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For Current Students

HomeStanford - Department of Biomedical Data Science  > For Current Students

For Current Students

Biomedical Data Science Program Information

Nearly all of the DBDS program policies and procedures are described in the Student Handbook.

Student Handbook

Biomedical Data Science Student Handbook

The DBDS Student Handbook is a reference for DBDS program policies.

Student Handbook 2026

Curriculum

Curriculum

Note: the DBDS Curriculum has changed. Students starting after July 1, 2018 should use the new curriculum, which is described on the ExploreDegrees pages. Others should follow what is on this page.

Take a look at our current courses. 

Curriculum (admitted before July 1, 2018)

Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, and Engineering Electives

  • STATS 315A is recommended, not required.

Curriculum (admitted before Aug 1, 2016)

DBDS Core Courses (12 units)

  • Required: BMDS 212 and the three courses from the list below.
  • The core course websites (may need SUNet ID to view) are:
    • BMDS 212 Introduction to Biomedical Data Science Research Methodology
    • BMDS 214 Representations and Algorithms for Computational Molecular Biology
    • BMDS 215 Data Driven Medicine
  • For PhD students who have received waivers (see below) for any of the core courses, then you should replace them with an equivalent number of units from another BMDScourse, or CS/Stats/Math/Eng elective. You may, with permission, also replace waivered courses with DBDS 299 units.
  • HCP students: Note that BMDS 212 is a project class that has to-date been only available on campus, so you are currently exempt (replace with other course from DBDS, or from the CS/Stats/Math/Eng electives, as below). We have contemplated offering a remote version of 212, so please contact us if you are interested.
  • Core courses should be taken for grade, not pass/fail (all students).

Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, and Engineering Electives (24 units)

  • See our electives page for the full list.
  • If the course does appear on the list, then it is in principle acceptable, but realize that your entire elective list must be approved. This is to ensure some degree of coherence and to avoid excessive overlap of course material. It is therefore possible to submit an elective list, all of whose courses are listed, but which considered together would not be approved.
  • Note that CS 107 and CS 108 can count towards the CS/Stats/Math/Eng category. CS 106A, B cannot count for this category, but can be counted as Unrestricted Electives.
  • BMDS 224 is basically courses in biology and medicine, so don’t count as this category. All other BMDS courses can count in this category, if needed.
  • Up to 9 units can be 100-199 level; the rest must be 200 and above.
  • Up to 8 units can be taken pass/fail.

Social and Ethical Issues Electives (4 units)

  • Note that MED 255 is required for all MS and PhD students engaged in NIH-funded research at Stanford. It is not required but strongly recommended for coterm MS students not doing research. There is no distance education version of this class for HCP students.
  • HCP students: currently, only two classes satisfy this requirement and are offered through SCPD. These are: MS&E 256: Technology Assessment and Regulation of Medical Devices (Spring) and ME 208: Patent Law and Strategy for Innovators and Entrepreneurs, (Autumn). For HCP students who hold an MD degree or equivalent: this set of electives is waived on the basis of your medical school training, so replace with 4 more unrestricted units.

Unrestricted Electives (6 units)

  • Any graduate level class (200 and above) can be used for this category. Classes 100 and above can also count, subject to the restrictions listed below.

Biology/Medicine Electives (for PhD students only) (9 units)

  • In order to reach a total of 52 units of core curriculum, PhD students should take an additional 9 units; this should include 6 units of biology or medicine classes relevant to their research interests, 2 units of BMDS 295 Biomedical Data Science Teaching Methods and one additional unit of unrestricted elective.
  • All 6 units can be taken as Credit/No Credit.

More rules

  • All courses taken towards a graduate degree must be 100 level or above. At least 50% must be 200 level or above.
  • BMDS 201 can be taken up to three times for credit.
  • MS: total of 45 units required at Stanford.
  • PhD: total of 135 units, of which at least 27 units should come from DBDS, CS/Stats/Math/Engr electives, Biology/Medicine electives, or courses satisfying the Ethics requirement (including MED 255). They may not include research, teaching, journal club, or other classes can that only be taken pass/fail such as some seminars.
  • Coterms: see our Coterm page.
  • HCP MS students: see the SCPD Student Handbook.
  • Many more details on ExploreDegrees.

The core curriculum generally entails a minimum of 45 units of course work for MS students and 54 units of course work for PhD students, but can require substantially more or less depending upon the courses chosen and the previous training of the student. BMDS 801, and 802 may be taken for satisfactory/no credit (S/NC).

