This
document outlines the intent and focus of our graduate program. Our program is
not stagnant; it evolves as advances in the science and practice of statistics
emerge. Details about the graduate curriculum and degree requirements are
contained in the document Graduate Curriculum.
Each student successfully proceeding
in the Department of Statistical Science passes through one or both of two
phases of development. The first phase,
culminating with the awarding of a Master of Science Degree, emphasizes breadth
and fundamental knowledge of a wide variety of statistical theory and
applications. The second phase - one which the student must be invited to enter
and which generally requires excellent performance during the Master’s program
- stresses depth. Its successful completion results in the award of the Doctor of
Philosophy degree.
The emphasis in the master’s program
is on developing a fundamental breadth in both theory and applications. The
master’s program generally requires two years after the baccalaureate degree.
The goal of the Department of Statistical Science is for the Master of Science
(M.S.) degree candidate to be able to apply statistical thinking, principles,
and methods in a variety of situations which may be faced upon graduation. With this in mind, the M.S. curriculum
stresses applied courses and encourages the student to become knowledgeable in
as many different applied areas as possible. Computational skills are
extensively developed and emphasized in a variety of courses.
To meet this goal, during the first
year in our program all graduate students are required (unless previous
coursework is deemed equivalent by the Graduate Advisor and Chair of the
department) to complete a two-semester course in theoretical principles of
statistics, Mathematical Statistics (6327, 6328), a two semester course in
statistical methods, Statistical Analysis (6336, 6337), and an introductory
course in statistical computing, Computational Statistics (6304). With the aid
of the department’s Graduate Advisor (see Section IV), each student will draw
up a course schedule which should reflect both the departmental requirements
and the student’s interests.
Students who successfully complete the
Master’s degree will be invited to proceed to the doctoral program. This program stresses strong theoretical
foundations and requires students to demonstrate depth in one or more areas of
specialization. The degree program outlined below presumes that a student has
completed the first two years in our program and has satisfied all the
requirements for the M.S. degree. Students entering our graduate program with a
Master’s degree in statistics from another department may not need to complete
the two-year program outlined for the M.S. degree. Students entering with a
M.S. degree also may take some courses
ordinarily taken by second- and third-year graduate students. The courses of
study they will undertake are determined in consultation with the Director of
Graduate Studies when they enter the program.
The doctoral phase of the graduate program consists
of advanced theoretical courses required of all doctoral candidates and
specialized courses in the field of intended dissertation research. Students in
the doctoral phase of the program need not select an area of intended research
until completion of the Ph.D. written examination but they are encouraged to
limit their possible areas at the beginning of the third year so that they can
choose coursework most closely related to their likely research area(s). If an
intended research area is identified, a doctoral candidate may, with approval
of the Graduate Advisor and the intended director of the dissertation, elect to
take one specialized study course each semester of the third year that will
focus explicitly on the intended dissertation research topic.
The oral defense of the written dissertation is the culmination of the
student’s training. The written dissertation demonstrates the student’s ability
to conduct research at an advanced and sophisticated level. The oral defense is ordinarily a pleasure for
the student and the dissertation committee. When feasible, the dissertation
defense will be included in the department’s regularly scheduled seminar
series. All graduate students are encouraged to attend each dissertation
defense.
IV. Advisors and Committees
On entering the Department each new
student initially is advised by the department’s Graduate Advisor. The Graduate Advisor will discuss the
student’s goals, interests, and desires, will aid the student in the selection
of courses, and will act as a source of information regarding policies of the
department and university. The course
schedule is based on the student’s
interests and the availability of courses.
The advisor also will act as a student’s representative to the faculty.
Faculty advisors are assigned to graduate
students by the Graduate Advisor at the completion of the first year. Faculty
advisors perform the same duties as the Graduate Advisor does for first-year
students. They also promote the student’s advancement by counseling them on
career goals and assisting them in identifying and selecting courses that will
enhance the student’s progress toward successful fulfillment of their goals.
Students invited to continue
for the Ph.D. degree may change advisors at any time and invite whomever they
choose from among the full-time faculty of the Department of Statistical
Science to serve as an advisor. It is particularly important that the
doctoral candidate choose (by mutual consent) the dissertation director
carefully and as soon as possible in the third year of coursework. This choice should reflect the mutual
interests of both the student and advisor