FAS - Statistics

The Graduate Faculty in the Department of Statistics offers various programs of study and research in statistics. Degree programs lead to the Master of Arts or Master of Science in Applied Statistics, the Master of Arts or Master of Science in Statistics, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics. These may be pursued by full-time and part-time students. The department also provides courses for students engaged in graduate studies in other disciplines requiring statistics and for individuals requiring specialized statistical skills in the workplace. Full details of all programs and departmental regulations are contained in the handbook, Graduate Study in Statistics at the University of Pittsburgh, which can be obtained from the Department of Statistics in 2700 Cathedral of Learning, by E-mail or phone to the address and number listed below.

Contact Information

Department Chair: Satish Iyengar

Main Office: 2700 Cathedral of Learning

Phone: (412) 624-8368

Fax: (412) 648-8814

E-mail: ems+@pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.stat.pitt.edu/

Research

The research interests of the department are broad. Particular research strengths of the department's faculty include statistical modeling, applied probability theory, discrete and continuous multivariate statistical analysis, reliability theory, time series, statistical meta-analysis and applications of statistical methods to research in other disciplines. Areas of application of statistics that are of current interest to department faculty include biology, chemistry, education, engineering, environmental science, material science, medicine, psychiatry, and psychology.

Facilities

The facilities of the department include the department's own computer labs with the latest statistical software as well as cooperative arrangements with many major scientific organizations within the University, such as the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the Center for the Neuroscience of Mental Disorders, the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, the Learning Research and Development Center, and the Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology in the School of Public Health. Statistics students may have assistantship appointments and share laboratory and clinical facilities with these organizations.

The department shares a library with the Department of Mathematics that contains more than 18,000 volumes and 225 research journals. Additional research resources are located in other libraries on campus and through the Internet.

The Center for Statistics, which is a part of the department, is involved in statistical consulting and applied research, and is an excellent source of practical experience for graduate students.

Admissions

A basic requirement for admission to the graduate program in statistics is the completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or the completion of a level of education that the University of Pittsburgh deems comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. Applicants must also possess sufficient proficiency in the English language. Official scores of 550 or above on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required if the applicant's native language is not English. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are optional, but recommended.

Decisions regarding admission are based on the applicant's official credentials, quality point averages, and the availability of faculty and facilities to meet the applicant's expressed academic or research needs and interests. With limited space available, not all qualified applicants can be admitted.

The minimal course requirements for admission into the graduate programs of the Department of Statistics are:

Students lacking some of these prerequisites may be admitted provisionally at the discretion of the Graduate Committee. In addition, students intending to pursue the PhD degree should either have taken a one-term course in advanced calculus, or be prepared to take such a course in the first year of graduate study.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance for graduate students is provided in the form of teaching and research assistantships, fellowships, tuition scholarships and loans. Application for financial aid should be made on the application form for admission to graduate study. All applications for financial assistance are reviewed in the department with award decisions made on the basis of prior academic excellence and achievement and perceived potential for contributions to the field of statistics.

Students applying for fellowships or assistantships for the Fall Term should file their applications no later than February 15 of the same year.

Degree Requirements

The minimal requirements established by the Graduate Faculty of the University, as described under General Academic Regulations, and any additional requirements of FAS Graduate Studies described under FAS Degree Requirements, should be read in conjunction with program-specific degree requirements described in the following sections.

Requirements for the Master's Degree

The department encourages its students to obtain a broad background in statistics, including both methods and theory courses, regardless of whether they specialize in applied statistical methodology or in statistical theory. Consequently, two-term sequences in applied statistical methods (STAT 2131- 2132) and intermediate mathematical statistics (STAT 1631-1632) are common to all master's degree programs offered by the department, and are also generally taken by students whose goal is the PhD in Statistics.

Master of Arts in Applied Statistics

Department requirements for the Master of Arts in Applied Statistics are the completion of 33 credits, including the two year-long sequences STAT 1631-1632 and STAT 2131-2132 mentioned above, at least three credits in consulting, four courses (12 credits) in statistical methods or theory taken from a list of choices, and an approved two-course sequence (six credits) taken at the graduate level in a discipline other than statistics. The final requirement for this degree is passing, at the master's level or above, a qualifying examination covering topics from applied and theoretical statistics, including the material in STAT 1631-1632 and STAT 2131-2132. For full-time graduate students, this exam is usually taken at the beginning of the Fall Term of the second year of graduate study. Part-time graduate students will want to take the preliminary examination at the earliest opportunity after finishing STAT 1631-1632 and STAT 2131-2132.

Master of Arts in Statistics

The Master of Arts in Statistics differs from the Master of Arts in Applied Statistics by replacing the requirements of a two-course sequence in a discipline other than statistics and three credits in consulting with the requirement that three additional three-credit graduate-level statistics courses be taken. Both master's degrees require completion of 33 credits and the passing of the preliminary examination.

