The Master in Statistics (Biostatistics) with a professional focus provides training in statistics for those who wish to apply this discipline in the medical field, especially in clinical and pre-clinical research, pharmaceutical research, epidemiology, public health or in another health science.  

The programme introduces the fundamental concepts of statistics, the main tools for processing data and the key statistical methods in the field of health sciences. Various option courses offer students the possibility of taking additional specialized courses in epidemiology, biomedical engineering or bioinformatics whilst completing their training in health sciences.

By the end of the programme, students will have acquired a solid methodological foundation but also expertise in applied statistics from supervised work, projects involving computer analysis of real data and a possible work placement in business. This Master prepares students for professional life but is also an introduction to work and a preparation for a doctorate in statistics.

Students build a programme of 120 credits made up of core subjects for between 54 and 69 credit, a possible work placement or an application project worth 10 credits and 30 credits for activities in the professional focus including the dissertation. The programme is completed by optional subjects from the different option courses on the programme (11 to 36 credits) in addition to other useful courses within the framework of the Master and agreed by the programme committee.  

The programme must include a maximum of 59 credits for courses which are also in the programme for the Master in Statistics (General).  

Whatever focuses and option courses are chosen, the programme for this Master must come to a minimum of 120 credits spread over two years of study. This corresponds to 60 credits per year.

After one year on the Master in Statistics (Biostatistics) programme, students may request permission to move to the Master in Statistics (General). This is subject to the agreement of the programme committee and may involve taking additional courses.

Advanced Masters :

The Master in Statistics (Biostatistics) with a professional focus is not a prerequisite for any special Advanced Masters. 

Doctoral programmes :

Students who have gained a Master in Statistics (Biostatistics) with a professional focus may enrol for the doctorate in statistics, providing that  :

• they have gained distinction for their programme,
• they take any necessary prerequisite courses up to a maximum of 15 credits,
• there is a supervisor or co-supervisor at the Institute of Statistics who is able to support them in their thesis work ,
• the proposal is agreed by the Doctoral Committee (Commission Doctorale du Domaine -CDD).

Students who have gained a high grade in Year 1 of the Master may take part in international exchange programmes organized by the Institute of Statistics.  There are currently bilateral agreements with the Ecole Nationale de la Statistique et de l'Analyse de l'Information (ENSAI, Rennes, France), the University of Dortmund (Germany) and the University of Bologna (Italy).

Since the Institute of Statistics was established in 1992, its graduates have included a large number of students from French-speaking Africa and Latin America as well as the European Community. As far as research is concerned, the Institute has many excellent contacts with American and European universities.