Mathematical Statistics (STAT)

Abstract

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 statistical decision and estimation theory, biostatistics, stochastic modeling, robust and nonparametric inference, semiparametric inference, empirical likelihood, analysis of variance, 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, government, and private industry with the exception of some foreign students with language problems.

Admissions Information

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.

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

For best consideration for financial aid (January 15 preferred) .
Applications must be received by May 1 (February 1 preferred) .

Applications must be received by October 1 (September 15 preferred) .

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE General
GRE Math
3 Letters of Recommendation

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	For best consideration for financial aid (January 15 preferred) . Applications must be received by May 1 (February 1 preferred) .	Applications must be received by October 1 (September 15 preferred) .

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts (M.A.)

The M.A. degree program offers both thesis and non-thesis options. 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. The student may take either the separate M.A. written examinations or the Ph.D. written examinations, which require a lower score to pass. 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 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.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The M.A. degree is not required for admission to the Ph.D. program. A doctoral student must complete a minimum of 36 hours of formal courses (at least 27 at the 600/700 level) with an average of B or better; at least 18 of the graduate credits must be taken in Statistics. In addition, the university requires at least 12 hours of STAT 899 (Doctoral Research). The Ph.D. student must take written examinations in probability, mathematical statistics, and applied statistics or any field of mathematics as the third area. These examinations are given by the Mathematics Department twice a year in January and August. A student may take one or more examinations at a time. The student must pass two examinations by the end of his or her third year in the graduate program, and must pass all three by the end of the fourth year. Most full-time students pass all three examinations by the end of the second year or middle of the third year. If successful in the written examinations, the student must pass an oral examination. Administered by the Statistics faculty, the oral examination usually takes place a year after the student passes the written examination. This examination serves as a test of the student's in-depth preparation in the area of specialization and the student's research potential. Successful completion of the oral exam indicates that the student is ready to begin writing the doctoral dissertation. In addition, the Department requires a reading competence in one foreign language for the Ph.D. The student may select one of three languages: French, German or Russian. Administered and graded by the Mathematics Department, the language examination consists of translating foreign mathematical texts into competent English. To be admitted to candidacy, the Ph.D. student must pass the written examinations and the oral examination and the language examination must be completed before the candidate's final oral examination on the dissertation.

Facilities and Special Resources

The STAT Program cooperates closely with the Mathematics Department and the Applied Mathematics and Scientific Computation (AMSC) Program. The Program's faculty are actively involved in research in applied and theoretical areas of statistics and maintain close ties with applied scientists in several federal agencies.

The Program sponsors a weekly statistics seminar. In addition, faculty-student workshops cover topics of current statistical interest.

Computing is integrated in the applied courses, and the Program also offers a course "Computational methods in statistics"

By scheduling many of its applied and Master's level courses in late-afternoon time slots, the Program facilitates and invites part-time graduate study.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships are awarded to graduate students in the Statistics Program through the Mathematics Department. At present, the teaching load is six hours each semester, in addition to the duties of meeting with students and grading papers. There are 15 graduate students in statistics with financial support. These are mostly teaching assistantships, but there are also a few research assistantships and fellowships. From time to time advanced students are placed into research assistantships as data analysts or statistical consultants with other campus units such as the Statistics Laboratory, run jointly by the Statistics Program and the Computer Science Center.

Contact Information

In addition to brochures and publications of the Mathematics Department, which include information about statistics faculty and graduate courses, the Statistics Program offers a brochure, "Educational Policies of the Mathematical Statistics Program".

Prof. Paul J. Smith, Director
Mathematical Statistics Program
1112 Mathematics Building

University of Maryland
College Park
MD 20742-4015
Telephone: (301) 405-5061
statgrad@deans.umd.edu

www.stat.umd.edu

Courses: STAT

Related Programs and Campus Units

Mathematics