statistics phd qualifying exam

StudentInfo

Department of Mathematics & Statistics

General Information
Graduate Research
Applications
Mathematics
Teaching Assistants

Past Qualifying Exams

Thesis and Dissertation template
Geometry/Topology
Numerical Analysis
Real Analysis/Real Variables
Complex Analysis (Complex Variables)
Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations

Campus Address : University of New Mexico Department of Mathematics and Statistics 1 University of New Mexico, MSC01 1115 Albuquerque, NM 87131

Physical Address : University of New Mexico Department of Mathematics and Statistics 311 Terrace Street NE, Room 389 Albuquerque, NM 87106

Phone: (505) 277-4613 Fax: (505) 277-0988

Add content

Past Qualifying Exams - Statistics

Exam preparation.

For the MS/PhD qualifying exams and the PhD comprehensive exam the following courses are suggested:

Stat 540 & 545 for the take-home exam.
Stat 553 & 561 for the in-class exam.
Stat 546, 556, 557 and 567 for the comprehensive exam.

Previous exams

Note that exams before 2015 are less relevant for how current exams are prepared. Links to data within take-home exams may no longer work.

(Comprehensive exams at bottom.)

Qualifying exams

2024 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2023 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2023 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2022 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2022 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2021 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2021 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2020 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2020 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2019 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2018 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2018 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2017 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2017 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2016 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2016 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2015 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2015 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2014 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2014 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2013 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2013 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2012 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2012 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2011 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2011 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2010 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2010 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2008 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2008 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2007 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2006 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2005 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2005 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2004 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2004 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2003 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2003 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2002 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2002 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2000 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2000 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1999 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1998 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1997 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1997 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1995 Aug Qualifying Exam, in-class part
1995 Jan Qualifying Exam, in-class part
2024 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2023 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2023 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2022 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2022 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2021 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2021 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2020 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat2
2020 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1
2019 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2019 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2018 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1
2018 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2017 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat2
2017 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2016 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2016 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1
2015 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2015 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2014 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2014 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 description dat1 dat2
2013 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2013 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2012 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part dat1 dat2
2012 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2011 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2010 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2008 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2008 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2007 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2007 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2006 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2005 Aug Qualifying Exam-takehome_org
2005 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2005 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2004 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2003 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2003 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2002 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2002 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2000 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
2000 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
1998 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
1997 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
1997 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part
1995 Aug Qualifying Exam, take-home part
1995 Jan Qualifying Exam, take-home part

Comprehensive exams

2024 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2023 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2023 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2022 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2022 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2021 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2021 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2020 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2020 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2019 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2019 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2018 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2018 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2017 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2017 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2016 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2016 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2015 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2013 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2012 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2010 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2010 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2008 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2006 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2006 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2005 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2004 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2004 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2003 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2003 Jan Comprehensive Exam
2002 Aug Comprehensive Exam
2002 Jan Comprehensive Exam
Academic Calendars
Class Schedule
Colleges & Schools
Course Catalog
Degrees & Certificates
Graduate Studies

Campus Life

Arts & Entertainment
Recreational Services
Student Activities
Student Union
Continuing Education
UNM Newsroom

Information for…

Parents & Families
Public Records - IPRA

More at social.unm.edu

Accessibility
Website Comments
Contact UNM
New Mexico Higher Education Dashboard

Utility Menu

Department of Statistics

4c69b3a36a33a4c1c5b5cd3ef5360949.

Open Positions
PhD Program

The department encourages research in both theoretical and applied statistics. Faculty members of the department have been leaders in research on a multitude of topics that include statistical inference, statistical computing and Monte-Carlo methods, analysis of missing data, causal inference, stochastic processes, multilevel models, experimental design, network models and the interface of statistics and the social, physical, and biological sciences. A unique feature of the department lies in the fact that apart from methodological research, all the faculty members are also heavily involved in applied research, developing novel methodology that can be applied to a wide array of fields like astrophysics, biology, chemistry, economics, engineering, public policy, sociology, education and many others.

Two carefully designed special courses offered to Ph.D. students form a unique feature of our program. Among these, Stat 303 equips students with the basic skills necessary to teach statistics , as well as to be better overall statistics communicators. Stat 399 equips them with generic skills necessary for problem solving abilities.

Our Ph.D. students often receive substantial guidance from several faculty members, not just from their primary advisors, and in several settings. For example, every Ph.D. candidate who passes the qualifying exam gives a 30 minute presentation each semester (in Stat 300 ), in which the faculty ask questions and make comments. The Department recently introduced an award for Best Post-Qualifying Talk (up to two per semester), to further encourage and reward inspired research and presentations.

PhD Program Requirements

PhD Program Admissions Process

PhD Admissions FAQ
AM in Statistics
Stat 300: Research in Statistics
Stat 303: The Art and Practice of Teaching Statistics

Need Assistance?

Department of Statistics and Data Science

Qualifying exams.

