Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Data Sciences, Business
Overview
The doctoral program in Statistics trains students to be successful researchers and educators in the fields of statistics, probability and data science. The program provides students with the foundations of applied and theoretical statistics and of probability. Students learn to critically evaluate literature to inform their research. The program guides students to work on independent research projects that culminate in a thesis, which encompasses either a major research contribution on a single topic or multiple contributions, possibly in collaborative form, to different research questions.
This program is full time and typically takes five years to complete. Doctoral students in the Statistics Department are expected to maintain a significant physical presence on campus throughout their graduate studies. This ensures that students have access to advisors and mentors, libraries, and other resources that support timely progress towards completion of degree requirements. Additionally, being on campus ensures that students are part of the academic and campus community which supports continued professional development.
Requirements
Program Requirements
First Year Core Program and Qualifying Exams
To complete the degree, students must satisfactorily complete the first-year core courses, pass two of three parts of the qualifying examinations (end of the first year), be admitted to candidacy (spring of the second year), and successfully complete the following: two offerings each of Stats 319 and Stats 390 (typically second and third years), depth and breadth requirements (second, third, and fourth years), the dissertation proposal meeting (winter quarter of the third year), the university oral examination (fourth or fifth year), submission of the dissertation (fourth or fifth year). See details below.
STATS 300A Theory of Statistics I, STATS 300B Theory of Statistics II, and STATS 300C Theory of Statistics III systematically survey the ideas of estimation and hypothesis testing for parametric and nonparametric models involving small and large samples.
STATS 305A Applied Statistics I is concerned with linear regression and the analysis of variance.
STATS 305B Applied Statistics II: Generalized Linear Models, Survival Analysis, and Exponential Families and STATS 305C Applied Statistics III survey many modeling techniques related to but going beyond the linear models of STATS 305A Applied Statistics I.
STATS 310A Theory of Probability I, STATS 310B Theory of Probability II, and STATS 310C Theory of Probability III are measure-theoretic courses in probability theory, beginning with basic concepts of the law of large numbers and martingale theory.
All first-year courses must be taken for a letter grade where offered.
Departmental qualifying exams are typically taken during the summer between the student’s first and second years, and are intended to assess the student’s level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the three core subjects of statistical theory and methods, applied statistics, and probability theory. Students are expected to receive a passing score in two of the three examinations. Letter grades are not given. Qualifying exams may be taken only once. Failure to pass at least two examinations may result in dismissal from the PhD program. Additional information on the exams is available to students in the Statistics Department PhD Handbook. After passing the qualifying exams, students file for admission to PhD candidacy.
Take STATS 319 Literature of Statistics once per year after passing the Qualifying Exam until the year after passing the dissertation proposal meeting.
Take STATS 390 Consulting Workshop at least twice in years two and three.
Students must complete a depth requirement consisting of a minimum of three courses (minimum nine units) of advanced topics courses offered by the department. Courses may be taken for a letter grade or credit. Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units, i.e. the final two courses (minimum six units) can be either depth or breadth. Recommended advanced topics courses include, but are not limited to, those listed above.
Breadth Requirement
Students must take at least three courses (minimum nine units) outside the department. Courses may be taken for a letter grade or credit. They are advised to choose an area of concentration in a specific scientific field of statistical applications approved by their PhD program advisor. Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units units, i.e. the final two courses (minimum six units) can be either depth or breadth.
Popular areas include Computational Biology and Statistical Genomics, Machine Learning, Applied Probability, Earth Science Statistics, and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Dissertation Reading Committee and Dissertation Proposal Meeting
The dissertation reading committee comprises the student’s advisor and two faculty readers, all of whom are responsible for reading and approving the entire dissertation. The dissertation proposal meeting intends to demonstrate the students’ depth in some statistics areas and examine the general plan for their research. It also confirms that students have chosen a PhD faculty advisor and started working on a research topic with that advisor. In the 60-minute meeting, the student gives a 45-minute presentation involving ideas developed to date and plans for completing a PhD dissertation, and for another 15 minutes answers questions posed by the committee, which typically consists of the members of the Dissertation Reading Committee. The meeting must be successfully completed by the end of winter quarter of the third year. “Successful completion” means that the general research plan is sound and has a reasonable chance of success. If the student does not pass, the meeting will need to be repeated. Repeated failure by the end of the third year may lead to dismissal from the program.
Teaching Requirement
Conditions
Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All students are required to satisfactorily complete at least four academic quarters of teaching experience by the end of their fourth year in the program, regardless of financial support, to fulfill degree requirements. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their financial support and professional training.
Advancement to Candidacy
Conditions
Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is not an automatic process following the completion of program requirements such as qualifying exams. It is a prospective judgment by the faculty of the student’s ability to conduct original research and their potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the final study list deadline for spring quarter of the second year. Qualifying procedures in the Department of Statistics include required coursework, satisfactory completion of the qualifying exam degree milestone, and identification of a dissertation advisor. Students are reviewed for candidacy in June of their second year. Students can find additional details on qualifying procedures in the Statistics Department PhD Handbook. opens in a new tab
Oral Examination
Conditions
In the Department of Statistics, the oral exam is a defense of the dissertation presented upon the completion of a substantial portion of the dissertation. Students consult with their dissertation advisor and reading committee members on the timing of the defense. Students are expected to complete this milestone by the end of their fifth year in the program.
For further information on university oral examinations and committees, see the University Oral Examination section of this Bulletin.
Dissertation
Conditions
Students are required to submit an approved dissertation that makes an original contribution to scholarship or scientific knowledge in the field of probability and/or mathematical and applied statistics. Students typically submit the dissertation in the same quarter that they complete the oral exam, and no later than the subsequent quarter.
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