Frequently Asked Questions

Please review this website, and our program listing in ExploreDegrees.

Review the details of our curriculum and summary descriptions of core and affiliated faculty. You should also do web searches to find the faculty websites, and check out their most recent publications. Also, examine the list of our current students.

Our program is particularly strong in methods development, drawing heavily on quantitative and computational approaches. Many other programs are more applied in nature. Also, DBDS and the rest of Stanford Biosciences is extremely interdisciplinary, so there are many opportunities to work with faculty in other programs and departments.

Students do rotations the first year in labs chosen through mutual agreement by the student and the faculty member.

See our list of students.

• PhD: 4-6 years
• Academic MS: 2 years
• HCP MS: 3-5 years

Please look at our alumni pages.

Only you know enough about your circumstances to make this decision. We encourage all applicants to consider their personal and career goals, their background and abilities, financial constraints, and reasonable alternatives, before applying.

Review our website to see if our program fits your goals. You can find instructions for each degree under the “Prospective Students” section of our website. Eligibility is evaluated based on prior coursework, letters of recommendation, personal statements, research and work experiences, and fit with our program. Admission is competitive, so ensure your application is as strong as possible.

No, applying to the MS program must be done through an entirely separate application.

You can still apply, but we strongly recommend you complete them beforehand to strengthen your application.The goals of the prerequisites are: (1) to provide clear evidence that you will succeed if admitted, (2) to give us some basis for ranking admission candidates. It also helps you figure out if you enjoy working in this field. In most cases, it is better to delay application until those prerequisites have been achieved. Otherwise, please clearly indicate what your plan is to complete them, preferably prior to enrolling in DBDS. If admitted, you must be ready for graduate-level coursework in Biomedical Data Science, Statistics, and Computer Science.

If you have been working in a position that uses the knowledge and skills from those prerequisites, then that may suffice. If you have been out of school for a while, it is highly advised that you refresh your knowledge. The point of the prerequisites is to make sure that you can do the work required by our program without excessive delay if admitted.

We accept prerequisite courses from an accredited college or university, including evening courses from community colleges. The goal of our computer science prerequisite is to ensure applicants understand key computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles (e.g., abstraction, modularity, object-oriented programming). We recommend Stanford’s CS 106A and B, available on campus or online via the Stanford Center for Global and Online Education (CGOE), which cover Python and C++. Equivalent courses from other institutions or online platforms are also acceptable. While familiarity with multiple programming languages is beneficial, mastery of all listed languages is not required before applying.

No. Our students have diverse backgrounds, with undergraduate training in computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, or the biomedical sciences.

Late applications are not accepted to the PhD program.

You may apply to two Biosciences programs (like DBDS and Genetics) in the same year. However, applications to Bioengineering, Computer Science, and other engineering programs are separate, so choose carefully based on your background and career goals. If you are accepted into another Stanford program, you can still take DBDS courses and apply for a PhD minor or Academic MS from DBDS.

No

No.

Yes, you can apply. Please review information for international students in the “Prospective Students” section of our website.

Generally, no. Faculty cannot accommodate individual meetings prior to application submission. Top candidates for the PhD program will be invited for interviews.

Yes, we welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds, including those who have been out of school for a while.

PhD and Academic MS applications are due in early December. Interview invitations for the PhD program are sent mid-January or early February, with interviews in March. Admission offers start in mid-March, with final decisions due by April 15. 

The HCP MS and Co-terminal MS program have several application cycles per year. See webpages for those deadlines.

We recommend against routine inquiries about your status. If something significant changes, you can email the updated information. If there are deficiencies in your application, we will contact you.

You need to submit the main application before the deadline. Unofficial test scores (TOEFL) and unofficial transcripts and test scores will be validated when your official ones are received by the University, which can occur after the admissions deadline.We strongly recommend against late applications, including letters of recommendations, since we start reviewing applications immediately after the deadline. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

While we understand that situation is disappointing, we are not able to provide individual feedback.

Please visit Graduate Admissions FAQ and Biosciences FAQ pages.

Submit scanned versions of your transcripts with your application. Official copies must be submitted before matriculation if accepted.

Yes, for both MS and PhD programs.

TOEFL scores are required for non-native speakers, with a minimum score of 100. If your score is below 100, you must retake the exam. We are unable to make exceptions to this rule. Stanford only accepts TOEFL scores; IELTS, Duolingo English, etc are not accepted.