Master of Science

The requirements for the Master of Science, either in Applied Statistics or in Statistics, are the same as the requirements for the corresponding Master of Arts degree, except that two three-credit statistics courses are replaced by six credits of STAT 2001 (Research and Thesis for the MS Degree), and an oral defense of the thesis is required.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The main requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Statistics is the successful completion and defense of a dissertation making a substantial and original contribution to statistics, probability, or their application. Prior to embarking on their research, candidates must pass the preliminary exam (see Requirements for the Master's Degree above) at the PhD level and pass an oral comprehensive examination that covers material from STAT 1631-1632, 2631 and 2711-2712 and any other material which the student's advisory committee believes is necessary background for the dissertation research. The purpose of the comprehensive examination is to demonstrate that students are able to understand, summarize, and make use of the statistical literature in an area of potential research that is of interest to them. Students who have found a specific topic for their dissertation are encouraged to combine the comprehensive examination with the presentation of the dissertation proposal. Students who are not yet ready to assemble a dissertation committee and present a proposal can still take the comprehensive exam, but must later submit a dissertation proposal orally and in writing to their advisory committee.

Course requirements for the PhD degree are STAT 2631 (Theory of Statistics), 2641 (Asymptotic Methods), 2661 (Theory of Linear Models) and 2711-2712 (Probability Theory) or their equivalent. PhD candidates are also required to take at least three credits in statistical consulting; those students anticipating a career involving consulting are advised to take a substantial number of consulting credits. The remaining courses of the 72 credits required for the PhD degree will be decided in conjunction with the student's advisor and should consist of mainly formal courses prior to the commencement of research for the dissertation.

The department has no foreign language requirements for the PhD degree. Although not required, facility in the use of one or more computer programming languages, especially those used in writing statistical software (for example, S+), is highly recommended.

Full-time graduate students usually take between four and five years to complete a PhD degree. Part-time students may be allowed as many as 10 years to finish all requirements. Additional information concerning examinations, requirements, and the advising system can be found in the departmental handbook.

Course Listings

Undergraduate Courses that May Carry Graduate Credit

STAT 1201/2200 Applied Nonparametric Statistics

STAT 1211/2210 Applied Categorical Data Analysis

STAT 1221^**/1220^* Applied Regression

STAT 1231^*/2230^* Applied Experimental Design

STAT 1241/2240 Applied Sampling

STAT 1251/2250 Statistical Quality Control

STAT 1291-4 Topics in Applied Statistics 1-4

STAT 1301/2300 Statistical Packages

STAT 1311/2310 Applied Multivariate Analysis

STAT 1321/2320 Applied Time Series

STAT 1631 Intermediate Probability

STAT 1632 Intermediate Mathematical Statistics

STAT 1651 Bayesian Statistics

STAT 1661 Linear Regression

STAT 1662 Nonlinear Regression

STAT 1681 Introduction to Sequential Analysis

STAT 1731^** Stochastic processes

STAT 1741 Applied Probability Theory

STAT 1761 Game Theory

STAT 1771 Queueing Theory

STAT 1781 Combinatorics

STAT 1791-4 Topics in Probability and Statistics 1-4

Courses Carrying Graduate Credit

STAT 2001 Research and Thesis for the Master's Degree

STAT 2010 Statistics Seminar

STAT 2020 Teaching Seminar

STAT 2081^* Modern Data Analysis for Research Workers

STAT 2131-2 Applied Statistical Methods 1-2

STAT 2200 Applied Nonparametric Statistics

STAT 2210 Applied Categorical Data Analysis

STAT 2211 Categorical Data Analysis

STAT 2220^* Applied Regression

STAT 2221 Advanced Applied Multivariate Analysis

STAT 2230^* Applied Experimental Design

STAT 2231 Advanced Applied Regression

STAT 2240 Applied Sampling

STAT 2241 Sampling Theory

STAT 2250 Statistical Quality Control

STAT 2251 Statistical Process Control

STAT 2261 Survival Analysis

STAT 2281 Principles of Statistical Consulting

STAT 2291 Meta-analysis

STAT 2300 Statistical Packages

STAT 2310 Applied Multivariate Analysis

STAT 2320 Applied Time Series

STAT 2321 Applied Advanced Time Series

STAT 2381 Supervised Statistical Consulting

STAT 2391-4 Advances in Applied Statistics 1-4

STAT 2401 Methods in Mathematical Statistics

STAT 2521-2 Time Series 1-2

STAT 2611-2 Theory of Multivariate Analysis 1-2

STAT 2631-2 Theory of Statistics 1-2

STAT 2641 Asymptotic Methods in Statistics

STAT 2661-2 Linear Models Theory 1-2

STAT 2691 Nonparametric Theory

STAT 2711-2 Probability Theory 1-2

STAT 2731-2 Applied Stochastic Processes 1-2

STAT 2751-2 Reliability Theory 1-2

STAT 2991 Independent Study

STAT 3001 Research and Dissertation for the PhD Degree

STAT 3131-4 Topics in Applied Statistics 1-4

STAT 3141-2 Topics in Linear Models and Experimental Design 1-2

STAT 3261 Counting Processes in Survival Analysis

STAT 3341-2 Advanced Modern Statistical Computing

STAT 3521-2 Topics in Time Series 1-2

STAT 3611-4 Topics in Multivariate Analysis 1-4

STAT 3631-2 Advanced Theory of Statistics 1-2

STAT 3641-4 Topics in Advanced Statistics 1-4

STAT 3711-2 Topics in Probability Theory 1-2

STAT 3731-4 Topics in Stochastic Processes 1-4

STAT 3751-4 Topics in Reliability Theory 1-4

STAT 3901 Directed Study