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Statistics

Graduate Programs

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Statistics (MS)

The Statistics MS is an applied statistics degree that prepares outstanding students for PhD programs in Statistics and/or successful and productive careers. BYU's graduate curriculum is designed to equip students with decision-making skills necessary for successful careers as professional statisticians. Although a firm foundation in theoretical statistics is provided, most of the courses are applied in nature, offering approaches to the solution of important real-world problems.
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Faculty

See a full list of Statistics department graduate faculty

Courses

See all Statistics graduate courses
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Contact

2152 WVB
(801) 422-4506
graduate@stat.byu.edu
Department Website

Statistics is a scientific discipline by which statisticians assist other scientists and researchers in making informed decisions in the face of uncertainty. Statisticians use skills in a variety of areas to solve problems. The application of statistics is the embodiment of the scientific method.

The statistics MS degree prepares outstanding students for successful and productive careers, and to enroll in the best Ph.D. programs. A firm foundation in theoretical statistics is provided and the courses offer approaches to the solution of important real-world problems.

The Statistics Integrated BS/MS program allows well-prepared students to complete both degree programs in a shorter amount of time and at a lower tuition cost. Majors in all statistics emphases can apply for the integrated program after taking Math 112, Math 113, Math 213 and Math 215, Math 314, Stat 230, Stat 240, Stat 330 and Stat 340 and completing University Core requirements.

The goal of the Department of Statistics is to help students develop their intellect and faith. We prepare our master’s students for successful and productive careers. As faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Statistics, we are fortunate to work in an era where demand for expertise in statistics and data science is at unprecedented levels.

The strength of our Master of Science program in Statistics is evidenced by the 100% post-graduation placement for master’s students, with graduates enjoying coveted positions of employment or enrollment in top-rated PhD programs. In addition to our traditional two-year MS program, we are pleased to offer an integrated BS/MS degree program which allows prepared students to obtain these degrees in five years.

The research interests of our faculty span a wide range, with emphases in environmental and spatial statistics, reliability and industrial statistics, biostatistics, actuarial science, business analytics, sports analytics, and statistics education. Faculty research has been sponsored by several funding agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Association, and the Department of Defense.

Roughly 14 students are accepted into the statistic's masters program each Fall. Students are expected to complete the master’s program in two years.

Chair:  David Dahl
Graduate Coordinator:  Candace Berrett

Resources and Opportunities

Center for Collaborative Research and Statistical Consultation. The Center operates with full access to all departmental resources to provide statistical expertise to faculty, graduate students, and off-campus researchers in other disciplines. Areas of particular strength are designing experiments, sample surveys, and analyzing the resulting data. Problems are solved by application and adaptation of state-of-the-art methodology and development of new methodology as required.

Computing Facilities. The Department of Statistics provides computing to support research with a cluster of nine servers. Two of the servers are large memory models (512 GB RAM). All of the servers have at least 32 CPU's, our have 56 CPU's. Computer support consists of one full-time employee and his staff of student assistants.

Department Research. Faculty members in the Department of Statistics carry out a rich variety of research programs. Research emphases include Bayesian methods, environmental and spatial statistics, reliability of industrial and computing processes, statistical genetics and bioinformatics, mixed models and longitudinal data, data mining, chemometrics, actuarial methods, design and analysis of experiments, and issues in statistical computation. In addition to these general areas, more specific research interests for individual faculty are listed in the faculty section immediately following the course descriptions.

For more information, please visit their website at http://statistics.byu.edu.

Financial Assistance

Support is available from the department in the form of teaching and research assistantships. All graduates are encouraged to apply for our department scholarships.