Graduate Programs

The Department of Statistics offers the M.S. degree in Stat istics and the Ph.D. degree in Applied Statistics.

Admission Domestic and international appli- cants must supply scores from the GRE gener- al exam. In addition, TOEFL scores must be supplied by all applicants whose first language is not English. The department considers appli- cations for teaching assistantships at the same time as those for fellowships. Normally, appli- cations for fellowships are awarded by Feb - ruary or March for students admitted for the fol- lowing Fall quar ter.

Students in the Ph.D. program who have satis- fied all requirements for the master’s degree may apply for this degree while completing requirements for the Ph.D. program.

The Department of Statistics offers the M.S. degree in Statistics.

Admission Students entering the Master’s pro- gram must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a strong background in Statistics and sufficient training in Mathematics or take STAT 160A, STAT 160B, STAT 160C, STAT 161 and STAT 170A, STAT 170B, STAT 171, covering basic areas of probability and statistics. These courses would not be counted as credit to wards the master’s degree.

Students must also meet the other requirements for admission as specified by the Grad uate Division. The program is Plan II (Com pre hen - sive Examina tion) described in the Grad uate Studies section of this catalog. No foreign lan- guage is required.

Plan II (Comprehensive Examination) Graduate students in Statistics must take (or have taken) appropriate courses in Mathema tics to give them the proper background for graduate work in Statistics. Important areas include Calculus (at least MATH 008B or MATH 009A, MATH 009B, MATH 009C, and MATH 010A) and Linear Algebra (at least MATH 131). Students are strongly encouraged to take at least one of the following: MATH 120 (Optim - iza tion), MATH 126 (Combin atorics), MATH 135A, MATH 135B (Numerical Analysis), MATH 151A, MATH 151B, MATH 151C (Ad vanced Calculus), MATH 165A, MATH 165B (Complex Variables), and MATH 209A, MATH 209B, MATH 209C (Real Analysis). The specific courses selected natu- rally depend on the research area selected by the student.

The program consists of a minimum of 36 approved units. These must include 1 unit of STAT 288; 12 units of STAT 293 are counted toward this total. In addition, at least 20 units must be from STAT 200A, STAT 200B, STAT 203A, STAT 203B, STAT 205, STAT 207A, STAT 207B, STAT 210A, STAT 210B, STAT 210C, STAT 215, STAT 216A, STAT 216B, STAT 220A, STAT 220B, STAT 230, STAT 240.

Knowledge of at least one computer language and the use of statistical computer packages is required, and students lacking this background should take STAT 157.

Early in the program the student submits a pro- gram proposal, which requires the ap proval of the M.S. advisor. The advisor also supervises the student’s progress and course of study.

After completion of the required courses, the student takes a written comprehensive exami- nation. This is generally offered twice annually, in the fall and spring quarters. Some students can petition to change their degree objective from the M.S. degree to the Ph.D. program in Applied Statistics depending on their perform- ances in the written comprehensive exam and coursework.

Students in the Ph.D. program who have satis- fied all requirements for the master’s degree may apply for this degree while completing requirements for the Ph.D. program.

The Department of Statistics offers the Ph.D. degree in Applied Statistics.

The program emphasizes both the theory of statistics and its application to special fields of 424 / Programs and Courses

interest. In ad dition to courses in statistics, a student would take courses in a substantive field from which a thesis problem requiring a statistical ap proach should arise. The substan- tive field may be chosen from areas such as biology, economics, political science, psychology or ad ministration. Specialties might include, for ex ample, population genetics, biological control, hydrology, epidemiology, geology, discrimination in learning, or scales and measurements.

Admission Students entering the program must have completed either a bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree in Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or some other quantita- tively based discipline. Students lacking suffi- cient preparation for some statistics graduate classes must complete some preparatory work in Statistics, Com puter Science, or Mathematics depending on their background. Students also have to meet the general requirements listed in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog.

Course Work Courses to be taken are in Sta tis - tics and the substantive field appropriate to the student’s interest. Students without the courses prescribed by the M.S. in Statistics or their equivalent must take them as soon as possible. Students must complete course work in statis- tics greater in depth than that re quired for the M.S. Students must have know ledge of at least one computer language and the use of statisti- cal com puter packages; students lacking this background should take STAT 157. They must select four or more additional quarter courses in Statistics at the 200 level, not to be graded “Satisfac tory/No Cred it.” These additional cours- es should be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor and/or the student’s major pro- fessor in order to strengthen a student’s back- ground in statistics and to prepare the student for thesis work and a career in research and teaching. To be ap proved, A program must include STAT 210A, STAT 210B, STAT 210C and three of the following five courses: STAT 200A, STAT 203A, STAT 215, STAT 216A, STAT 220A. In preparing for the written qualifying examinations, a student can register for up to 6 units of STAT 291 (Individ ual Studies in Coordinated Areas) only during quarters that the student actually participates in qualifying exami- nations. In addition, students must complete a minimum of 12 units (or equivalent) in a substan- tive field with a minimum GPA of 3.00. The requirement may be waived if the student already has the background in the substantive area.

Foreign Language Requirement None

Qualifying Examination Before advancement to candidacy, students must demonstrate proficiency on a qualifying examination which is normally taken after two years of course work and seminars.

Dissertation The dissertation is pertinent to a problem area specified by the candidate’s substantive field and is submitted in accor- dance with the requirements of the Graduate Division, Riverside. Teaching Requirement All students in the program, for at least three quarters, assist with laboratory (practice) sections of undergraduate Statistics courses or individual tutorial (consul- tative) work with undergraduate students.

Normative Time to Degree 15 quarters