M.A./Ph.D. Program

The research interests of the faculty in the Department of Statistics cover a wide spectrum of topics in applied and theoretical statistics from engineering, natural sciences, business, medicine, and social sciences. Graduate students have the opportunity for rigorous training in computational and theoretical statistics as well as applied research in any of the above disciplines. The general Ph.D. program is flexible, allowing you the opportunity to design a program that interests you, provided that it fits with the strengths of the department. The M.A. in Statistics is earned as part of working toward the Ph.D.

 

This summary is intended to give you an idea of the program requirements. The Rice University General Announcements web site is the definitive resource for program requirements.

Candidates for the M.A. degree in statistics must complete 30 semester hours of approved course work and must either complete an original thesis and defend it in a public oral examination or perform satisfactorily on the 2nd-year Ph.D. comprehensive examinations and complete a major project. 

The doctoral program in statistics is designed around a three-year course of study from a bachelor’s degree, or two-year course of study from a master’s degree in statistics. Comprehensive exams cover master’s level material and must be taken at the end of the first year of study or upon entering the program.

 

It is expected that the first year in the program will be spent mostly on courses, but by year two students should be integrated into a research program. By the end of the third year, successful students will have completed courses and started on full-time research. 

 

Ph.D. students are required to take 36 hours or 12 approved courses of non-thesis credit. With approval three of these twelve courses may come from outside the department or from a selection of masters level courses* within the department, including some joint courses*. The student’s plan of study must be approved by the department graduate advisor.

 

Core Curriculum (required) 

The core curriculum for the doctoral program in Statistics includes a two semester sequence on the foundations of statistics, at least one course in advanced probability and one course in computing. Specifically the courses required are:

·       STAT 532/533 Foundations of Statistical Inference

·       STAT 581 Probability Theory or STAT 552 Applied Stochastic Processes

·       Demonstrated proficiency in computing such as STAT 605 or an approved course outside the department.**

Formally, candidates for the Ph.D. degree in statistics must complete at least 90 semester hours of approved coursework beyond the bachelor's degree and minimum of 60 hours beyond a master's degree, perform satisfactorily on preliminary and qualifying examinations, and complete an original thesis with a public oral defense. 

 

Professional Development Courses (required)

Outside of the 12 courses Ph.D. students are required to participate in professional development Graduate seminar in statistics (STAT 600 and 601) for 6 semesters (or 6 credit hours).

 

 All statistics graduate students are assigned a limited amount of teaching and other departmental service as part of their graduate education.  

 

 *Master’s Level Courses: 518, 519, 605, 606, 615, 616, 682, 684, 685. Joint Listed Courses: 503, 509, 510, 610, 611

 

**Courses taken to fulfill this requirement will be counted toward courses from outside the department or Master’s level.