Health Sciences

Master of Science in Medical Statistics

The Master of Science in Medical Statistics is a postgraduate programme that trains graduates in biostatistics, medical statistics, epidemiological methods, and health data analysis. The programme prepares graduates for advanced careers in medical research, health data analysis, clinical trials, and public health statistics.

Core areas include biostatistics, medical statistics, epidemiological methods, clinical trials, survival analysis, statistical modelling, health surveys, demography, research methods, and statistical computing. Students engage with theoretical foundations and practical medical statistics applications.

The programme is offered by Kirinyaga University, Strathmore University, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, with University of Nairobi as a college. UoN offers MSc in Medical Statistics through its Faculty of Health Sciences. MMUST offers related MSc in Statistics at KES 62,000 per semester. Strathmore offers related MSc in Statistical Science through its Institute of Mathematical Sciences.

Students develop competencies in biostatistical analysis, epidemiological methods, clinical trial design, survival analysis, statistical modelling, and research. The programme includes coursework, computational projects, examinations, supervised research, and thesis.

The programme is delivered over two years. MMUST MSc Statistics fees are KES 62,000 per semester. Strathmore postgraduate fees range from KES 100,000 to KES 190,000 per semester. UoN offers MSc Medical Statistics through its Faculty of Health Sciences. Entry requires Bachelor's degree in statistics, mathematics, or related fields with Upper Second or Lower with experience.

Graduates pursue careers as biostatisticians, medical statisticians, clinical trial statisticians, research analysts, and lecturers in research institutions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, government, and universities.

Skills Required

Biostatistics and Statistical Methods in Health
Epidemiological Methods and Study Design
Clinical Trials Design and Analysis
Survival Analysis and Time-to-Event Data
Statistical Modelling and Regression
Health Survey Design and Analysis
Demography and Population Health Statistics
Statistical Computing and Data Analysis
Causal Inference and Observational Studies
Medical Statistics Research Methods

Key Subjects

Biostatistics
Epidemiological Methods
Clinical Trials
Survival Analysis
Statistical Modelling
Health Survey Design
Demography
Statistical Computing
Causal Inference
Medical Statistics Research Methods

Certifications

ISCB Biostatistics Certification
IBS Biometrics Certification

Specializations

Biostatistics

Focuses on biostatistics, statistical methods in health, biological statistics, clinical statistics, and applying statistical methods in medical and health research.

Epidemiological Methods

Examines epidemiological methods, study design, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, measures of association, and applying epidemiological methods.

Clinical Trials

Covers clinical trial design, randomisation, blinding, sample size, interim analysis, trial monitoring, and designing and analysing clinical trials.

Survival Analysis

Focuses on survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression, hazard functions, censoring, time-to-event data, and analysing survival data in medical research.

Statistical Modelling

Examines statistical modelling, linear regression, logistic regression, Poisson regression, mixed models, generalised linear models, and building statistical models for health data.

Health Surveys and Demography

Covers health survey design, sampling, DHS, demographic methods, population statistics, life tables, and designing and analysing health surveys and demographic data.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 187,200
Private, up to: Ksh 319,500
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 20 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Biostatistics
Epidemiological Methods
Clinical Trials
Survival Analysis
Statistical Modelling
Health Survey Design
Demography
Statistical Computing
Causal Inference
Medical Statistics Research Methods

