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Student Resources: Epidemiology and Biostatistics

The department has ample resources that students can use. Resources include courses preparation for degree studies, career development, funding opportunities, internship sites, job opportunities, and statistic collaboratorium.

MPH Resources

MPH Internship Experience 

A public health internship is a requirement for the Master of Public Health degree. It is a separate experience from the project/thesis requirement. All core program competencies must be met between both culminating experiences (internship and project/thesis).

The 240 hour internship is designed to enable students to gain practical experience as professionals under conditions conducive to educational development. The internship is a time-limited, supervised period of epidemiology and/or biostatistical activities carried out in a public health organization that works with epidemiologic studies and/or uses biostatistics methods. The internship provides students with the opportunity to integrate and apply knowledge and skills obtained in the MPH program.

EPIB students have found internships at a wide variety of organizations, including: National Center for Health Statistics, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Mental Health, Food and Drug Administration, National Human Genome Institute, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Adventist HealthCare, Pan American Health Organization, IOWA Foundation for Medical Care, and Consortium Health Plans.

The full description, timeline, and instructions for the completion of the internship requirement can be found in the Internship Handbook, which is to be reviewed carefully prior to the beginning your internship search.

General guidelines:

  • Students identify several specific internship learning goals and select an appropriate work environment that offers opportunities to achieve the goals.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to choose an internship site, but with the consultation of the faculty advisor and MPH Internship Coordinator.
  • Site election is due by the end of the semester prior to the internship semester.
  • If students are full-time employees, the internship must be separate and distinct from the student’s regular job assignments/duties.
  • The internship must total a minimum of 240 contact hours at the placement site (approximately 2 days per week over a 15-week period). Part-time students with full-time job duties may need to break up the internship over a 2-semester period.
  • Grading will be based on the learning objectives and educational work plan, biweekly correspondence with faculty supervisor, the internship report and oral presentation, and mid-term and final evaluations by the site supervisor.

Project (EPIB 786) Requirement

All Master of Public Health students are required to complete a project (EPIB 786, 3 credits). When designing the project students should review the MPH competencies for their program. Students must address each competency between the internship and project. View the EPIB786 Handbook.

Students should begin to discuss your project ideas with your advisor in the beginning of the semester before you will conduct your project so that you have time to get everything in order for your work in the last semester. Student’s must present their thesis or project proposals by the end of the semester before they will complete the work (ie. Propose in the fall semester and defend the final project in the spring semester).

PhD Resources

All Doctoral degree students are required to complete a dissertation-HLTH 899 Doctoral Dissertation Research (12 credits). This can be done using the traditional 5 chapter model or the manuscript model. Please review manuscript option guidelines. All dissertation credits will be given an incomplete grade until the research is completed. The student should enroll under the section number of his/her dissertation advisor. No student may formally propose a dissertation topic until advanced to candidacy.

For comprehensive information on dissertation requirements, please visit the "Program Overview" page and the UMD Graduate Catalog (available at www.gradschool.umd.edu). 

Relevant forms for students:

General Graduate Student Information and Forms

Visit the University of Maryland Career Center

External Resources

View a list of CDC contractors »

​Employers that would like to post internship and job opportunities may contact Dr. Xin He.

Below are links to helpful and commonly used websites for current students. 

Helpful Links:

  • To access class information, assignments, and current syllabi log in to Canvas.
  • Transcripts and enrollment verification can be ordered on Testudo. This site also offers links to final grades and class registration.
  • Exam schedules for classes offered in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics department are listed on Testudo.
  • You can access statistical software (including SPSS, SAS, and R), sign-up for a statistical analysis consultation, practice running through a presentation, or reserve a meeting space for group projects at the SPH Collaboratorium.

Student Life:

  • GradTerps: The University of Maryland Graduate Student Life is committed to building community, providing communication, and advocating for GradTerps across campus. Graduate student life offers free coffee Thursdays, parking advantages, workshops, and many other benefits to the graduate students at the University of Maryland throughout the year. Make sure to stay updated on all graduate student life has to offer.
  • American University Policy Conference for Graduate Students
  • Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting
  • Population Association of America Annual Meeting
  • Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Annual Conference
  • Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) Annual Meeting
  • American College of Epidemiology (ACE) Annual Meeting
  • American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting & Expo
  • Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Annual Meeting
  • Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM)
  • Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN) Research Conference
  • World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) World Congress on Public Health
  • Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Meeting
  • International Cancer Screening Network (ICSN) Meeting
  • International Epidemiological Association (IEA) World Congress of Epidemiology
  • Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics Conference
  • International Society for Clinical Biostatistics (ISCB) 35th Annual Conference
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Annual Meeting and Policy Summit
  • Health Across Borders: Migration, Disease, Medicine, and Public Health in a Global Age
  • OMICS Group International Conference & Exhibition on Biometrics and Biostatistics
  • BCDE -- IEEE Workshop – Big Data in Computational Epidemiology
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) International Symposium on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Proposal Defense

Project

Thesis

Dissertation

Final Defense

Project

Thesis

Dissertation

Visit the SPH Collaboratorium

Funding Information

Our students receive funding for their masters and doctoral degree study from a wide variety of sources, both extramural and intramural. In addition to the sources of information that are listed below, it is important to note that EPIB faculty find it of utmost importance to share information on potential funding opportunities and internships to students in the department, by email throughout the year, as funding cycles may differ.

Priority for EPIB graduate assistantships (GAs) and teaching assistantships (TAs) with state or faculty research funding is given to full-time doctoral students. EPIB graduate (MPH and PhD) students have also been supported in the following manner:

Students are encouraged to review funding information on the graduate school website, including fellowships and awards here: UMD Graduate School. Some of the fellowships available through our school are listed here: Graduate Student Fellowships. Other student assistantships and fellowships may be available directly from research centers or faculty. For example, the Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy has established a dissertation fellowship award for doctoral students whose dissertation research relates to health literacy. Information regarding loans, grants and other sources of funding can be found on the Office of Financial Aid website.

Students have also benefited by this close proximity to Federal agencies and international, national, state and local organizations by obtaining paid internships for the summer, or to complete their MPH requirements. Examples of paid internships have included the following:

  • HHS Food and Drug Administration
  • HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
  • Adventist HealthCare Inc.'s Center for Health Disparities
  • The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs

Students interested in Federal internships should start very early since it takes several months to review applications, complete paperwork and obtain any needed clearances.  Each Federal agency has its own requirements for application. For example:

We encourage our students to explore student travel scholarships and awards in order to participate in conferences and workshops.  EPIB students have successfully obtained travel scholarships from graduate school and other organizations to attend a wide variety of conferences and workshops. Find information on travel scholarships on the UMD Graduate School website.