No, the GRE is not required and will not be considered if submitted.

Transferring credit means using credit for courses taken outside of Stanford to reduce the number of credits taken at Stanford.

For the MS degree: No. The University residency requirement is 45 units taken at Stanford for an MS. No transfer credits are allowed to count towards the masters residency requirement. If you have taken coursework elsewhere, that could allow you to take more advanced coursework at Stanford, but it doesn’t change the total number of units required. 

For the PhD degree: Yes. The PhD requires 135 units, of which 90 units must be taken at Stanford during the PhD program. Thus, you could transfer credits taken elsewhere or taken at Stanford in another graduate program. More information is here. 

Note that for both degrees, up to 18 units of academic credit from relevant certificate or non-degree option programs taken at Stanford may be used upon acceptance into the degree program. In all cases, we make decisions about the effect of prior coursework only after your acceptance into one of our degree programs,not before. 

For courses within Stanford: If you have extra units from a prior degree or a currently active degree program, those can be counted toward a DBDS MS. 

No financial aid is available through Stanford. Some employers pay partial or full cost for technical training of their employees, so that may be available to you. 

We typically admit PhD students with pre-arranged funding through the DBDS program or external scholarships. As part of the admission process, your application will be reviewed by relevant faculty—please do not contact them directly. You apply to the DBDS program, not to individual labs. For the Academic MS program, you can identify faculty you’re interested in, but should wait for an offer of admission before reaching out to them about funding.

Each serves different purposes and has somewhat different application procedures.

The Academic MS program is for those who are seeking research training in Biomedical Data Science. We have funding for those who have postdoctoral status (MD, or PhD).

The HCP (Honors Cooperative Program, distance learning) MS is designed for part-time study from off-campus, typically for working professionals.

The Co-terminal Program is for Stanford undergraduates who through additional study can complete the DBDS MS.

No, we only offer the Co-terminal MS program for current Stanford undergraduates. Stanford does offer an undergraduate Biomedical Computation major.

If you have already identified a possible research mentor, then you are one step ahead. However, be advised there is no guarantee that professors will have space in their lab, appropriate funding, or be a good interpersonal match with you. We recommend you apply to Stanford DBDS because your interests align well with the overall program philosophy and emphasis. 

No, our PhD program must be obtained on-campus with full-time involvement.

We do have a distance learning (part-time) MS program and certificate whose coursework can be used towards a PhD if the student is later accepted into the PhD program and have not yet conferred their degree. Up to 18 credit units earned for a graduate certificate may count toward a degree program if you apply and are accepted to the PhD program. Note, acceptance into this program or certificate DOES NOT guarantee admission to the PhD program; you still need to complete the PhD application process even as an MS student.

Yes, you can apply before your PhD is conferred. Note that you cannot be placed on postdoctoral NLM funding until your doctoral degree has been conferred, so there may be problems if your graduation is delayed.

There is a part-time HCP MS degree option. There is no specific full-time option. Per CGOE policy, you can take up to 10 units per quarter, although that is not typical.

For questions about fees, video availability, and employment requirements, please see the CGOE  website, or email their customer service contact. For questions about the MS curriculum and degree requirements, please review the relevant section of both the CGOE and DBDS websites, and address remaining questions to us via email.

Stanford Biosciences represents the majority of departments and programs in the School of Medicine, including DBDS, that grant PhD degrees. You apply through Biosciences for any of those programs, and you may list two different programs in your application.

The biomedical computation track in Bioengineering is different from DBDS in that it focuses mostly on physical simulation of molecular or physiological systems, and less on informatics issues of data and knowledge representation, storage, retrieval, mining, analysis and machine learning. The DBDS program offers more opportunities for deeper training in computer science and statistics. Both programs allow students to work with virtually any faculty member, so students should choose a graduate program based on the aspects of the curricula that appeal to them.  Bioengineering is not part of Biosciences.

This is a very important decision, so it is worth your time to explore and consider your options carefully. Stanford Biosciences is very interdisciplinary; if admitted, you will be able to pick research supervisors from many different departments. You should select a home department on the basis of your background, your interest in a particular curriculum, your fit with the research done by that program’s faculty, and your career plans. In general, we recommend applicants apply to DBDS if they are interested in methods and to other departments, such as Genetics or Cancer Biology, if they are primarily interested in those research domains.

Yes. We encourage applications from MDs, or others with doctoral-level professional degrees (DO, DDS).

