Health Data Science: Frequently Asked Questions
Below, we provide answers to frequently asked questions about the Master of Science in Health Data Science at Saint Louis University.
General Questions
No. The program is designed to be taken in sequence to be completed over four semesters. Due to the number of credits and requirements for the degree, finishing in two semesters is not possible.
The program is more career-oriented and is intended to be a terminal degree that prepares students for a career in data science or a related field. The skill set learned can also benefit a research-oriented career or future Ph.D.
No. Prior biomedicine, health or clinical sciences knowledge is not required for admission but is helpful as this degree focuses on health-related data. Our curriculum is focused on statistics and computing with health science applications.
No. Most courses focus on statistical and computational methods commonly used to analyze clinical data, and the courses do not require prior knowledge of health or clinical sciences.
Similar to other programs in data science, our health data science program provides a strong foundation in data collection, cleaning and preprocessing, statistical analysis, and scalable computational tools. What makes our health data science program unique, is the program's strong emphasis on understanding the health care system and hands-on, applied experience analyzing and interpreting the complex data challenges specific to health care. Our students receive interdisciplinary training with a strong focus on the utilization of data science to improve health and health care.
Health data refers to any data that pertains to the biomedical sciences and public health. Data sets might originate from observational studies, clinical trials, computational biology, electronic medical records, health care claims, genetic and genomic epidemiology and environmental health, network health science and many other fields.
Yes. Students can register for courses within other SLU graduate programs. However, only graduate-level courses may be taken. Additional courses will not count toward credit for the degree requirements.
This project-based research course allows students to gain practical skills in analyzing and interpreting different types of big data in health care. Each student will work with an organization of their choice and a preceptor from the organization. In addition, a health data science faculty member and the capstone coordinator will oversee the capstone course requirements.
Many resources are available to students, including networking opportunities, career services presentations and professional development events, in-house tutoring and research opportunities with faculty and other researchers. For more, you can visit our department student resources page which has department and university resources as well as information about St. Louis if you are moving here from out of town.
Yes. Students can enroll as full-time or part-time students.
Yes. You may start the program in the fall or spring semesters.
Our graduates are employed as data scientists, data managers, data analysts, machine learning engineers, statisticians, software engineers and quantitative analysts in academia, government and industry. It is also possible for students to further their education in a doctoral program in a related field.
Absolutely. While many of the examples and problems in the course curriculum will center around current topics in health care, the statistical and computational skill sets and tools obtained are broadly applicable to many areas of data science. The skill set learned in the program is transferable to various data science roles. We have had many graduates who have secured employment in non-health-related fields.
Admission Questions and Requirements
We require one letter of recommendation. This letter can be written by a current employer, former employer or a previous instructor.
No. Neither the GMAT nor the GRE is required.
Additional information about admission requirements can be found here:
SLU's application portal does not require an application fee. If you are using a centralized application service like SOPHAS, ATCAS, CSDCAS, HAMPCAS, etc., you will be required to pay the application fee charged by these centralized services.
You can check your application status by logging into your SLU application account. If you applied using a service such as SOPHAS, AMCAS or others, please return to your original application system.
Domestic Students
Log in to the mySLU portal and navigate to the payment suite in the "Tools" tab. From there, you should see a deposit option on the header. Select the term and the health data science deposit will be available for fall. Students will not immediately see the deposit on their student account as it is held in a holding account until charges are added. The deposit is released to be applied to their tuition charges at that time.
International Students
- Please submit a deposit via SLUflywire.com
- The Flywire support staff can assist students directly. There is a chat icon at the bottom right of the link provided above that students can work with Flywire support to help answer questions directly.
- International Students must pay their deposit before the I-20 can be issued.
Information for International Students
SLU’s Office of International Services can assist you with questions regarding your visa.
Email: internationalservices@slu.edu
Phone: +1 314-977-2318
Fax: +1 314-977-3412
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. C.S.T., Monday - Friday
OPT is one type of work permission available to certain F-1 nonimmigrant students. It allows students (except those in English language training programs) to obtain real-world work experience directly related to their fields of study.
The STEM OPT extension is a 24-month extension of OPT available to F-1 non-immigrant students who have completed 12 months of OPT and received a degree in an approved STEM field of study as designated by the STEM list.