Ph.D. Requirements - Applied Statistics

The Ph.D. requirements for an applied statistics concentration include both graduate credit requirements (including basic required courses) and examinations. Depending on the background of the student, the basic required courses and Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations can be completed within one to two years.

Course Requirements: 72 hours of graduate credit (or 36 hours for students who enter with an approved Master's degree) is required for the degree. In this 72 hour requirement, students must satisfactorily complete certain basic required courses: Math 7643, 7654, 7/8642, 7651, 7/8670, 7/8680, 7/8692, 7/8695 and two courses from Math 7/8759, 7/8763, 7/8764, and 7/8765. In addition, students are required to give at least two formal presentations through taking Math 7/8691. More details on course descriptions and requirements can be found in the Graduate Catalog. See the Graduate handbook for any additional departmental policies.

Ph.D. Examinations: The Ph.D. requires three examinations: 1. the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, which is normally completed after the first or second year of graduate studies (depending on the student's background); 2. the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, which normally occurs after the student has begun his/her thesis research; and 3. the Dissertation Defense, which occurs at the completion of the program.

1. Ph.D. Qualifying Examination: The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is expected to be completed within two years (i.e., before the start of the third year in the program). If not, a student will enter in probation for an extra year and, together with the advisor, a student must follow a plan of study. The PhD Qualifying Examination will consists of two exams one week apart. For the PhD Qualifying Exam in Statistics, Math 7654 is the most important. Other courses recommended in preparation for the Exam are Math 7/8670, Math 7/8680, Math 7651, and Math 7643. Copies of previous exams are available for students to use to prepare. The exams will be given each January and August.
2. Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination: This is an oral examination in preparation for the Ph.D. Dissertation and primarily covers specialized material related to the Dissertation topic. Students are expected to complete this exam by the end of the fourth year in the program. Upon completion of this exam the Comprehensive Exam Results Form must be completed and returned to the Math Department.
3. Dissertation Defense: Students are expected to defend their dissertation during their last year in the program. Then the Dissertation Final Defense Results Form must be completed and returned to the Graduate School.

Completion of the basic course requirements leading to the successful completion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations can be summarized by the following tables.