MDs (or equivalent) may be interested in the two-year research MS, which could be completed before, after, or (with planning) during residency training or subspecialty fellowship. This degree is full-time (half-time classes, half-time research). Both this and the PhD are rather rigorous and you should make sure you had the computer science and mathematics (calculus, probability, statistics, and linear algebra) coursework in order to apply. You should contact us as early as possible, especially if you are interleaving the DBDS training with medical residency or fellowship training. See also below the comments about clinical informatics options.

Note that NLM training grant funds can only support US citizens or permanent residents. Others will need to consider alternative sources of funding.

We recommend you review thoroughly the descriptions of our programs, consider your personal and financial constraints, and professional goals, then address remaining questions via email.

Yes, with limitations. The NLM training grant limits outside work activities (including clinical time) to eight hours per week. Given the demands on your time in our program, it is unlikely that you would be able to devote more than eight hours per week to clinical work, regardless of the NLM restrictions.

Some residency and fellowship training programs provide funded time to pursue research, and this might align with time spent in graduate training at DBDS.

If you have already completed residency or fellowship training, then you will need to make your own arrangments for clinical appointments. These could be at Stanford, UCSF, the VA, Kaiser, or elsewhere.

Not exactly.

If you are interested in research involving clinical data, then you may apply to the DBDS graduate program; many of our students use data from clinical systems, such as STRIDE.

If you are interested in the clinical informatics fellowship, an MD-only subspecialty fellowship with the goal of board certification, then see the CI Fellowship page.

You should also know about the new Stanford MS program in Clinical Informatics Management (MCiM).

If you are a pathologist, you should contact the American Board of Pathology. If you are not a pathologist, the American Board of Preventive Medicine says: “A 24 month Masters or PhD program in Biomedical Data Science, Health Sciences Informatics, Clinical Informatics, or a related subject from a university/college in the US and Canada, deemed acceptable by ABPM (e.g. NLM university-based Biomedical Data Science Training). A copy of the program curriculum and a description of the training is required.” Note that the CI exam tests material in areas that are not typically covered in the DBDS curriculum; you should examine their content outline carefully. In any case, the ultimate decision about appropriateness of our degrees for board certification lies with the sponsoring Board, not with DBDS.

Tuition and other fees for the Academic MS and PhD program are set by Stanford University. The most up-to-date listing is on the Stanford Registrar’s website. Fees for the distance education (HCP) MS program are set by the Stanford Center for Professional Development, and you should check their website for details.

The NLM training grant is available to PhD students and post-doctoral MS students who are US citizens or permanent residents, and covers tuition, stipend, and health insurance. International students will need to find other sources of support; PhD candidates may be eligible for the Stanford Graduate Fellowship. We do not provide financial support for students enrolled for the MS degree who do not already have a PhD, MD, or similar doctoral degree; some of those students find Research Assistantship support after arrival at Stanford (by directly contacting professors after admission).

We do not provide financial support for the HCP (distance learning) MS program. Such students are generally not eligible for student loans or scholarships. Most loan programs require full-time commitment to courses. Most scholarships or fellowships have a required research component. However, some employers offer educational benefits to their employees. Please contact the Human Resources Department within your organization.

For the Coterminal Masters program, students are eligible for undergraduate financial aid until the 12th quarter of their studies. Coterminal MS students may also seek Research Assistantships.

Stanford’s Research Management Group maintains a comprehensive list of funding.

The SF Bay Area is expensive. Many graduate students choose to live on campus for convenience and to minimize costs. Please refer to Stanford’s Housing Office for more information.

The answer is “yes, with restrictions”. Please contact us to discuss your particular circumstances. It is possible to change from the Academic MS to the HCP MS, or vice versa. Students in the coterminal program must fulfill the requirements for the undergraduate degree and it is unlikely that a switch would be possible. Note that several excellent Professional MS students have later been admitted to the PhD program.

DBDS is the Biomedical Data Science Training Program, the program affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Data Science in Stanford’s School of Medicine granting MS and PhD degrees. BMIR is the Stanford Center for Biomedical Data Science Research, a division in the Department of Medicine devoted to research in this area. Several faculty are affiliated with both DBDS and BMIR, and DBDS students can do research at BMIR.

Send us email (Contact Us). We are busy keeping all the machinery behind the scenes running smoothly, but we try to respond to every inquiry within one to two business days. It is much better to email us questions directly rather than asking us if you can call.