Master of Science program launches collaboration with South African university

In an effort to build international relationships and expand the global mission of the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, the Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics will launch a collaboration with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science in Durban, South Africa.

UKZN students who have completed a Bachelor of Science in Statistics and wish to earn a Master of Science from UofL may complete up to nine credit hours from honors courses in Statistics at UKZN, and apply to UofL’s MS program in biostatistics. Accepted applicants would then complete 24 credit hours in two semesters at the University of Louisville, and graduate with a Master of Science in Biostatistics. Students may then choose to return to South Africa and complete the honors program in Statistics at UKZN.

“We are excited about building this relationship with the University of KwaZulu-Natal into an academic and cultural exchange in teaching, research and other activities,” said KB Kulasekera, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Bioinformatics and Biostatistics. “A degree from the University of Louisville will make these students very marketable all over the world in industries such and pharmaceuticals, insurance and more.”

Kulasekera hopes to accept up to five qualified UKZN students for a start date of Fall 2017. He anticipates this will lead to other opportunities for similar arrangements in programs such as the PhD in Biostatistics.