Biostatistics Research Project - S (POPH90149)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)

You’re viewing the 2025 Handbook:
Or view archived Handbooks

Overview

Availability
Semester 1 - Dual-Delivery
Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery
FeesLook up fees

The aim of the capstone project is to deliver to the student a practical experience in a health and medical research work setting. The focus is on the application of knowledge and skills learnt during the core and elective coursework subjects. In this subject, students will learn to address the types of challenges that the practising biostatistician and their collaborator(s) typically face.

The statistical analysis of real data almost always requires compromises, since no single method is always guaranteed to be superior and more than one approach may be reasonable. Students will gain experience in applied, biostatistical work. This will require an iterative approach, involving refinement of the research question, planning and conducting statistical analyses, and presenting and discussing results and conclusions in close collaboration with subject-matter experts.

Effective communication with subject-matter experts is an important part of the biostatistician’s role in the workplace and, therefore, of the capstone project. Under the guidance of a biostatistical supervisor, students have the opportunity to work with subject-matter experts to apply appropriate statistical methods to answer proposed research questions. Students will give an oral presentation describing their methods and results, and provide a written report.

In this research project a single research question is addressed. The alternative capstone options, POPH90151 and POPH90288/POPH90289, both allow more breadth or depth: two distinct research projects or one large project with multiple challenges.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students will be able to:

  • Apply the knowledge and skills learned from coursework by participating in a substantive, collaborative project in health and medical research;
  • Work with collaborators to translate a research question into a statistical question that can be answered by analysing available data;
  • Develop a statistical analysis plan and execute the analyses proposed in that plan using existing statistical software;
  • Interpret and explain the results of a statistical analysis of data including contextualising them by comparison with the published results of other studies; and
  • Disseminate results in the form of an oral presentation and a written report aimed at colleagues in health and medical research who do not have specialised knowledge of statistics.

Generic skills

  • Communicate effectively to a range of audiences.
  • Think critically to answer research questions in the medical/health field.
  • Effectively organize, time manage and plan.
  • Demonstrate the technical skills for professional practice.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

a minimum of 50 credit points of study, inclusive of:

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
MAST90102 Foundations of Regression
July (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
 12.5
MAST90101 Introduction to Statistical Computing
Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
 12.5

Corequisites


Non-allowed subjects


Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

Portfolio or minor dissertation

  • 4,000 words
During the examination period80%

An oral presentation

  • 10 minutes
Week 1120%

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Dates & times

  • Semester 1
    CoordinatorMegha Rajasekhar
    Mode of deliveryDual-Delivery (Parkville)
    Contact hoursContact hours will vary depending upon the project and host organisation, and will be negotiated with the project supervisor. Meetings: 30 minutes to 2 hours per week. Lab (on-site analysis of statistical data may be required by ethics): maximum two days per week.
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period 3 March 2025 to 1 June 2025
    Last self-enrol date14 March 2025
    Census date31 March 2025
    Last date to withdraw without fail 9 May 2025
    Assessment period ends27 June 2025

    Semester 1 contact information

    megha.rajasekhar@unimelb.edu.au  

    Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

    OR

    Currently enrolled students:

    Future Students:



  • Semester 2
    CoordinatorMegha Rajasekhar
    Mode of deliveryDual-Delivery (Parkville)
    Contact hoursContact hours will vary depending upon the project and host organisation, and will be negotiated with the project supervisor. Meetings: 30 minutes to 2 hours per week. Lab (on-site analysis of statistical data may be required by ethics): maximum two days per week.
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Teaching period28 July 2025 to 26 October 2025
    Last self-enrol date 8 August 2025
    Census date 1 September 2025
    Last date to withdraw without fail26 September 2025
    Assessment period ends21 November 2025

    Semester 2 contact information

    megha.rajasekhar@unimelb.edu.au 

    Melbourne School of Population and Global Health

    OR

    Currently enrolled students:

    Future Students:



Time commitment details

170 hours

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Further information

  • Texts

    Prescribed texts

    There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.

  • Subject notes

    This subject is not available in the Master of Public Health.

  • Related Handbook entries

    This subject contributes to the following:

    TypeName
    CourseMaster of Biostatistics
  • Links to additional information

    http://www.mspgh.unimelb.edu.au

Last updated: 4 March 2025