The qualifying exam process consists of:

Exams in probability (December) and theoretical statistics (May). Students who do not pass an exam in their first year of study have the option of a retake the following year.
Oral exam: scheduled individually for each student, exploring research in an area of interest that might lead to an eventual dissertation topic. Students should approach faculty (with advice from the DGS) about scheduling an exam at a convenient time before the end of their second year.
Practical Exam: a written report on an analysis of a data set, held during a five day period in December, following the end of classes, or as a capstone project for S&DS 625 at the discretion of the instructor and DGS. Students are expected to be comfortable with R, and have had experience at working with real data. Most students gain that experience from a combination of Stat 661, 625 and participation in the statistical consulting clinic (Stat 627-628).

Academic Programs
Graduate Programs

Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy program in statistics prepares students for careers in university teaching and research or in government or industrial research. Students entering the program spend four semesters acquiring a basic background in probability, mathematical statistics, and applied statistics and take general examinations on these subjects. More specialized study follows with the thesis research, which usually begins in the third year. This research may be concentrated in any area of statistics or probability in which a faculty member is interested. Students also have the opportunity to gain experience in applied statistics through participation in statistical consulting . Completion of the Ph.D. program normally requires three to five years.

Requirements

Students who enter this program should have knowledge of probability equivalent to the content of STAT 51600 or STAT 51900 . A course in mathematical statistics is desirable, as is a course in regression.

Besides satisfying the general regulations of the Graduate School for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, the student must complete the following requirements:

Plan of Study

A tentative plan of study should be submitted electronically to the Graduate School by the end of the third session for doctoral students. An individual plan of study is crafted by the student and major professor with the approval of the student's doctoral advisory committee and the department.

Qualifying Examination

There are four Ph.D. qualifying examinations that cover material in methodology, probability, mathematical statistics, and computational statistics and are based on the core courses of the first year of graduate study in statistics.

Preliminary Examination

A student who has submitted an approved plan of study and passed the qualifying exams is required to take a preliminary exam. The purpose of the preliminary exam is to test the preparedness of the student for research. The preliminary exam is an oral exam that is administered by the student’s Ph.D. advisory committee. The student will then be recommended to the Graduate School for admissions to candidacy for the Ph.D degree.

Dissertation

A thesis must be submitted in final form, presenting new results of sufficient importance to merit publication. These results may be theoretical advances in probability or statistics, or methodological advances in the application of probability or statistics. The thesis must be accepted by the advisory committee. The student must present the contents of the thesis in an open examination.

Once a student is admitted to candidacy, the final examination marking completion of the doctoral program must be passed within five calendar years. Extensions of the limit may be granted by the graduate committee on petition by the student and his or her major professor. This may require reapproval of the plan of study and/or retaking of all or part of the Ph.D. degree qualifying examination.

Teaching Experience

Every doctoral candidate is required to teach at least quarter-time for one semester unless decided otherwise by the department.

Upon successful fulfillment of these requirements, the candidate will be recommended to the faculty to receive the Ph.D. degree.

Faculty Research Areas

If you are interested in applying to the Ph.D. Program, please visit How to Apply .

How to Apply
Faculty Research Groups
Graduate Courses
Career Development
Degrees Offered
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
MS Statistics Degree in Applied Statistics
MS Statistics Degree in Applied Statistics - Online Program
MS Data Science in Finance Residential Program
MS Statistics Degree in Mathematical Statistics or Probability
Joint Statistics and Computer Science Degree
Fifth Year Applied Statistics MS Degree
Concurrent Degree
Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics
Non-Degree Seeking Graduate Students

Purdue Department of Statistics, 150 N. University St, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Phone: (765) 494-6030, Fax: (765) 494-0558

Trouble with this page? Accessibility issues ? Please contact the College of Science .

Doctoral Program

Program summary.

Students are required to

master the material in the prerequisite courses ;
pass the first-year core program;
attempt all three parts of the qualifying examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them (end of 1st year);
satisfy the depth and breadth requirements (2nd/3rd/4th year);
successfully complete the thesis proposal meeting and submit the Dissertation Reading Committee form (winter quarter of the 3rd year);
present a draft of their dissertation and pass the university oral examination (4th/5th year).

The PhD requires a minimum of 135 units. Students are required to take a minimum of nine units of advanced topics courses (for depth) offered by the department (not including literature, research, consulting or Year 1 coursework), and a minimum of nine units outside of the Statistics Department (for breadth). Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units. In addition, students must enroll in STATS 390 Statistical Consulting, taking it at least twice.

All students who have passed the qualifying exams but have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal Meeting must take STATS 319 at least once each year. For example, a student taking the qualifying exams in the summer after Year 1 and having the dissertation proposal meeting in Year 3, would take 319 in Years 2 and 3. Students in their second year are strongly encouraged to take STATS 399 with at least one faculty member. All details of program requirements can be found in our PhD handbook (available to Stanford affiliates only, using Stanford authentication. Requests for access from non-affiliates will not be approved).

Statistics Department PhD Handbook

All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code and the Fundamental Standard .

Doctoral and Research Advisors

During the first two years of the program, students' academic progress is monitored by the department's Graduate Director. Each student should meet at least once a quarter with the Graduate Director to discuss their academic plans and their progress towards choosing a thesis advisor (before the final study list deadline of spring of the second year). From the third year onward students are advised by their selected advisor.

