Am I qualified to apply for a PhD in Biostatistics?
Hey, so I have a BS in Biochemistry, an MPH in Epidemiology with a graduate minor in Biostatistics, and I'm currently doing an MA in Behavior Analysis.
I love statistics and its application to health behavior and human interactions. I knew I wanted to do my PhD in Biostatistics during my MPH but I felt insecure to apply because my degree didn't have Biostatistics in the title. Silly, I know that now.
However, I haven't had experience with Biostatistical research since my master's which I graduated from in 2022. I did do qualitative and mixed methods research as a Program Manager at my university that I got my master's from until 2023. I currently work in the field of special education and it kind of fell into my lap mostly because of the terrible MPH employment market and also because I do like what I do. I just don't like it enough to make it my lifelong career.
I want to do translational research in mental health and health behavior. I want to study how to apply statistical principles to those areas.
My question is, is it feasible for me to pivot to a PhD in Biostatistics? Is there something else I need to do to make myself a better candidate for admission? I was considering another master's in Data Analysis or Statistics of other related fields. Is that necessary or are there simpler ways for me to get there?
ETA: I did get into a PhD in Epidemiology but did not enjoy the theoretical epi as much as the biostats. I got A's in all my biostats courses but didn't do well in some of my epi courses. So I left the program.
Half of my courses (literally split down the middle) in my MPH were biostats because I had the flexibility to choose them as electives. I learned SAS and R.