The Statistics Program offers the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees for graduate study and research in statistics and probability. Areas of faculty research activity include high dimensional data, statistical decision and estimation theory, biostatistics, stochastic modeling, robust and nonparametric inference, semiparametric inference, categorical data analysis, theory and inference for stochastic processes, stochastic analysis, time series and spatial statistics. Students may concentrate in applied or theoretical statistics by selecting an appropriate sequence of courses and a research area to form an individual plan of study. The Program has been designed with sufficient flexibility to accommodate the student’s background and interests. The Program also offers students from other disciplines an opportunity to select a variety of statistics courses to supplement their own study.
The Program is administratively affiliated with the Department of Mathematics, which maintains the records of all students in the Mathematical Statistics Program and handles correspondence with those applying for admission. However, any application for admission must indicate clearly that the student wishes to enter the Statistics (STAT) Program.
Employment prospects for statisticians are very good. All recent M.A. and Ph.D. graduates of Maryland’s Statistics Program have found jobs in academia, industry and government agencies.
Thesis option requires 24 credits of coursework with at least 15 credits at the 600-700 level and at least 12 credits at the 600-700 level in statistics and probability. In addition, students must take six credits of STAT 799: Master's Thesis Research and pass a final oral examination.
Non-thesis option requires 30 credits of coursework with at least 18 credits at the 600-700 level and at least 12 credits at the 600-700 level in statistics and probability. In addition, students must pass the Master's written examinations or the Ph.D. written examinations on the Master's level, write a scholarly paper, and pass a final oral examination.
The M.A. degree program offers both thesis and non-thesis options; the students are encouraged to choose the latter. For the non-thesis option, a student must complete 30 credit hours with at least a B average; at least 18 of these credits must be at the graduate level (600/700 level) and at least 12 of the graduate credits must be in Statistics (STAT). The student must also pass the Mathematics Department written examinations in Probability, Mathematical Statistics and one more area, such as Applied Statistics or any field of mathematics. In order to earn the M.A. degree with the non-thesis option, the student must pass two examinations by the end of his or her third year in the graduate program, and must pass all three at the M. A. level by the end of the fourth year. A student may take one or more examinations at a time. Most full-time students pass all three examinations by the end of the second year or middle of the third year. The student must also submit a satisfactory short scholarly paper.
For the thesis option, a student must: (1) complete 24 credit hours with at least 15 at the 600/700 level (of these 15 hours, at least 12 hours must be in Statistics); (2) maintain an average grade of B or better; (3) take six hours of STAT 799 (Research) in addition to (1); (4) write a satisfactory thesis; and (5) pass a final oral examination. There is no foreign language requirement for M.A. students.
Applicants should keep in mind that no financial aid is offered to M.A. students.
Each university in the Unites States of America sets its own admission standards so there isn't the same criteria for all the students and the university can decide which applicants meet those standards. The fee for each application is between $35 to $100.
After the selections of the universities you want to attend, the best of all would be to contact each university for an application form and more admission information for the international students. Moreover, for a graduate or postgraduate program it's necessary to verify the admission requirements. Some programs require that you send your application directly to their department.
Admissions decisions are based on students's academic record and different test scores, such as TOEFL, the SAT or ACT (for undergraduate programs) and GRE or GMAT (for graduate programs). Admission decision is based on your academic results and motivation.
In addition to the Graduate School requirements, applicants with at least a B average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) should have completed an undergraduate program of study that included a strong emphasis on rigorous mathematics or statistics. Mathematical preparation at least through the level of advanced calculus will normally be considered sufficient demonstration of the expected mathematical background. In special cases, students may be provisionally admitted without having fulfilled the general admission requirements if they can demonstrate potential success in the Program through other criteria. The General Graduate Record Examination is required for admission, and the applicants must supply the scores. The GRE subject examination in Mathematics is recommended.
