By offering this program the department seeks to increase the number of people with broad training in statistical methodology which is suitable for application in industrial, business and governmental settings. The program's primary goal is to provide the basis for the skilled and competent application of modern statistical methods. Areas of methodology in the program, in addition to a basic theoretical foundation, include design of experiments, regression analysis, discrete data, statistical computing, statistical process control, non-parametric, multivariate, reliability, sample survey and time series methodology. All applied courses make use of and stress the importance of modern statistical computing software. Because of the wide diversity of backgrounds of entering students, course selection for completion of the program is developed in consultation with a faculty adviser. Selection of courses will reflect the goal of broad training and any special needs of the student. All courses for the program are offered in the late afternoon or evening to accommodate the part-time student who is engaged in professional development. Teaching and research assistantships are available to well qualified full-time students; internships with industry are also available.
Admission is selective. All applicants who have received a baccalaureate from an accredited institution with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or more will be considered. Previous mathematical training should include the satisfactory completion of courses in single and multivariate calculus and linear algebra, as well as at least one course in elementary statistics. Applicants should also have some scientific computing training.
To fulfill the degree requirements the student must:
The Graduate Certificate Program in Statistical Methods and the Master of Science in Applied Statistics are designed to meet the needs of the nontraditional student working in industry, business or government, as well as those who wish to prepare for entrance into a Ph.D. program in statistics. The Graduate Certificate program, in particular, was developed as part of the Department's extensive partnership arrangement with Ford Motor Company, which began in 1985. This partnership grew to include statistical methodology courses and workshops (both for credit and noncredit) offered on campus and at various Ford locations, a cooperative scholars program for student interns, faculty consulting and a departmental computer lab.
The Department has also had a partnership arrangement with General Motors. This program began in 1988 with on-site statistics courses for approximately 100 quality and productivity professionals and engineers. Graduates of this program were honored in a ceremony that took place in August, 1992 at GM's Deming Center, with Dr. Deming present. As a result of these partnership arrangements the number of master's degrees in statistics awarded in 1992 by the Department ranked among the highest in the nation. In all of this activity the Department has been a nationally recognized leader in bringing modern statistical methods to bear on the challenge of achieving quality control in the workplace.
To satisfy requirement 4 for the Master's degree each candidate must produce a written report on a substantial application of statistical methodology. This application is expected to include methods learned in at least two different statistics courses. One cannot reuse a project required for a course already completed. The project report can be the result of a team problem solving assignment as long as the statistical portion was the sole responsibility of the student submitting the report. After review by statistics faculty, each candidate will be asked to give an oral presentation of the study. Candidates may consult with any statistics faculty of their choice concerning this report, and are strongly encouraged to do so prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.