The Department is committed to providing every opportunity for its students to successfully complete the academic program of their choice. To support students in progressing toward the degree and to further their educational experience, the Department offers a comprehensive written examination at the end of the first year. The University requires students to successfully complete a preliminary oral examination, typically taken at the beginning of the third year where a thesis proposal is presented and discussed, and an oral thesis defense, where the completed thesis is defended in a public forum.  In addition, the Bloomberg School of Public Health requires:

• a minimum of four consecutive terms as a full-time student (16 credits per term);
• satisfactory completion of 18 credits units of formal non-Biostatistics coursework, not less than 9 of which must be satisfactorily completed in the Bloomberg School of Public Health;
• satisfactory completion of a two-term course 550.865 (Public Health Perspectives in Research), usually taken during the second or third years;
• satisfactory completion of a course on the responsible conduct of research (ie, 550.860 Research Ethics, or 306.665 Research Ethics and Integrity), usually taken during the second year;
• a time limit of seven years from the date of initial matriculation for completion of all degree requirements.

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