STATISTICS

Chair of the Department: Douglas G. Simpson

Director of Graduate Studies: Ditlev Monrad

Correspondence and Admission Information: Usha Dhar or Lisa Yanello, Department of Statistics, 101 Illini Hall, 725 South Wright Street, Champaign, IL 61820; (217) 333-2167; E-mail: office@stat.uiuc.edu

URL: www.stat.uiuc.edu

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

The Department of Statistics offers graduate study leading to the Master of Science in Statistics, the Master of Science in Statistics with specialization in various areas of application, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics.

ADMISSIONS

Graduate College admission requirements apply. Students are expe cted to have a strong undergraduate mathematics background, but need not have an undergraduate statistics or mathematics degree. Students may be admitted with deficiencies which are to be removed during the first year of graduate work. A minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 590 for the paper-based test or 243 for the computer-based test is required for students whose native language is not English. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is recommended, but not required. Admission is possible for the spring semester, but most admissions are for the fall semester.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.

MASTER of Science

The M.S. in Statistics requires eight units of graduate coursework, covering both theoretical and applied material. STAT 324, 325, 326, 327, 410, and 411 are required. At least one add itional course at the 400 level is also required. There is no language or thesis requirement, and there are no comprehensive examinations.

Master of Science in statistics with applied specialization

The Department of Statistics offers the Master of Science in Statistics with specialization in a variety of areas of application. The degree program consists of a core of statistics courses covering statistical theory, linear models, and statistical consulting, and further coursework in the field of application and in statistics. The program offers an additional degree for students earning an advanced degree in the area of application.

To be eligible for this program, students must be pursuing an advanced degree in the area of application at the Urbana-Champaign campus. The following areas of application are now available: social statistics (Department of Sociology); psychometrics and behavioral statistics (Departments of Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Speech and Hearing Science); b iostatistics (School of Integrated Biology and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the Medical Scholars Program); statistical genetics (Departments of Crop Sciences and Animal Science); and economics (Department of Economics).

Full statements of degree requirements are available from the head of the unit offering a specialization or from the head of the Department of Statistics.

DOCTOR of philosophy

A total of 24 units after the baccalaureate is required for the doctor of philosophy degree. These include STAT 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 356, 410, 411, 425, 453, 454, 471, 475, and 478. This degree also requires successful completion of three of the four qualifying examinations (consisting of examinations on STAT 324-325, 326-329, 410-411, and 453-454); a thesis in an area of theoretical, computational, or methodological statistical research; and a final examination on the thesis. The Department of Statistics and the College of Education offer a joint specialization in educ ational measurement for Ph.D. students who wish to obtain a strong background in both statistics and educational measurement.

FINANCIAL AID

Financial aid is available primarily in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. For further information write to the Graduate Admissions Committee, Department of Statistics.