Mar 29, 2024  
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Statistics, Ph.D.


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Every entering student will have a doctoral program advisor. The program advisor will determine if the student needs to complete any specific courses before he or she proceeds along the following steps:

Degree Requirements


  1. A doctoral-level pass on the department’s written comprehensive examinations. For students in the statistics program, the examinations are based on the subjects of STAT 601 , STAT 602 , STAT 611  and STAT 612  for the traditional track and they are based on the subjects of STAT 601 , STAT 602 , STAT 651  and STAT 653  for the biostatistics track. The examinations must be passed within three semesters of entering the doctoral program.
  2. Passing the doctoral qualifying oral examination
  3. Admission to candidacy
  4. Completing residency requirements of the university
  5. Completing and successfully defending a doctoral dissertation

The Ph.D. qualifying oral examination


Upon successful completion of requirement 1, a student will commence advanced study under close supervision of a faculty advisor. A doctoral qualifying oral examination committee of at least four members will be appointed by the graduate program director on nomination by the student’s advisor. Two members, besides the student’s advisor, must be from the graduate faculty, but additional members who are knowledgeable in the area of intended research may be included. The student, the advisor and the graduate program director will agree on the scope of the doctoral qualifying oral examination to be administered by the committee. The committee must be notified, at least two weeks in advance, of the date, time and place of the doctoral qualifying oral examination and must be provided with a study list of the candidate.

Admission to Candidacy


On receiving recommendation of the doctoral qualifying oral examination committee for admission to candidacy, the student must obtain the written consent of a graduate faculty member to act as the doctoral dissertation advisor and apply to the Graduate School for admission to doctoral candidacy. The application for admission to candidacy is made through the graduate program director, who certifies that all requirements for the doctorate except the doctoral dissertation, have been met and that the student has a doctoral dissertation advisor.

Residency Requirements


The residency requirements shall be those imposed by the university at the time of the student’s entrance to the doctoral program.

Doctoral Dissertation


The doctoral dissertation is the heart of the Ph.D. program. An acceptable dissertation will contain a significant advance in the current knowledge of applied mathematics or statistics. On completion of the dissertation in its final form, the dissertation advisor will recommend to the Graduate School, through the graduate program director, to appoint a final doctoral examining committee. The final oral defense of the dissertation will be conducted in accordance with the general Graduate School requirements.

Scientific Minor


In addition, the biostatistics track with the statistics Ph.D. program requires that the student complete a scientific minor in epidemiology and/or cancer research. The students will fulfll the scientific minor requirement by carrying on project research and taking at least three courses in one of the following areas of active biostatistical research:

  • Clinical Trials
  • Population Epidemiology
  • Bioinformatics
  • Aging Studies

(The choices for the area for the scientific Minor are not limited to the list given above. Students can do scientific minor in other research areas related to the existing faculty expertise with prior approval from the graduate program director.)

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