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying examinations are part of most PhD programs in the United States. At Stanford these exams are intended to test the student's level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the three core subjects of statistical theory and methods, applied statistics, and probability theory, which are typically taken during the summer at the end of the student's first year. Students are expected to attempt all three examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them. Letter grades are not given. Qualifying exams may be taken only once. After passing the qualifying exams, students must file for Ph.D. Candidacy, a university milestone, by the end of spring quarter of their second year.

While nearly all students pass the qualifying examinations, those who do not can arrange to have their financial support continued for up to three quarters while alternative plans are made. Usually students are able to complete the requirements for the M.S. degree in Statistics in two years or less, whether or not they have passed the PhD qualifying exams.

Thesis Proposal Meeting and Dissertation Reading Committee

The thesis proposal meeting is intended to demonstrate a student's depth in some areas of statistics, and to examine the general plan for their research. In the meeting the student gives a 60-minute presentation involving ideas developed to date and plans for completing a PhD dissertation, and for another 60 minutes answers questions posed by the committee. which consists of their advisor and two other members. The meeting must be successfully completed by the end of winter quarter of the third year. If a student does not pass, the exam must be repeated. Repeated failure can lead to a loss of financial support.

The Dissertation Reading Committee consists of the student’s advisor plus two faculty readers, all of whom are responsible for reading the full dissertation. Of these three, at least two must be members of the Statistics Department (faculty with a full or joint appointment in Statistics but excluding for this purpose those with only a courtesy or adjunct appointment). Normally, all committee members are members of the Stanford University Academic Council or are emeritus Academic Council members; the principal dissertation advisor must be an Academic Council member.

The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form should be completed and signed at the Dissertation Proposal Meeting. The form must be submitted before approval of TGR status or before scheduling a University Oral Examination.

For further information on the Dissertation Reading Committee, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.8.

University Oral Examinations

The oral examination consists of a public, approximately 60-minute, presentation on the thesis topic, followed by a 60 minute question and answer period attended only by members of the examining committee. The questions relate to the student's presentation and also explore the student's familiarity with broader statistical topics related to the thesis research. The oral examination is normally completed during the last few months of the student's PhD period. The examining committee typically consists of four faculty members from the Statistics Department and a fifth faculty member from outside the department serving as the committee chair. Four out of five passing votes are required and no grades are given. Nearly all students can expect to pass this examination, although it is common for specific recommendations to be made regarding completion of the thesis.

The Dissertation Reading Committee must also read and approve the thesis.

For further information on university oral examinations and committees, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.7 .

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone of the PhD degree. It is expected to be an original piece of work of publishable quality. The research advisor and two additional faculty members constitute the student's dissertation reading committee.

PhD Program information

The Statistics PhD program is rigorous, yet welcoming to students with interdisciplinary interests and different levels of preparation. Students in the PhD program take core courses on the theory and application of probability and statistics during their first year. The second year typically includes additional course work and a transition to research leading to a dissertation. PhD thesis topics are diverse and varied, reflecting the scope of faculty research interests. Many students are involved in interdisciplinary research. Students may also have the option to pursue a designated emphasis (DE) which is an interdisciplinary specialization: Designated Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology , Designated Emphasis in Computational Precision Health , Designated Emphasis in Computational and Data Science and Engineering . The program requires four semesters of residence.

Normal progress entails:

Year 1 . Perform satisfactorily in preliminary coursework. In the summer, students are required to embark on a short-term research project, internship, graduate student instructorship, reading course, or on another research activity. Years 2-3 . Continue coursework. Find a thesis advisor and an area for the oral qualifying exam. Formally choose a chair for qualifying exam committee, who will also serve as faculty mentor separate from the thesis advisor. Pass the oral qualifying exam and advance to candidacy by the end of Year 3. Present research at BSTARS each year. Years 4-5 . Finish the thesis and give a lecture based on it in a department seminar.

Program Requirements

Qualifying Exam

Course work and evaluation

Preliminary stage: the first year.

Effective Fall 2019, students are expected to take four semester-long courses for a letter grade during their first year which should be selected from the core first-year PhD courses offered in the department: Probability (204/205A, 205B,), Theoretical Statistics (210A, 210B), and Applied Statistics (215A, 215B). These requirements can be altered by a member of the PhD Program Committee (in consultation with the faculty mentor and by submitting a graduate student petition ) in the following cases:

Students primarily focused on probability will be allowed to substitute one semester of the four required semester-long courses with an appropriate course from outside the department.
Students may request to postpone one semester of the core PhD courses and complete it in the second year, in which case they must take a relevant graduate course in their first year in its place. In all cases, students must complete the first year requirements in their second year as well as maintain the overall expectations of second year coursework, described below. Some examples in which such a request might be approved are described in the course guidance below.
Students arriving with advanced standing, having completed equivalent coursework at another institution prior to joining the program, may be allowed to take other relevant graduate courses at UC Berkeley to satisfy some or all of the first year requirements

Requirements on course work beyond the first year

Students entering the program before 2022 are required to take five additional graduate courses beyond the four required in the first year, resulting in a total of nine graduate courses required for completion of their PhD. In their second year, students are required to take three graduate courses, at least two of them from the department offerings, and in their third year, they are required to take at least two graduate courses. Students are allowed to change the timing of these five courses with approval of their faculty mentor. Of the nine required graduate courses, students are required to take for credit a total of 24 semester hours of courses offered by the Statistics department numbered 204-272 inclusive. The Head Graduate Advisor (in consultation with the faculty mentor and after submission of a graduate student petition) may consent to substitute courses at a comparable level in other disciplines for some of these departmental graduate courses. In addition, the HGA may waive part of this unit requirement.

