Statistics MS - Professional Track | School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences

The master of science in statistics program now offers two tracks:

Academic Track
Professional Track

The information on this page details the new Professional Track which students can complete in only three semesters.

ASU's MS Statistics degree at Arizona State University is highly interdisciplinary and draws faculty research and teaching interests from various academic units. The program is highly flexible and can be tailored to reflect individual needs and goals.

Participating faculty are from units that include the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the W.P. Carey School of Business and the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

Data has been described as the world’s most valuable resource. Statisticians are key in interpreting data to guide critical decisions and direct new areas of inquiry in science, business, policy and government.

A report by McKinsey Global Institute predicts the U.S. will need up to 190,000 new professionals with analytical skills to help manage the Big Data movement and run data analytics and business intelligence operations in the private and public sectors. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs for statisticians will grow 34 percent between 2016 and 2024, much faster than the growth rate of 7 percent for all occupations. ASU's statistics division is growing to meet this high demand.

The Professional Track MS Statistics program prepares students for a practice-oriented career, which emphasizes applied aspects of the discipline. Graduates understand some of the basic theory that is fundamental to the proper use of statistics, but are especially knowledgeable about the tools of applied statistics and are familiar with computer software packages available for doing statistical computations. This prepares students for data oriented positions in industry and government.

The statistics division of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences has eight full-time faculty and is housed largely in Charles Wexler Hall, near the center of campus. Our approximately 30 statistics master's students enjoy a collaborative atmosphere and a full schedule of seminars and colloquiums each week. We support an active chapter of the Graduate Statistics Club, the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM), as well as a student chapter of American Mathematics Society (AMS). The school hosts an annual Math and Statistics Career Day and graduate students explore multiple career paths locally and nationally in business, industry, government and academia.

Degree Overview

The 30-hour Statistics MS Professional Track program of study includes coursework and a portfolio. The Pro track provides preparation for a practice-oriented career. This Pro track is designed for students to finish in three semesters.

Curriculum

30 credit hours including a culminating experience of a portfolio

Requirements and electives	Hours
Required Theory Courses	6
Required Applied Linear Statistical Model Courses	3
Required Computing Course	3
Electives	18
Culminating Experience - Portfolio	0
Total hours required	30

Courses and electives

The goal of the Statistics MS Pro track is for students to prepare for a practice-oriented career in industry or government that focuses on collection and analysis of data. While students will learn basic statistical theory in this track, the emphasis is on applying modern statistical and computational methods to make sense of data. With 18 hours for elective courses, students have ample opportunity to select courses that fit their strength and interest.

Required Theory Courses (6 hours)

STP 421 Probability (3)
STP 427 Mathematical Statistics (3)

Required Applied Linear Statistical Model Courses (3 hours)

STP 530 Applied Regression Analysis or IEE 578 Regression Analysis or ECN 525 (3)

Required Computing Course (3 hours)

STP 540 Computational Statistics (3)

Electives (18 hours)

The remaining credit hours come from elective courses chosen by the student with the approval of supervising faculty. A maximum of six credit hours may be chosen from a related field on which statistics relies (such as computer science) or in which statistics is an essential tool (e.g., biostatistics, quality control). The elective courses allow the student to emphasize a particular area of statistical inference. No foreign language or written comprehensive examinations are required.The student has considerable flexibility in selecting an area of specialty.

Culminating Experience - Portfolio (0 hours)

The portfolio must consist of at least 3 approved projects from at least 3 different courses. There are some courses in which students are guaranteed the possibility of working on a project (the designated project courses); in other courses, students can do a project if the instructor agrees to offer this opportunity. The designated project courses consist of STP 530, STP 531, STP 540, STP 598 Machine Learning, and STP 598 Causal Inference.

How to Apply

The application deadline for our master's degree program is July 1. Applications are accepted for fall admission only.

More specifics can be found on the How To Apply page.

Details of the MS Statistics degree can be found in the Student Handbook.