Modules

12 in the programme

Biostatistics and Statistical Methods in Health
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines statistical methods in health, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, sampling, and applying statistical methods in medical and health research.
Epidemiological Methods and Study Design
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers study design, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, measures of association, confounding, bias, and applying epidemiological methods.
Clinical Trials Design and Analysis
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines trial design, randomisation, blinding, sample size calculation, interim analysis, trial monitoring, adaptive designs, and designing and analysing clinical trials.
Survival Analysis and Time-to-Event Data
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards, hazard functions, censoring, log-rank test, parametric models, competing risks, and analysing survival data in medical research.
Statistical Modelling and Regression
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines linear regression, logistic regression, Poisson regression, mixed models, GEE, generalised linear models, model selection, and building statistical models for health data.
Health Survey Design and Analysis
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers survey design, sampling methods, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, DHS, MICS, survey weights, and designing and analysing health surveys.
Demography and Population Health Statistics
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines demographic methods, life tables, population projections, fertility, mortality, migration, demographic transition, and analysing population health statistics.
Statistical Computing and Data Analysis
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers R, SAS, Stata, SPSS, data management, programming, reproducible research, data visualisation, and applying statistical software for health data analysis.
Causal Inference and Observational Studies
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines causal inference, DAGs, propensity scores, instrumental variables, sensitivity analysis, and applying causal inference methods in observational health studies.
Medical Statistics Research Methods
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research methods for medical statistics, study design, protocol development, data analysis, statistical reporting, and conducting medical statistics research, preparing students for their thesis.
Bayesian Methods in Medical Statistics
Year 2Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines Bayesian methods, Bayesian inference, MCMC, Bayesian regression, hierarchical models, Bayesian clinical trials, and applying Bayesian methods in medical statistics.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 26 creditsCore
Original research thesis on a medical statistics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and medical statistics knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Biostatistics
Focuses on biostatistics, statistical methods in health, biological statistics, clinical statistics, and applying statistical methods in medical and health research.
Epidemiological Methods
Examines epidemiological methods, study design, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, measures of association, and applying epidemiological methods.
Clinical Trials
Covers clinical trial design, randomisation, blinding, sample size, interim analysis, trial monitoring, and designing and analysing clinical trials.
Survival Analysis
Focuses on survival analysis, Kaplan-Meier, Cox regression, hazard functions, censoring, time-to-event data, and analysing survival data in medical research.
Statistical Modelling
Examines statistical modelling, linear regression, logistic regression, Poisson regression, mixed models, generalised linear models, and building statistical models for health data.
Health Surveys and Demography
Covers health survey design, sampling, DHS, demographic methods, population statistics, life tables, and designing and analysing health surveys and demographic data.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc Medical Statistics programme begins with morning lectures on biostatistics, epidemiological methods, or statistical modelling. Students engage in theoretical discussions on statistical theory, study design, and data analysis. Biostatistics sessions cover statistical methods in health, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, and applying statistical methods in medical research. Epidemiological methods sessions examine study design, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, measures of association, confounding, bias, and applying epidemiological methods. Clinical trials sessions cover trial design, randomisation, blinding, sample size calculation, interim analysis, trial monitoring, and designing and analysing clinical trials. Survival analysis sessions examine Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards, hazard functions, censoring, log-rank test, and analysing survival data. Statistical modelling sessions cover linear regression, logistic regression, Poisson regression, mixed models, GEE, generalised linear models, and building statistical models for health data. Health survey sessions examine survey design, sampling methods, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, DHS, MICS, and designing and analysing health surveys. Demography sessions cover demographic methods, life tables, population projections, fertility, mortality, migration, and analysing population health statistics. Statistical computing sessions examine R, SAS, Stata, SPSS, data management, programming, and applying statistical software for health data analysis. Causal inference sessions cover causal inference, DAGs, propensity scores, instrumental variables, and applying causal inference methods in observational studies. Computational projects provide hands-on experience with data analysis, statistical modelling, clinical trial analysis, and survival analysis. Research methodology sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering medical statistics research methods, study design, and data analysis. Guest lectures from KEMRI biostatisticians, KNBS statisticians, UoN researchers, clinical trial statisticians, and international biostatistics experts provide real-world insights. The two-year programme culminates in a research thesis.

The trade offs

In its favour

Kenya's growing medical research, clinical trials, public health programmes, disease surveillance, and health data needs create high demand for qualified medical statisticians.
UoN offers MSc Medical Statistics through its Faculty of Health Sciences, providing established medical statistics training.
Programme combines statistics with health and medicine, providing versatile skills for both research and applied health career paths.
Career opportunities with KEMRI, KNBS, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, government, NGOs, and international organisations.

Against it

Programme requires strong quantitative background, which may exclude graduates without statistics or mathematics training.
Strathmore fees at KES 150,000 per semester (~KES 300,000/year) are relatively expensive compared to public universities.
Programme involves rigorous statistical theory and computing, which may be challenging for some students.
Specific fee structures for this exact programme could not be independently verified from all official websites.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 349 health sciences courses

Public124k to 187k

124k at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology187k at Moi University

Private149k to 320k

149k at Mount Kenya University320k at United States International University Africa

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Moi ~187.2k/yr (worldscholarshipforum). MMUST, USIU & MKU unverified for this course.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. KEMRI supports medical research requiring biostatistics. Strathmore offers financial aid for eligible students. IBS and ISCB support biostatistics professional development. The programme's medical statistics focus attracts research and professional body funding.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
KEMRI Research Funding
Strathmore Financial Aid