Starting with the cohort entering in the 2022-23 academic year , students are required to take at least three additional graduate courses beyond the four required in the first year, resulting in a total of seven graduate courses required for completion of their PhD. Of the seven required graduate courses, five of these courses must be from courses offered by the Statistics department and numbered 204-272, inclusive. With these reduced requirements, there is an expectation of very few waivers from the HGA. We emphasize that these are minimum requirements, and we expect that students will take additional classes of interest, for example on a S/U basis, to further their breadth of knowledge.

For courses to count toward the coursework requirements students must receive at least a B+ in the course (courses taken S/U do not count, except for STAT 272 which is only offered S/U). Courses that are research credits, directed study, reading groups, or departmental seminars do not satisfy coursework requirements (for courses offered by the Statistics department the course should be numbered 204-272 to satisfy the requirements). Upper-division undergraduate courses in other departments can be counted toward course requirements with the permission of the Head Graduate Advisor. This will normally only be approved if the courses provide necessary breadth in an application area relevant to the student’s thesis research.

First year course work: For the purposes of satisfactory progression in the first year, grades in the core PhD courses are evaluated as: A+: Excellent performance in PhD program A: Good performance in PhD program A-: Satisfactory performance B+: Performance marginal, needs improvement B: Unsatisfactory performance First year and beyond: At the end of each year, students must meet with his or her faculty mentor to review their progress and assess whether the student is meeting expected milestones. The result of this meeting should be the completion of the student’s annual review form, signed by the mentor ( available here ). If the student has a thesis advisor, the thesis advisor must also sign the annual review form.

Guidance on choosing course work

Choice of courses in the first year: Students enrolling in the fall of 2019 or later are required to take four semesters of the core PhD courses, at least three of which must be taken in their first year. Students have two options for how to schedule their four core courses:

Option 1 -- Complete Four Core Courses in 1st year: In this option, students would take four core courses in the first year, usually finishing the complete sequence of two of the three sequences. Students following this option who are primarily interested in statistics would normally take the 210A,B sequence (Theoretical Statistics) and then one of the 205A,B sequence (Probability) or the 215A,B sequence (Applied Statistics), based on their interests, though students are allowed to mix and match, where feasible. Students who opt for taking the full 210AB sequence in the first year should be aware that 210B requires some graduate-level probability concepts that are normally introduced in 205A (or 204).
Option 2 -- Postponement of one semester of a core course to the second year: In this option, students would take three of the core courses in the first year plus another graduate course, and take the remaining core course in their second year. An example would be a student who wanted to take courses in each of the three sequences. Such a student could take the full year of one sequence and the first semester of another sequence in the first year, and the first semester of the last sequence in the second year (e.g. 210A, 215AB in the first year, and then 204 or 205A in the second year). This would also be a good option for students who would prefer to take 210A and 215A in their first semester but are concerned about their preparation for 210B in the spring semester. Similarly, a student with strong interests in another discipline, might postpone one of the spring core PhD courses to the second year in order to take a course in that discipline in the first year. Students who are less mathematically prepared might also be allowed to take the upper division (under-graduate) courses Math 104 and/or 105 in their first year in preparation for 205A and/or 210B in their second year. Students who wish to take this option should consult with their faculty mentor, and then must submit a graduate student petition to the PhD Committee to request permission for postponement. Such postponement requests will be generally approved for only one course. At all times, students must take four approved graduate courses for a letter grade in their first year.

After the first year: Students with interests primarily in statistics are expected to take at least one semester of each of the core PhD sequences during their studies. Therefore at least one semester (if not both semesters) of the remaining core sequence would normally be completed during the second year. The remaining curriculum for the second and third years would be filled out with further graduate courses in Statistics and with courses from other departments. Students are expected to acquire some experience and proficiency in computing. Students are also expected to attend at least one departmental seminar per week. The precise program of study will be decided in consultation with the student’s faculty mentor.

Remark. Stat 204 is a graduate level probability course that is an alternative to 205AB series that covers probability concepts most commonly found in the applications of probability. It is not taught all years, but does fulfill the requirements of the first year core PhD courses. Students taking Stat 204, who wish to continue in Stat 205B, can do so (after obtaining the approval of the 205B instructor), by taking an intensive one month reading course over winter break.

