Published: 22-11-2023 17:36 | Updated: 06-12-2023 10:33

The first Nordic Master's Programme in Biostatistics and Data Science will start in autumn 2024

Students on campus. Photo: Liza Simonsson

The programme is given in collaboration within the framework of the University Alliance Stockholm Trio; Karolinska Institutet (KI), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Stockholm University (SU).

Paul Dickman, KI's programme director for the master's programme in biostatistics and computer science. Photo: Ulf Sirborn.

‒ The unique aspects of the new programme are the combination of both biostatistics and data science and the focus on applications in biology, medicine, and health science. The part that is new, and unique, is that a medical faculty (KI) is taking a leading role in a master’s programme in the area of statistics and data science, says Paul Dickman, the KI Programme Director of the new master’s programme.

The programme benefits from the complementary strengths of the three Stockholm Trio universities; KI with research in biostatistics, biology, medicine and health science; KTH in computational statistics, machine learning, and image analysis; and SU in mathematical statistics, infectious disease modeling and population genetics. 

‒ During the programme, students will study at all three universities, with a strong focus on ensuring the programme is coherent and that students feel a sense of belonging to each of the three universities, says Paul Dickman.

A sought-after competence 

There is a great need for trained personnel in this area due to an increasing demand for data-driven decision-making.

‒ The combination of a high demand for skills and few training programmes means excellent employment opportunities for graduates in industry, such as biomedicine, healthcare and insurance, and academia,' says Paul Dickman. 

After graduating from the programme, there are good opportunities for students to pursue doctoral studies, both by developing new methods but also for research in biology, medicine and public health.

Who can apply for the programme?

The programme is a global master's programme taught entirely in English and students from all countries are welcome to apply. The ambition for the programme is to have students from all around the world as well as students from Sweden.

The programme is aimed at students with a background in mathematics, statistics, computer science or related disciplines. More information on admission requirements can be found on the admissions pages. Questions about admission are handled by KTH

Applications are open now until 15 January 2024