PhD in Statistics

The PhD degree in statistics is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in statistics research in academia, government, or industry. The curriculum is designed to provide a strong in-depth and broad training in statistical theory, methodology, computation, and applications. Students begin their research experience in the first year and participate in on- or off-campus internships in the second year. These provide a well-rounded, solid education for graduates to assume and advance their roles as university professors, senior statisticians, or data scientists.

Dissertations

While PhD students are engaged in research from the first year, they formally begin their dissertation work after completing their doctoral preliminary exams. Dissertations may be oriented toward applied statistics, computational methods, theoretical statistics, or probability. It typically takes one to two years to complete and defend the dissertation work. The dissertation is expected to be of publishable quality in reputable academic journals. Almost all PhD students complete the degree in five years.