Waivers: The varying backgrounds of students are well recognized and no one is required to take courses in an area in which he or she has already been adequately trained; under such circumstances, students are permitted to skip courses or substitute more advanced work using a formal annual process administered by the DBDS executive committee, in which students demonstrate satisfaction of core curriculum prerequisites, and request permission to receive core curriculum credit for classes taken previously in areas of the core curriculum. Students design appropriate programs for their interests with the assistance and approval of their Biomedical Data Science academic adviser.

Also, see the curriculum requirements for the MS and PhD degrees listed on the DBDS page in ExploreDegrees.

Advice on choosing courses and useful links

CS/Stats/Math/Eng Electives

Electives

Please consult the Stanford University Bulletin for a list of courses.

There are two categories of electives in our curriculum:

  1. Computer science, mathematics, statistics, and engineering electives. This page is a list of courses which can used for this category.
  2. Unrestricted electives. These can be any graduate-level courses at Stanford at or above the 100 level (subject to degree-specific limits).

Note that a course not on this list is not an allowable elective. If you want to add a course to this list, send an email to DBDS Student Services (dbds-studentservices@stanford.edu) for consideration. Your particular course plan still needs to be approved by your academic advisor. Not all subsets of the following list are acceptable, for example, in the case of significant overlap between courses. Also, to find a course on this list, you may need to look under its cross-listed course ID.

Funding

Funding Sources for DBDS PhD Students

All DBDS PhD students are admitted with a funding plan in place. However, we require that enrolled students apply to internal and external funding for which they are eligible. This is typically done in one of the first three years of graduate study. Below are listed the funding sources that would be available to most students. You are encouraged to seek out others as well. Note that for some of these sources having an MS will make you ineligible, or the MS time will count as years of graduate study.

Coterminal MS advice

Checklist for coterminal students

The rules are a bit complicated. Here’s a summary:

  • See the Coterminal Masters Degree page, VPGE Coterminal Degrees page, Stanford University Procedures for Coterminal Students, and DBDS curriculum description in exploredegrees.
  • When asking questions about your particular circumstances, please make sure that you have listed all the courses towards your MS on a flowsheet, and make that available to us, as nearly all questions involve some aspect of that.
  • You are required to have at least 180 units (undergraduate) and 45 units (graduate).
  • No units may be counted towards both undergraduate and DBDS MS degree.
  • 45 units are required for the DBDS MS.
  • All courses counted towards the MS must be DBDS-related courses at or above the 100 level (as approved by advisor and DBDS program).
  • At least 23 units must be courses at or above the 200 level.
  • At least 27 units must be taken for a grade (unless, through exceptional circumstances such as the 2020 crisis, this is imposible, in that case, consult DBDS Student Services).
  • DBDS core courses may not be taken pass/fail. Exceptions: BMDS 285, 295, 801, 802 and MED 255, or DBDS courses that are offered only on a S/NC basis (including during the 2020 crisis).
  • A complete list of elective courses that can count for CS/Stats/Math/Eng is listed here. Up to eight units of CS/Stats/Math/Eng can be taken pass/fail.
  • You can apply to DBDS upon completion of 120 units, but no later than the quarter prior to the expected completion of the undergraduate degree.
  • Coterminal students are permitted to count coursework taken in the three quarters immediately prior to their first graduate quarter toward their graduate degree (Summer quarter is not included in the count).
  • The Coterminal Course Transfer eForm is used for transferring courses from the undergraduate career to the graduate career, and vice versa. This must be done before the undergraduate degree is conferred.
  • You may take any course you want at Stanford while in the program, including electives not at all related to DBDS, as long as you also have an approved DBDS-related 45-unit program of study that satisfies the requirements for the DBDS degree.
  • A common question is how to deal with courses when you have counted a class required for the MS towards your undergraduate degree, typically because you took the class more than three quarters before starting the MS. Generally, you list the course you took and mark it as UG, and take something else for the DBDS MS units.
    • For a “Core Biomedical Data Science” course, you can take another course in the same category, any course listed under BMDS or BIODS, or any course in the CS/Stats/Math/Eng electives list.
    • For a “CS/Math/Stats/Eng” course, you can take another course in the same category.
    • For a “Social/Ethics” course, you can take another course in the same category, or any other course appropriate for graduate degree credit.
    • Example: You took CS181W as an undergraduate. This class satisfies the DBDS MS Social and Ethical requirement; instead of taking graduate courses towards this distributional requirement, you now take an additional 4 units of DBDS-related electives. Enter CS181W on your flowsheet, and put “Y” in the “UG?” column. Note that it then contributes no units to the DBDS MS. Then list a course (or courses) for four units under DBDS-related electives.
    • Example: You took BMDS 217 as an undergraduate. This class is part of the DBDS core. List the course in the DBDS core part of the flowsheet, and enter “Y” in the “UG?” column. Then list another approved course (or courses) for four units under DBDS-related electives.
    • See the example spreadsheet.
    • In general, for choosing the courses that go under your (now expanded) set of units under DBDS-related electives, pick graduate courses with some thematic relationship to Biomedical Data Science. Feel free to discuss with the DBDS Program staff if you are unsure whether a course will be approved as DBDS-related.
  • Students must finish the master’s degree within three years of their first co-terminal quarter. Note that taking a leave of absence does NOT extend your time to degree. If you want to take more than three years, you will need to petition the registrar.