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate medical statistics studies at recognised universities.
KEMRI Research Funding
GrantKsh 300,000Kenyan
KEMRI supports medical research requiring biostatistics, providing funding for postgraduate research in medical statistics.
Strathmore Financial Aid
GrantKsh 300,000Kenyan
Strathmore University offers financial aid for eligible students demonstrating academic merit and financial need.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: The programme accepts graduates from statistics, mathematics, biology, public health, medicine, economics, and related quantitative fields. MMUST requires Upper Second or Lower with 2 years experience. Two-year programme with full-time and part-time modes. MMUST fees KES 62,000/semester. Strathmore fees estimated at KES 150,000/semester.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Assignments
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, problem sets, data analysis exercises, statistical reports, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination40% of the mark
Written examinations covering biostatistics, epidemiological methods, clinical trials, and statistical modelling, conducted at end of each semester.
Computational Projects
Practical30% of the mark
Assessment of computational projects, data analysis projects, statistical modelling, clinical trial analysis, and programming assignments.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original research thesis on a medical statistics topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and medical statistics knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). UoN offers MSc in Medical Statistics through its Faculty of Health Sciences. MMUST offers related MSc in Statistics. Strathmore offers related MSc in Statistical Science through SIMS. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate medical statistics training. KNBS supports statistical capacity building in Kenya.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. UoN offers MSc in Medical Statistics through its Faculty of Health Sciences. MMUST offers related MSc in Statistics. Strathmore offers related MSc in Statistical Science through SIMS. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate medical statistics training.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS)
Professional accreditation
KNBS supports statistical capacity building in Kenya. Graduates may benefit from KNBS professional networking and statistical standards knowledge.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Biostatistician
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 550,000
Applies biostatistics in medical research, overseeing study design, data analysis, statistical modelling, and supporting medical and health research.
Medical Statistician
High demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Provides statistical expertise in medical settings, overseeing data analysis, clinical trial statistics, and supporting medical research and practice.
Clinical Trial Statistician
High demandKsh 140,000 to Ksh 580,000
Designs and analyses clinical trials, overseeing trial design, randomisation, interim analysis, and ensuring statistical rigour in clinical trials.
Research Analyst
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 450,000
Analyses health research data, overseeing data management, statistical analysis, reporting, and supporting health research projects.
Health Data Analyst
High demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 450,000
Analyses health data, overseeing health data management, statistical analysis, dashboards, and supporting health data-driven decision-making.
University Lecturer
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Teaches medical statistics and biostatistics in universities, conducting research and training future medical statistics professionals.

Graduate outcomes

Graduates pursue careers as biostatisticians, medical statisticians, and clinical trial statisticians in research institutions, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies.

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

R
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical computing software for medical statistics, biostatistics, data analysis, statistical modelling, survival analysis, and reproducible research in medical statistics.
Stata
SoftwarePrimary
Statistical software for epidemiological analysis, survey analysis, survival analysis, clinical trial analysis, and health data analysis in medical statistics.
SAS
Software
Statistical analysis software for clinical trials, pharmaceutical research, biostatistics, and regulatory statistical analysis in medical research.
SPSS
Software
Statistical software for health data analysis, survey analysis, and statistical modelling in medical and health research.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Medical statistics is just about calculating averages.
The programme involves biostatistics, epidemiological methods, clinical trials, survival analysis, statistical modelling, causal inference, and research, covering advanced medical statistics.
This programme is only for mathematics graduates.
The programme accepts graduates from statistics, mathematics, biology, public health, medicine, economics, and related quantitative fields.
There is limited demand for medical statisticians in Kenya.
Kenya's growing medical research, clinical trials, public health programmes, disease surveillance, and health data needs create high demand for qualified medical statisticians.
Medical statistics is only relevant for academic research.
Medical statistics skills are relevant for hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, government, NGOs, regulatory bodies, and consulting firms, not just academia.
A master's in medical statistics is redundant after a bachelor's in statistics.
The master's provides specialised biostatistics and medical statistics skills, health research knowledge, and career progression to senior biostatistics positions.
Medical statistics is too theoretical with no practical application.
The programme combines theoretical foundations with computational projects, real health data analysis, and practical applications in clinical trials and epidemiological research.