Designated Emphasis: Students with a Designated Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology or Designated Emphasis in Computational and Data Science and Engineering should, like other statistics students, acquire a firm foundation in statistics and probability, with a program of study similar to those above. These programs have additional requirements as well. Interested students should consult with the graduate advisor of these programs.

Starting in the Fall of 2019, PhD students are required in their first year to take four semesters of the core PhD courses. Students intending to specialize in Probability, however, have the option to substitute an advanced mathematics class for one of these four courses. Such students will thus be required to take Stat 205A/B in the first year, at least one of Stat 210A/B or Stat 215A/B in the first year, in addition to an advanced mathematics course. This substitute course will be selected in consultation with their faculty mentor, with some possible courses suggested below. Students arriving with advanced coursework equivalent to that of 205AB can obtain permission to substitute in other advanced probability and mathematics coursework during their first year, and should consult with the PhD committee for such a waiver.

During their second and third years, students with a probability focus are expected to take advanced probability courses (e.g., Stat 206 and Stat 260) to fulfill the coursework requirements that follow the first year. Students are also expected to attend at least one departmental seminar per week, usually the probability seminar. If they are not sufficiently familiar with measure theory and functional analysis, then they should take one or both of Math 202A and Math 202B. Other recommended courses from the department of Mathematics or EECS include:

Math 204, 222 (ODE, PDE) Math 205 (Complex Analysis) Math 258 (Classical harmonic analysis) EE 229 (Information Theory and Coding) CS 271 (Randomness and computation)

The Qualifying Examination

The oral qualifying examination is meant to determine whether the student is ready to enter the research phase of graduate studies. It consists of a 50-minute lecture by the student on a topic selected jointly by the student and the thesis advisor. The examination committee consists of at least four faculty members to be approved by the department. At least two members of the committee must consist of faculty from the Statistics and must be members of the Academic Senate. The chair must be a member of the student’s degree-granting program.

Qualifying Exam Chair. For qualifying exam committees formed in the Fall of 2019 or later, the qualifying exam chair will also serve as the student’s departmental mentor, unless a student already has two thesis advisors. The student must select a qualifying exam chair and obtain their agreement to serve as their qualifying exam chair and faculty mentor. The student's prospective thesis advisor cannot chair the examination committee. Selection of the chair can be done well in advance of the qualifying exam and the rest of the qualifying committee, and because the qualifying exam chair also serves as the student’s departmental mentor (unless the student has co-advisors), the chair is expected to be selected by the beginning of the third year or at the beginning of the semester of the qualifying exam, whichever comes earlier. For more details regarding the selection of the Qualifying Exam Chair, see the "Mentoring" tab.

Paperwork and Application. Students at the point of taking a qualifying exam are assumed to have already found a thesis advisor and to should have already submitted the internal departmental form to the Graduate Student Services Advisor ( found here ). Selection of a qualifying exam chair requires that the faculty member formally agree by signing the internal department form ( found here ) and the student must submit this form to the Graduate Student Services Advisor. In order to apply to take the exam, the student must submit the Application for the Qualifying Exam via CalCentral at least three weeks prior to the exam. If the student passes the exam, they can then officially advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. If the student fails the exam, the committee may vote to allow a second attempt. Regulations of the Graduate Division permit at most two attempts to pass the oral qualifying exam. After passing the exam, the student must submit the Application for Candidacy via CalCentral .

The Doctoral Thesis

The Ph.D. degree is granted upon completion of an original thesis acceptable to a committee of at least three faculty members. The majority or at least half of the committee must consist of faculty from Statistics and must be members of the Academic Senate. The thesis should be presented at an appropriate seminar in the department prior to filing with the Dean of the Graduate Division. See Alumni if you would like to view thesis titles of former PhD Students.

Graduate Division offers various resources, including a workshop, on how to write a thesis, from beginning to end. Requirements for the format of the thesis are rather strict. For workshop dates and guidelines for submitting a dissertation, visit the Graduate Division website.

Students who have advanced from candidacy (i.e. have taken their qualifying exam and submitted the advancement to candidacy application) must have a joint meeting with their QE chair and their PhD advisor to discuss their thesis progression; if students are co-advised, this should be a joint meeting with their co-advisors. This annual review is required by Graduate Division. For more information regarding this requirement, please see https://grad.berkeley.edu/ policy/degrees-policy/#f35- annual-review-of-doctoral- candidates .

Teaching Requirement

For students enrolled in the graduate program before Fall 2016, students are required to serve as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for a minimum of 20 hours (equivalent to a 50% GSI appointment) during a regular academic semester by the end of their third year in the program.

Effective with the Fall 2016 entering class, students are required to serve as a GSI for a minimum of two 50% GSI appointment during the regular academic semesters prior to graduation (20 hours a week is equivalent to a 50% GSI appointment for a semester) for Statistics courses numbered 150 and above. Exceptions to this policy are routinely made by the department.

