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.

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 432 / Programs and Courses

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.

Course Work Graduate students in Statistics must take (or have taken) appropriate courses in Mathema tics to give them the proper back- ground 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 naturally 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.

Comprehensive Examination After completion of the required courses, the student takes a writ- ten comprehensive examination. This is gener- ally offered twice annually, in the fall and spring quarters.

Petition to Change Degree Objective Some stu- dents can petition to change their degree objective from the M.S. degree to the Ph.D. program in Applied Statistics depending on their performances in the written comprehen- sive exam and coursework.

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 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.

Change Degree Objective Students with a Batchelor's degree in the Ph.D. program who have satisfied all the requirements for the Master's degree may apply for this degree while completing requirements for the Ph.D. program.

Ph.D. Course Requirements

I. Course Requirements

(A) Core: STAT 210A, STAT 210B, STAT 210C, three quarters of STAT 293 and one quarter of STAT 288.

B) Additional: four statistics 200 level courses not graded S/NC.

(C) Breath: three breath requirements selected from STAT 200A, STAT 203A, STAT 215, STAT 216A, STAT 220A.

(D) Substantive: Twelve units (or equivalent) in a Substantive Field with a minimum GPA of 3.00 appropriate to the student's interest. The requirement may be waived if the student already has the background in the substantive area.

(E) Computer: Knowledge of at least one computer language and the use of statistical computer packages; students lacking this background should take STAT 157.

II. Teaching: At least three quarters of teaching service.

III. Miscellaneous: In preparation for the written qualifying examinations, a student can register for up to 6 units of STAT 291 (Individual Studies in Coordinated Areas) only during quarters that the student actually participates in qualifying exami- nations.

Foreign Language Requirement None

Qualifying Examination The written Part 1 & Part 2 are offered twice annually, in the fall and spring quarters. After passing the written exams the student will work with advisor to pre- pare for the Oral examination. Advancing to Candidacy takes place when students complete all the course requirements for the Ph.D. pro- gram and passes the written and oral exams. We expect students to complete the qualifying exams before the beginning of the third year.

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