Master of Science in Statistics
| The Department of Statistics offers a master of science with a major in statistics. The Department also offers a minor in statistics as an option for both master of science and doctor of philosophy Eberly College of Arts and Sciences degree programs. The master of science degree is intended to qualify the student to assume a professional role in an educational, industrial, or governmental research project; to teach in a college; or to undertake advanced training toward a doctorate in statistics or one of the quantitative fields of science.
Because many students receive baccalaureate degrees from colleges which do not offer undergraduate programs in statistics and because historically statistics has been primarily a field of graduate education, a student does not need a degree in statistics to enter the M.S. degree program in statistics. A good background in mathematics, science, or engineering is reasonable preparation for graduate work in statistics. |
Options
The following two options are available for students seeking a master of science in statistics:
- Problem Report Option Ð at least 36 hours of course work including three hours of credit for a problem report;
- Thesis Option Ð at least 36 hours of course work including six hours of credit for a thesis.
Prerequisites
Students are expected to know the material contained in the following courses or areas upon admission to the program. Otherwise, these deficiencies must be removed as early as possible in the student's degree program under the terms specified by the Admissions and Standards Committee.
- Single and multivariable calculus (MATH 155, 156, 251 or equiv.);
- Linear or matrix algebra (MATH 343 or equiv.);
- Probability and statistics (STAT 215 or equiv.);
- Knowledge of a high-level programming language.
Required Courses
Minimum requirements for either option are:
- STAT 512, 513, 545, 561, 562;
- At least nine hours from STAT 631, 541, 551, 555, 645;
- STAT 590, 682, 696, 697.
Credit towards the degree requirements is not given for STAT 511. Students must complete at least one hour of credit for STAT 590, 592, and 696 and at least three hours of credit for STAT 697. Students are expected to attend the graduate seminar every semester even if they are not registered for STAT 696. A grade of C or better and a minimum 3.0 GPA is required for courses fulfilling a major in statistics.
Examinations
Students must pass two written comprehensive examinations on foundation material and a final oral examination on the thesis or problem report. One comprehensive examination covers the theory taught in STAT 561 and 562; the other covers the applications taught in STAT 512, 513, and 545. These written examinations are normally given in the first four weeks of the semester in which the student expects to graduate. The final oral examination is a defense of the graduate research project required of all students, and it is usually given within four weeks after the student has presented an acceptable copy of the thesis or report to the advisor and graduate committee.