Each spring, the department hosts an annual conference called BSTARS . Both students and industry alliance partners present research in the form of posters and lightning talks. All students in their second year and beyond are required to present a poster at BSTARS each year. This requirement is intended to acclimate students to presenting their research and allow the department generally to see the fruits of their research. It is also an opportunity for less advanced students to see examples of research of more senior students. However, any students who do not yet have research to present can be exempted at the request of their thesis advisor (or their faculty mentors if an advisor has not yet been determined).

Mentoring for PhD Students

Initial Mentoring: PhD students will be assigned a faculty mentor in the summer before their first year. This faculty mentor at this stage is not expected to be the student’s PhD advisor nor even have research interests that closely align with the student. The job of this faculty mentor is primarily to advise the student on how to find a thesis advisor and in selecting appropriate courses, as well as other degree-related topics such as applying for fellowships. Students should meet with their faculty mentors twice a semester. This faculty member will be the designated faculty mentor for the student during roughly their first two years, at which point students will find a qualifying exam chair who will take over the role of mentoring the student.

Research-focused mentoring : Once students have found a thesis advisor, that person will naturally be the faculty member most directly overseeing the student’s progression. However, students will also choose an additional faculty member to serve as a the chair of their qualifying exam and who will also serve as a faculty mentor for the student and as a member of his/her thesis committee. (For students who have two thesis advisors, however, there is not an additional faculty mentor, and the quals chair does NOT serve as the faculty mentor).

The student will be responsible for identifying and asking a faculty member to be the chair of his/her quals committee. Students should determine their qualifying exam chair either at the beginning of the semester of the qualifying exam or in the fall semester of the third year, whichever is earlier. Students are expected to have narrowed in on a thesis advisor and research topic by the fall semester of their third year (and may have already taken qualifying exams), but in the case where this has not happened, such students should find a quals chair as soon as feasible afterward to serve as faculty mentor.

Students are required to meet with their QE chair once a semester during the academic year. In the fall, this meeting will generally be just a meeting with the student and the QE chair, but in the spring it must be a joint meeting with the student, the QE chair, and the PhD advisor. If students are co-advised, this should be a joint meeting with their co-advisors.

If there is a need for a substitute faculty mentor (e.g. existing faculty mentor is on sabbatical or there has been a significant shift in research direction), the student should bring this to the attention of the PhD Committee for assistance.

PhD Student Forms:

Important milestones: .

Each of these milestones is not complete until you have filled out the requisite form and submitted it to the GSAO. If you are not meeting these milestones by the below deadline, you need to meet with the Head Graduate Advisor to ask for an extension. Otherwise, you will be in danger of not being in good academic standing and being ineligible for continued funding (including GSI or GSR appointments, and many fellowships).


Identify PhD Advisor†	End of 2nd year
Identify Research Mentor (QE Chair) OR Co-Advisor†	Fall semester of 3rd year
Pass Qualifying Exam and Advance to Candidacy	End of 3rd year
Thesis Submission	End of 4th or 5th year

†Students who are considering a co-advisor, should have at least one advisor formally identified by the end of the second year; the co-advisor should be identified by the end of the fall semester of the 3rd year in lieu of finding a Research Mentor/QE Chair.

Expected Progress Reviews:


Spring 1st year	Annual Progress Review	Faculty Mentor
	Review of 1st year progress	Head Graduate Advisor
Spring 2nd year	Annual Progress Review	Faculty Mentor or Thesis Advisor(s) (if identified)
Fall 3+ year	Research progress report*	Research mentor**
Spring 3+ year	Annual Progress Review*	Jointly with PhD advisor(s) and Research mentor

* These meetings do not need to be held in the semester that you take your Qualifying Exam, since the relevant people should be members of your exam committee and will discuss your research progress during your qualifying exam

** If you are being co-advised by someone who is not your primary advisor because your primary advisor cannot be your sole advisor, you should be meeting with that person like a research mentor, if not more frequently, to keep them apprised of your progress. However, if both of your co-advisors are leading your research (perhaps independently) and meeting with you frequently throughout the semester, you do not need to give a fall research progress report.

Graduate Student Handbook (Coming Soon: New Graduate Student Handbook)

Phd program overview.

The PhD program prepares students for research careers in probability and statistics in academia and industry. Students admitted to the PhD program earn the MA and MPhil along the way. The first year of the program is spent on foundational courses in theoretical statistics, applied statistics, and probability. In the following years, students take advanced topics courses. Research toward the dissertation typically begins in the second year. Students also have opportunities to take part in a wide variety of projects involving applied probability or applications of statistics.

Students are expected to register continuously until they distribute and successfully defend their dissertation. Our core required and elective curricula in Statistics, Probability, and Machine Learning aim to provide our doctoral students with advanced learning that is both broad and focused. We expect our students to make Satisfactory Academic Progress in their advanced learning and research training by meeting the following program milestones through courseworks, independent research, and dissertation research:

By the end of year 1: passing the qualifying exams;

By the end of year 2: fulfilling all course requirements for the MA degree and finding a dissertation advisor;

By the end of year 3: passing the oral exam (dissertation prospectus) and fulfilling all requirements for the MPhil degree

By the end of year 5: distributing and defending the dissertation.

