Statistics

The MSc by Research in Statistics resembles a doctorate in that it involves writing a thesis on a research project, but in contrast the process is designed to take a minimum of one year, up to a maximum of three years. There are no required lectures, classes or written examinations. It can be in any of the subject areas for which for which supervision is available.

The Department of Statistics in the University of Oxford is a world leader in research in probability, bioinformatics, mathematical genetics and statistical methodology, including computational statistics and machine learning. Oxford’s Mathematical Sciences submission came first in the UK on all criteria in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) and in 2016 the department moved to a newly-refurbished building in the centre of Oxford.

Much of the department's research is either explicitly interdisciplinary or draws its motivation from application areas, ranging from biology and physics to the social sciences. The department is also part of the Oxford Warwick Statistics Programme (OxWaSP), an EPSRC and MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in next-generational statistical science.

You will be assigned a named supervisor or supervisors, who will have overall responsibility for the direction of your work on behalf of the department. You will have the opportunity to interact with fellow students and other members of your research groups, and more widely across the department.  Typically, as a research student you should expect to have meetings with your supervisor or a member of the supervisory team with a frequency of at least once every two weeks averaged across the year. The regularity of these meetings may be subject to variations according to the time of the year, and the stage you are at in your research programme.

There is a formal assessment of progress on the research project at around twelve months. The MSc by Research thesis is expected to be submitted for examination during the second or third year of the programme and there will be a viva voce examination.

You will be expected to acquire transferable skills as part of your training and to prepare a research poster or give a research presentation each year in the department.

Initially, you will be admitted as a Probationer Research Student in the same way as those intending to do a DPhil. Thus it may be possible to switch between the two. The same standards are applied for admission for the two degrees. Few students opt for the MSc by Research, and in most cases the decision is due to limitations on the period for which they have time or funding available.

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in an appropriate subject. You will need a strong background in mathematics or statistics.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.6 out of 4.0.

However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree of the equivalent.

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Research proposal: Up to two pages
• References/letters of recommendation:Three overall, generally academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Standard level

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships