About us

Where numbers meet public health

JKUBSA is the JKUAT Biostatistics Students Association. We bring together every student in the BSc Biostatistics programme to learn, connect and grow as the next generation of health data scientists.

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Our home at JKUAT

Part of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences

Biostatistics is one of the programmes under the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences (STACS), in the School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (SMPS), within the College of Pure and Applied Sciences (COPAS) at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

JKUBSA works alongside the department to support students from their first semester in Year 1 to their final project in Year 4.

JKUAT
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
COPAS
College of Pure and Applied Sciences
SMPS
School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences
STACS
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences
BSc Biostatistics
Our programme

What is biostatistics?

The science of learning from health and life data

Biostatistics applies statistical thinking to biology, medicine and public health. Biostatisticians design studies, decide how data should be collected, analyse the results and explain what they mean.

It is how we know whether a new treatment works in a clinical trial, how fast a disease is spreading, which communities need care the most, and how genes relate to health. Wherever there is a question about living things and data to answer it, a biostatistician is useful.

What you gain

What a JKUAT biostatistician is equipped with

Across four years and more than fifty units, the programme builds a rare mix of mathematics, life science, computing and applied health research.

Mathematical and statistical foundations

Calculus for Statistics I to III, Linear Algebra I and II, Real Analysis, Differential Equations and Numerical Analysis, built on Probability and Statistics I to IV, Theory of Estimation and Tests of Hypothesis.

Study design and data collection

Design and Analysis of Experiments, Sample Surveys, Ecological Sampling Techniques, Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials and Research Methodology. You learn to plan studies that answer real questions.

Health and life sciences

Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Genetics, Animal Physiology, Epidemiological Methods, Vital Statistics, HIV/AIDS, and Bioethics and Biosafety. You understand the biology behind the data.

Modelling and inference

Regression Modelling, Categorical Data Analysis, Non-Parametric Methods, Bayesian Inference, Non-Linear and Generalized Linear Mixed Models, Multivariate Methods, Time Series and Stochastic Processes.

Health data specialities

Survival Data Analysis, Longitudinal Data Analysis, Modelling Infectious Diseases, Statistical Genetics, and Spatial Statistics and Disease Mapping. The core tools of modern public health research.

Computing and data management

Information Technology for Statistics, Database Management, Computer Interactive Statistics, Statistical Programming, Statistical Computing and Computational Biology. You turn methods into working analysis.

Professional and research skills

Communication Skills, Development Studies and Social Ethics, Entrepreneurship Skills, and a final year Project in Biostatistics that takes you from a research question to a written report.

Where it leads

Research institutes, ministries of health, clinical research organisations, pharmaceutical companies, NGOs, monitoring and evaluation, health insurance, data science and further study.

Our vision

A community of skilled, ethical biostatisticians who turn data into better health for Kenya and beyond.

Our mission

To support Biostatistics students at JKUAT academically, professionally and socially, and to connect them with the people and opportunities that shape their careers.

Our objectives

01
Support members academically through organised revision materials, study groups and peer mentorship.
02
Connect students with industry, research institutions and alumni through talks, visits and trips.
03
Build practical skills in statistical software, data analysis and scientific communication.
04
Represent the welfare and interests of Biostatistics students within STACS and the wider university.
05
Promote the role of biostatistics in public health and evidence based decision making in Kenya.
06
Create a friendly, inclusive community where every member can learn, lead and grow.