We believe in the Professional Development value of active participation in intellectual exchange and pedagogical practices for future statistical faculty and researchers. Students are required to serve as teaching assistants and present research during their training. In addition, each student is expected to attend seminars regularly and participate in Statistical Practicum activities before graduation.

We provide in the following sections a comprehensive collection of the PhD program requirements and milestones. Also included are policies that outline how these requirements will be enforced with ample flexibility. Questions on these requirements should be directed to ADAA Cindy Meekins at [email protected] and the DGS, Professor John Cunningham at [email protected] .

Applications for Admission

Our students receive very solid training in all aspects of modern statistics. See Graduate Student Handbook for more information.
Our students receive Fellowship and full financial support for the entire duration of their PhD. See more details here .
Our students receive job offers from top academic and non-academic institutions .
Our students can work with world-class faculty members from Statistics Department or the Data Science Institute .
Our students have access to high-speed computer clusters for their ambitious, computationally demanding research.
Our students benefit from a wide range of seminars, workshops, and Boot Camps organized by our department and the data science institute .
Suggested Prerequisites: A student admitted to the PhD program normally has a background in linear algebra and real analysis, and has taken a few courses in statistics, probability, and programming. Students who are quantitatively trained or have substantial background/experience in other scientific disciplines are also encouraged to apply for admission.
GRE requirement: Waived for Fall 2024.
Language requirement: The English Proficiency Test requirement (TOEFL) is a Provost's requirement that cannot be waived.
The Columbia GSAS minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS. To see if this requirement can be waived for you, please check the frequently asked questions below.
Deadline: Jan 8, 2024 .
Application process: Please apply by completing the Application for Admission to the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences .
Timeline: P.hD students begin the program in September only. Admissions decisions are made in mid-March of each year for the Fall semester.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the application deadline? What is the deadline for financial aid? Our application deadline is January 5, 2024 .
Can I meet with you in person or talk to you on the phone? Unfortunately given the high number of applications we receive, we are unable to meet or speak with our applicants.
What are the required application materials? Specific admission requirements for our programs can be found here .
Due to financial hardship, I cannot pay the application fee, can I still apply to your program? Yes. Many of our prospective students are eligible for fee waivers. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of application fee waivers . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
How many students do you admit each year? It varies year to year. We finalize our numbers between December - early February.
What is the distribution of students currently enrolled in your program? (their background, GPA, standard tests, etc)? Unfortunately, we are unable to share this information.
How many accepted students receive financial aid? All students in the PhD program receive, for up to five years, a funding package consisting of tuition, fees, and a stipend. These fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success; they are contingent upon the student remaining in good academic standing. Summer support, while not guaranteed, is generally provided. Teaching and research experience are considered important aspects of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship. PhD students are given funds to purchase a laptop PC, and additional computing resources are supplied for research projects as necessary. The Department also subsidizes travel expenses for up to two scientific meetings and/or conferences per year for those students selected to present. Additional matching funds from the Graduate School Arts and Sciences are available to students who have passed the oral qualifying exam.
Can I contact the department with specific scores and get feedback on my competitiveness for the program? We receive more than 450 applications a year and there are many students in our applicant pool who are qualified for our program. However, we can only admit a few top students. Before seeing the entire applicant pool, we cannot comment on admission probabilities.
What is the minimum GPA for admissions? While we don’t have a GPA threshold, we will carefully review applicants’ transcripts and grades obtained in individual courses.
Is there a minimum GRE requirement? No. The general GRE exam is waived for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle.
Can I upload a copy of my GRE score to the application? Yes, but make sure you arrange for ETS to send the official score to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
Is the GRE math subject exam required? No, we do not require the GRE math subject exam.
What is the minimum TOEFL or IELTS requirement? The Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS
I took the TOEFL and IELTS more than two years ago; is my score valid? Scores more than two years old are not accepted. Applicants are strongly urged to make arrangements to take these examinations early in the fall and before completing their application.
I am an international student and earned a master’s degree from a US university. Can I obtain a TOEFL or IELTS waiver? You may only request a waiver of the English proficiency requirement from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by submitting the English Proficiency Waiver Request form and if you meet any of the criteria described here . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
My transcript is not in English. What should I do? You have to submit a notarized translated copy along with the original transcript.

Can I apply to more than one PhD program? You may not submit more than one PhD application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. However, you may elect to have your application reviewed by a second program or department within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences if you are not offered admission by your first-choice program. Please see the application instructions for a more detailed explanation of this policy and the various restrictions that apply to a second choice. You may apply concurrently to a program housed at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and to programs housed at other divisions of the University. However, since the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does not share application materials with other divisions, you must complete the application requirements for each school.

How do I apply to a dual- or joint-degree program? The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences refers to these programs as dual-degree programs. Applicants must complete the application requirements for both schools. Application materials are not shared between schools. Students can only apply to an established dual-degree program and may not create their own.

With the sole exception of approved dual-degree programs , students may not pursue a degree in more than one Columbia program concurrently, and may not be registered in more than one degree program at any institution in the same semester. Enrollment in another degree program at Columbia or elsewhere while enrolled in a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences master's or doctoral program is strictly prohibited by the Graduate School. Violation of this policy will lead to the rescission of an offer of admission, or termination for a current student.

