistical analysis of data.

Syllabus

SPPH 506 Quantitative Research Methods 3 Credits

Major quantitative research designs, measurement reliability and validity, common data sources used, internal and external validity, research proposals, and peer review.

Traditional Syllabus

SPPH 519 Qualitative Methods in Health Research Design 3 Credits

Purposes, context, procedures, and relationships within qualitative health research and methodologies.

Syllabus

Exemptions

If you have taken an equivalent course previously, you can ask for an exemption, except for SPPH 507. If you want to check whether you are eligible for an exemption, please contact the course instructor before the class is held. Should you receive an exemption, you will still need to register for the course, which will show on your transcript as ‘EX’. It’s important to note that this will not reduce the total credits required for the degree – you will need to substitute the same number of credits by taking a different course.

Electives

Electives should be chosen, with the advice of the thesis supervisor and thesis committee. They may be chosen from the list of SPPH courses or from other University courses.

Thesis

For more information on the thesis for this program, please visit this page. The School of Population and Public Health cannot guarantee funding for successful applications. Applicants are advised to pursue potential funding opportunities with their identified supervisor. Alternatively please see our Awards and Funding Programs page.