HCP MS advice

Checklist for HCP MS students

This document is some advice about how to navigate our curriculum and how to choose courses. There are differences between the HCP MS requirements and those listed for the other MS and PhD degrees; those differences are highlighted here.

  • Start by reviewing the curriculum at DBDS curriculum description in ExploreDegrees, the SCPD website, and the SCPD HCP Program Handbook. You should also review the DBDS Student Handbook.
  • Core courses: Although many classes necessary for the degree are available online, some requirements may be fulfilled through implementation of an alternative plan to be approved by the program. DBDS 212 requires special arrangements with the instructor, so we can include you in the class remotely if possible. Note that core courses should be taken for a grade, not pass/no credit (unless not offered for a grade).
  • If Stats 200 is not offered remotely, then in that case you can consider taking: MS&E 226 or EPI 259 and EPI 261 (both).
  • Computer science, statistics, mathematics, and engineering electives (18 units). Courses that can count for CS/Stats/Math/Eng is listed on the Electives page. Up to 6 units of CS/Stats/Math/Eng can be taken pass/fail. If you are following the new curriculum (admitted after Aug 1, 2016), note that CS 161 and STATS 200 are required. These two courses, or some of their prerequisites, may not be available through SCPD. You should submit a course plan with next best alternatives: these may include similar courses at Stanford, or courses at other institutions (note that outside courses would not count towards the required 45 units).
  • Social and Ethical issues (4 units): Type “dbds::ethics” into the search box in explorecourses. Note that although MED 255 is listed as required, it is required only for MS and PhD students engaged in NIH-funded research at Stanford. This typically does not apply to HCP students.
  • Unrestricted electives (14 units): They need to be at or above the 100 level.
  • How to put the courses in order. Use one of the course flowsheets. First, check ExploreCourses and the SCPD website for which quarter the courses are offered. Also, check the listed prerequisites for each class, and also the course websites for additional information about what’s expected so you can estimate how difficult each class will be for you. Typically, SCPD students take one course per quarter. Note that SCPD imposes an upper limit of three courses per quarter. Also, use the DBDS Student Wiki for advice on courses.
  • The following courses are only available P/F: BMDS 285, 295, 801, 802, and MED 255.
  • 45 units are required for the DBDS MS.
  • All courses counted towards the MS must be at or above the 100 level.
  • You can include up to 18 units that you took Non-Degree Option before entering the MS program.
  • At least 23 units must be courses at or above the 200 level.
  • At least 27 units must taken for a grade.
  • Requests to transfer from part-time (HCP) to full-time (Academic MS) are reviewed by the DBDS Exec on a case-by-case basis. Final decisions are at the DBDS Exec’s discretion. Please note the following limitations (for students enrolling in the HCP program starting Fall 2020):
  1. Students must complete a minimum of two (2) quarters in the part-time program excluding summer quarter or enrollment as a non-degree option student, before requesting to transfer to full-time. Therefore, the soonest the transfer can be discussed and approved is during the first DBDS Exec meeting of the third quarter of the student in the HCP program
  2. Students must complete a minimum of 10 units of letter-graded courses that meet requirements for the DBDS MS degree before commencing their first full-time (Academic MS) quarter
  3. GPA will be considered as part of the request.
  4. Students can make a maximum of two (2) transfers during the program (e.g. transfer from part-time to full-time and back to part-time).
  5. Students should consider the availability of courses online before requesting to switch from full-time to part-time, especially if this may interfere with their ability to satisfy the requirements of the degree.

Presentations

Advice on Talks and Presentations

Bagley, DBDS Journal Club Template Video

Forms

Forms for DBDS Students

Course Flowsheets by Degree Program

Obtain signatures and submit all Milestone forms to the DBDS Student Services Officer, unless otherwise stated.

TGR (Terminal Graduate Residency)

  • TGR form – TGR allows students to register at a reduced tuition rate while working on a dissertation, thesis, or department project. Must have completed 135 total units to qualify. Submit to the Office of the University Registrar.

Graduation

  • Graduate Quarter Petition – To be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar prior to the quarter of intended graduation.

Travel

Other Forms