October 15, 2022
The M.S. in Statistical Science (MSSS) degree program consists of 10 advanced statistics courses, totaling 31 credit hours. MSSS students take three required 2-semester sequences in their first year, followed in their second year by a required course in statistical consulting, a required internship or research paper, and 2 advanced statistics electives. Ambitious students may elect to take an additional elective course (on any topic, not necessarily statistics) in their third and/or fourth semesters.
- Year 1, Fall Semester
- STAT-S 610: Introduction to Statistical Computing
- STAT-S 621: Fundamentals of Statistical Theory & Methods I
- STAT-S 631: Applied Linear Models I
- Year 1, Spring Semester
- STAT-S 611: Applied Statistical Computing
- STAT-S 622: Fundamentals of Statistical Theory & Methods II
- STAT-S 632: Applied Linear Models II
- Year 2, Fall Semester
- STAT-S 690: Statistical Consulting
- Statistics Elective (required—see below)
- Additional Elective (optional—see below)
- Year 2, Spring Semester
- Internship or Research Paper (see below)
- Statistics Elective (required—see below)
- Additional Elective (optional—see below)
Notes
Internship Students seeking jobs after receiving the MSSS should opt for an internship. Students who intern at the Indiana Statistical Consulting Center (ISCC) should register for STAT-S 692; students who intern elsewhere should register for STAT-S 693. [Note that STAT-S 693 has not yet been created. Check with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine the appropriate course number.]
Research Paper Students planning to pursue doctoral study should opt for a research paper. Note that this option requires faculty supervision—a Statistics faculty member must agree to supervise your paper before the Spring semester begins. Students who pursue this option should register for STAT-S 699. [Note that STAT-S 699 has not yet been created. We are currently using STAT-S 799. Check with the Director of Graduate Studies to determine the appropriate course number.]
Statistics Electives Two elective courses in advanced statistics are required. Typi- cally, these are 600-level (or higher) courses offered by the Department of Statistics; however, there are advanced statistics courses offered by other departments. Notable examples include CSCI-B 555 (Machine Learning) and CSCI-B 565 (Data Mining). Alternative courses must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. To obtain permission to count an alter- native course as a Statistics Elective, please email your request to the Director of Graduate Studies. Please provide as much information as possible about the statistical content of the proposed course. Decisions will be based on whether or not the proposed course con- tains sufficient graduate-level statistics content, not on perceived benefit to your professional development.
Additional Electives Additional elective courses are possible, but not required. You may take additional courses in advanced statistics, you may take nonstatistics courses that benefit your professional preparation (e.g., a course in Python programming), you may take recreational courses in subjects that you enjoy (e.g., Korean cinema, or adventure sports), or you may forego additional courses in order to focus on your required courses. Nonstatistics courses, no matter how valuable to your professional development, will not be approved as Statistics Electives.
