Persons wishing to take courses in the Master of Biostatistics program as a degree candidate must be admitted to the program. The program welcomes applications from students holding a bachelor's degree (or the equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree) from an accredited institution.
The application for the 2025-2026 year will open in September 2024, and close on January 4, 2025. It is important to note that applications and letters of recommendation will not be accepted after this deadline.
In addition to the prerequisite bachelor's degree, all applicants must submit an online application, a non-refundable $80.00 application fee, official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, and three letters of recommendation. Submitting GRE scores is optional for the Master of Biostatistics application. The Admissions Committee will not penalize applicants who chose not to include GRE scores in their application materials. International applicants must also submit official scores on an English language proficiency test, such as TOEFL, IELTS, or DUOLINGO.
Graduate students in good standing and actively matriculating in other degree programs are eligible to enroll in select Master of Biostatistics courses, subject to constraints imposed by course prerequisites and class size limitations.
The sub-sections listed below serve as a checklist of required application materials and provide answers to frequently asked questions.
The minimum requirements for admission to the Master of Biostatistics Program include:
- A bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree) from an accredited institution.
- Mathematics coursework through multivariable calculus and a strong interest in biological science. Linear algebra is highly recommended.
Incoming students must be well-prepared in terms of general mathematical and scientific background. Strength in mathematics is assumed. Prior coursework or other relevant experience in the biological sciences is not required, but will be advantageous and viewed favorably in admissions decisions.
All applicants to the Master of Biostatistics program must complete and submit an online application. Click below for the Fall 2025 application once is its available September 5, 2023.
Our online application is part of the EASE Application Network. You will need to set up an account and password so that you can save and access your application at any time. The Application for the 2025-2026 school year will open on September 2024. The deadline for submission of applications and all letters of recommendation to the Master of Biostatistics program is January 4, 2025.
Application System Requirements
- Pop-up blockers must be disabled for the site.
- You will need a web browser that has Javascript activated (most are, so don't worry about that).
- You must logout of the online application after each session.
- For full application requirements please visit EASE.
* Please do not send blanket emails to our faculty members. Our program does not require that applicants be sponsored by a faculty member, and such emails do not improve your chances of being accepted into the program.
The Master of Biostatistics Program requires submission of electronic transcripts from all graduate and undergraduate institutions where:
- you earned (or will earn) a degree,
- studied for one semester or more,
- earned 12 or more hours of credit,
- took classes that relate to your graduate study interests.
Transcripts should be submitted to the Master of Biostatistics Program via upload during the course of filling out the online application. It is critical all required transcripts be uploaded to the online application. The uploaded transcripts must be legible. If your Social Security Number (SSN) appears on your transcripts, please mark out all except the last four digits of the number before uploading the transcripts to your application. For further details on uploading a transcript, please refer to the Uploading a Transcript sub-section.
If you are offered admission, and join the Master of Biostatistics program, we will request official transcripts at that time. Do not have official transcripts sent prior to receiving an offer of admission.
Transcript Requirements for Study Abroad Courses
You do not need to provide a separate transcript for a study abroad course, as long as the name of the study abroad institution, the course name, and the course grade appear on the baccalaureate transcript.
If all of these course details do NOT appear on the baccalaureate transcript, consider the following questions:
- Did you receive at least 12 hours of credit from the institution?
- Did you attend the institution for at least one semester?
- Did the courses you completed relate to your graduate study interests?
If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, please obtain a transcript from the study abroad institution and upload a copy of that transcript to your application. If the answer to all of the questions is no, you do not need to provide a transcript for the course.
Note to International Applicants
The academic records that we refer to as transcripts should provide a listing, year-by-year, of all courses taken and the grade or marks received for each one. It is helpful to have the grading scales of the institution and the student’s rank in class included when such information is available. Do not submit secondary school records. To be considered, all documents not in English must be accompanied by English translations from the issuing institution or a professional translation service.
Duke University reserves the right to rescind any offer of admission if any discrepancies are found between your uploaded and official transcript(s).
Acceptable Transcript Formats
- Scanned copies of paper transcripts produced by the institution.
- Electronic transcripts produced by the institution.
- Web-based academic records produced by the institution and containing the name of the institution.
Tips for Uploading a Transcript
- Make sure that your file is in Word (.doc) or PDF format and does not exceed 1.5 MB (1,500 kb) in size.
- Do not scan in color. Use grey scale if possible; otherwise use black and white.
- To ensure that your file is smaller than the maximum size, you may have to scan your file at the lowest DPI that produces a legible image. In most cases, you will be able to use a DPI under 200.
Once you have uploaded your file, click the “View Document” button to ensure that the document you have uploaded is legible throughout. If it is not legible, please try again. You may need to adjust the settings of your scanner to produce a scan that is both legible and smaller than 1.5 MB.
It is critical that all required transcripts be loaded to the online application. Please do not e-mail your transcripts to the program unless you have followed all the guidelines listed above without success.
If you are absolutely unable to upload your transcript to the online application, please e-mail it as an attachment to Kendall Mincey. In the body of the e-mail, be sure to include your name.
If your school does not issue transcripts directly to students, please have your school send a secure, electronic copy of your transcript to Kendall Mincey or have them mail a paper copy to the program using the appropriate mailing address listed on the Mailing Address sub-section.
While valid GRE scores can be included in application materials, they are not required for admission to the program. You may use the institution code 5156 if you choose to take the GRE. ETS will send the official scores to Duke.
Note to International Applicants
We realize that the GRE scores of international students, particularly those whose first language is not English, may be affected by language and cultural differences. This is taken into consideration when such students’ applications are evaluated.
For further information on the GRE and registration forms, you may also visit the GRE website or contact:
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6000
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6000 USA
Telephone: 800.537.3160 (U.S.) / 609.771.7670 (Non-U.S.)
Much of your success in graduate study in the United States will rest on your ability to understand, read, write, and speak English. If English is not your first language, evidence of proficiency in its use will be a decisive factor in the application review process.
The Master of Biostatistics Program requires that any* applicant whose first language is not English must submit scores from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the academic modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or DUOLINGO. Your score must not be more than two years old from July 1 of the application year. For example, if you application is submitted between August 2022 and January 2023, your score report must be dated July 1, 2020 or later. An official copy of your English language proficiency test scores must be sent to the Master of Biostatistics Program directly from the testing agency. Please note that expired scores and personal copies are not acceptable, nor are “attested” or notarized copies.
The TOEFL is administered through Educational Testing Service (ETS). Please note that ETS reports TOEFL scores for only up to two years after the test date. If you are required to submit a TOEFL score and ETS refuses to report your score, you should take the TOEFL prior to submitting your application. More information about the TOEFL is available on the ETS website. The TOEFL institution code number for Duke University is 5156. ETS will also require you to select a departmental code, although the university does not require it. Regardless of the department code entered, the scores will come to the Master of Biostatistics Program as long as you use institution code 5156.
The IELTS is administered by Cambridge ESOL, British Council, and IDP: IELTS Australia. More information about the IELTS is available on the IELTS website. Official IELTS scores should be mailed to the program using the appropriate mailing address listed in the Mailing Addresses sub-section.
English for International Students (EIS)
We want all our students to have every opportunity to excel in the Master of Biostatistics Program and in the field of Biostatistics. Therefore, any student whose first language is not English will be asked to take an English assessment exam prior to the start of the program. We strongly believe that proficiency with English will not only enhance your time at Duke University but will greatly assist your work in biostatistics, searching successfully for a job, and networking.
Though some students place out of the English courses, based on the results of the assessment, you may be required to take up to two English courses as part of your degree requirements. These courses are provided by the English for International Students (EIS) program and are independent of the TOEFL score submission requirement. EIS was created specifically to help international students improve their academic speaking and writing skills and prepare for greater success in their academic work, allowing them to represent Duke University with excellence both domestically (on and off campus) and globally.
*TOEFL/IELTS Waiver Policy
To be eligible for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver, you must have studied fulltime for two years or more at a college or university where the sole language of instruction is English and in a country where English is the primary spoken language. The two years of study must be completed prior to the start of the program.
If you qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver based on the above criteria, mention where you completed the two-year study requirement in your personal statement.
Three (3) letters of recommendation are required in support of your application to the Master of Biostatistics Program. Letters should be submitted electronically through the EASE admission application. Please request letters from your recommenders upon creating your application. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted after the application deadline.
Please request letters of recommendation from persons best qualified to testify to your capacity for graduate work. It is always our preference to have academic references representing your major field, though we realize that there are situations where this may not be possible. In such circumstances, we encourage students to seek out those persons who can comment on qualities that will be relevant to academic pursuits, particularly biomedical research.
Note: We strongly discourage you from requesting more than the required number of recommendations unless the program has asked to see additional recommendations. Rather than improving your chances of admission, an excessive number of recommendation letters may actually cause application reviewers to view your file unfavorably.
The application for the 2025-2026 year will open in September 2024. The application deadline for the Master of Biostatistics program is January 4, 2025. We do not offer Spring semester admission. Please email Kendall Mincey should you have any questions about the application timeline or process..
If using the United States Postal Service, please use the following address:
Master of Biostatistics Program
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
DUMC Box 2734
Durham, NC 27710
If using FedEx, UPS, DHL, or any other courier service that will not deliver to a P.O. Box, please use the following address:
Master of Biostatistics Program
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Hock Plaza, Suite G06
2424 Erwin Road
Durham, NC 27705-3860