Statistics, BS

Contact:

Department Chair: Graham Leuschke, 215 Carnegie Building, gjleusch@syr.edu, 315-443-1478

Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies: Leonid Kovalev, 311C Carnegie Building, lvkovale@syr.edu, 315-443-1487

Faculty

Uday Banerjee, Pinyuen Chen, Dan Coman, J.Theodore Cox, Steven Diaz, Nicole M.L. Fonger, Jack E. Graver, Duane Graysay, Philip S. Griffin, Tadeusz Iwaniec, Lee Kennard, Hyune-Ju Kim, Mark Kleiner, Leonid Kovalev, Loredana Lanzani, Graham J. Leuschke, Wei Li, Jianxuan Liu, Adam Lutoborski, Joanna O. Masingila, Terry R. McConnell, Claudia Miller, Jani Onninen, Evgeny Poletsky, Declan Quinn, Minghao Rostami, Lixin Shen, Gregory Verchota, Andrew Vogel, Stephan Wehrli, William Wylie, Yuan Yuan, Dan Zacharia

The B.S. in Statistics is recommended for students who intend to pursue a career in a field that requires rigorous statistical training. The program is designed to equip students with a solid understanding of statistical concepts and methods, as well as practical skills to analyze data. Upon the successful completion of the B.S. program, graduates will be well prepared for statistical analysis and research in industry or government, or graduate study in statistics and/or related fields.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate facility with the basic mathematics techniques used in statistical theory and applications.
2. Effectively communicate statistical ideas.
3. Manipulate and summarize data efficiently and effectively.
4. Formulate statistical models and perform statistical inferences using fundamental concepts and principles of statistics.
5. Conduct data analysis using various statistical methods and summarize findings.
6. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills in statistical computing.
7. Demonstrate advanced knowledge and skills in statistical modeling and applications.

Preliminary Requirements (25 credits)

As a preliminary requirement for the statistics major, students complete 25 credits in the following classes with no grade below a C: MAT 221, MAT 222, MAT 295, MAT 296, MAT 331, MAT 397, and MAT 422. These courses are prerequisites for most upper-division statistics courses. The following sequence is recommended: MAT 221 and MAT 295 in the first semester; MAT 222 and MAT 296 in the second semester; MAT 331 and 397 in the third semester; and MAT 422 when appropriate. However, students with knowledge of trigonometry and a year of high school calculus may be able to enter the sequence at MAT 296 or even MAT 397; students with less preparation may be advised to complete MAT 194 before beginning the calculus sequence. Students considering becoming Statistics majors are strongly encouraged to talk to a major advisor as soon as possible.

Statistics Core Requirements (15 credits)

In addition to the preliminary requirement described above, students are required to complete the following statistics coursework with an average of at least 2.0:

Upper-Division Electives (15 credits)

Students are also required to complete 15 additional credits in mathematics (MAT) courses from the following list:

At least two courses from the following list (495, 526, 528, 529) must be included in the 15 credits:
MAT 495 - Fundamentals of Data Science
MAT 526 - Introduction to Stochastic Processes
MAT 528 - Probability Models for Actuarial Science
MAT 529 - Introduction to Bayesian Statistics
MAT 412 - Introduction to Real Analysis I
MAT 511 - Advanced Calculus
MAT 512 - Introduction to Real Analysis II
MAT 513 - Introduction to Complex Analysis
MAT 517 - Partial Differential Equations and Fourier Series
MAT 518 - Fourier Series, Transforms and Wavelets
MAT 531 - Second Course in Linear Algebra
MAT 532 - Applied Linear Algebra
MAT 545 - Introduction to Combinatorics
MAT 551 - Fundamental Concepts of Geometry
MAT 562 - Elementary Topology
MAT 581 - Numerical Methods with Programming

Course Substitutions

Up to 3 credits in other MAT courses numbered 490 or higher and in advanced courses in other departments that have been approved in advance by the student’s major advisor may be included in the 15 credits.

Distinction in Statistics

Distinction in Statistics is awarded by the Mathematics Department upon completion of a B.S. in Statistics with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4, a minimum GPA of 3.6 in mathematics (MAT) courses at the 300+ level, and either an A or A- in the Statstics Seminar.