HELP 2011-2012 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG] Statistics Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window)

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Mission

The mission of the Statistics program is to provide a quality education that blends theory and practice to produce a statistician who can enter and pursue a successful career in one of the many statistical fields or pursue an advanced degree in statistics. Our statistics graduates will be prepared to meet the demands of the growing number of quantitative and data-based sciences.

The field of Statistics is concerned with describing, modeling, and predicting populations in the presence of uncertainty. Statistics usually involves the scientific application of mathematics to the collection of data, the analysis of data, and a summary presentation interpreting the statistical results. Statisticians are currenlty in high demand and the job as a statistician has been ranked as one of the top 10 jobs in the United States each of the last five years. A statistician will often apply their expertise and knowledge of a wide range of statistical methods to a variety of subject areas, such as biology, economics, engineering, finance, medicine, mining, public health, psychology, marketing, education, and sports. Many economic, social, environmental, and political policies, as well as clinical trials used to investigate a newly manufactured drug, are based on the use of appropriate statistical methods.

Industry - The primary function of a statistician in industry is as a consultant. In this capacity, the consultant cooperates with engineers, scientists and management, and must be able to discuss problems with them in their non-statistical language.

Educational Objectives

1. Provide solid background in statistics that is needed to solve real-world statistical and quantitative problems.
2. Train students to understand and apply a wide range of statistical methods to solve problems of a quantitative nature.
3. Prepare students to adapt to an ever changing world and its demands for data analysis, quantitative, and analytical skills.

Outcomes

1. Graduates entering industry will be able to recognize the need for quantitative information and apply it to problem solving and data analysis in real world situations.
2. Graduates entering graduate programs in Statistics will be well trained in the fundamentals and theory of modern Statistics.

Assessment

The statistics program believes that the quality of an academic program is ultimately defined by the long-term success of its graduates. We believe that if our students meet our goals, they will be well prepared for a successful career as a statistician. The outcomes listed above are constantly assessed through course evaluations, student satisfaction surveys, placement rates, and department discussions of the Statistics curriculum. Thus, the goal of our assessment program is to insure we maintain our mission and continuously improve our curriculum in order that the graduates of our program achieve the goals of the program.

Programs

• Statistics, B.S.

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