When will I receive a decision on my application? Notification of decisions for all PhD applicants generally takes place by the end of March.

Notification of MA decisions varies by department and application deadlines. Some MA decisions are sent out in early spring; others may be released as late as mid-August.

Can I apply to both MA Statistics and PhD statistics simultaneously? For any given entry term, applicants may elect to apply to up to two programs—either one PhD program and one MA program, or two MA programs—by submitting a single (combined) application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Applicants who attempt to submit more than one Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application for the same entry term will be required to withdraw one of the applications.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences permits applicants to be reviewed by a second program if they do not receive an offer of admission from their first-choice program, with the following restrictions:

This option is only available for fall-term applicants.
Applicants will be able to view and opt for a second choice (if applicable) after selecting their first choice. Applicants should not submit a second application. (Note: Selecting a second choice will not affect the consideration of your application by your first choice.)
Applicants must upload a separate Statement of Purpose and submit any additional supporting materials required by the second program. Transcripts, letters, and test scores should only be submitted once.
An application will be forwarded to the second-choice program only after the first-choice program has completed its review and rendered its decision. An application file will not be reviewed concurrently by both programs.
Programs may stop considering second-choice applications at any time during the season; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences cannot guarantee that your application will receive a second review.
What is the mailing address for your PhD admission office? Students are encouraged to apply online . Please note: Materials should not be mailed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences unless specifically requested by the Office of Admissions. Unofficial transcripts and other supplemental application materials should be uploaded through the online application system. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Admissions Columbia University 107 Low Library, MC 4303 535 West 116th Street New York, NY 10027
How many years does it take to pursue a PhD degree in your program? Our students usually graduate in 4‐6 years.
Can the PhD be pursued part-time? No, all of our students are full-time students. We do not offer a part-time option.
One of the requirements is to have knowledge of linear algebra (through the level of MATH V2020 at Columbia) and advanced calculus (through the level of MATH V1201). I studied these topics; how do I know if I meet the knowledge content requirement? We interview our top candidates and based on the information on your transcripts and your grades, if we are not sure about what you covered in your courses we will ask you during the interview.
Can I contact faculty members to learn more about their research and hopefully gain their support? Yes, you are more than welcome to contact faculty members and discuss your research interests with them. However, please note that all the applications are processed by a central admission committee, and individual faculty members cannot and will not guarantee admission to our program.
How do I find out which professors are taking on new students to mentor this year? Applications are evaluated through a central admissions committee. Openings in individual faculty groups are not considered during the admissions process. Therefore, we suggest contacting the faculty members you would like to work with and asking if they are planning to take on new students.

For more information please contact us at [email protected] .

For more information please contact us at [email protected]

Upcoming Events

DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS
Columbia University
Room 1005 SSW, MC 4690
1255 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027

Phone: 212.851.2132
Fax: 212.851.2164

Find websites, locations and people

Rankings, Awards, and Stats
Department Awards
Diversity and Inclusion
Undergraduate
Information for New Statistics Freshmen
Statistics Major Advising and Registration FAQs
Statistics Major
Statistics Minor
Academic and Research Opportunities
Clubs and Organizations
Ph.D. Programs
Master’s Programs
Online Programs
Application Process
Student Life
Research Areas
Administration
Graduate Students
Faculty Resources
Staff Resources
Student Resources
IT Resources

Ph.D. Examinations

Ph.d. qualifying exam.

Besides taking required course work, Ph.D. students must pass the qualifying exam, written and oral preliminary exams, write a dissertation and pass a final oral exam. For students entering with a previous Master’s degree in Statistics, the qualifying exam should be taken within one year of entering the program.

Ph.D. Preliminary Exams

Deadline: Each PhD student is required to:

Successfully pass the PhD Written Prelim Exam within 18 months from the date of successfully passing the PhD Qualifying Exam.
Achieve at least a conditional pass on the PhD Oral Prelim Exam after passing the Written Prelim. This must be no more than 26 months from the date of successfully passing the PhD Qualifying Exam. If the student receives a conditional pass, then the committee will abide by the graduate school policies on conditional passes and reexaminations given by https://grad.ncsu.edu/students/rules-and-regulations/handbook/3-5-comprehensive-examinations/

Procedure: Once a student has formed an advisory committee and the committee has approved the PhD Plan of Work, the student can work with the committee to arrange the schedule for the PhD Written Prelim Exam. The committee should inform the Graduate Secretary of the starting date for the exam. Upon successful completion of the Written Prelim Exam, the Oral Prelim Exam can be scheduled with a minimum of 14 business day notice to the Graduate Secretary.

Any potential deviations from the above timeframe should be discussed with the committee and the Director of Graduate Programs.

Format for Written Prelim: The written prelim document will consist of an extended review paper on a topic that is proposed by the student’s committee. At an agreed upon time between the student and their committee, the student will meet with the committee to discuss the topic and set up guidelines and expectations in order to give the student a start on the document. The student will then have 30 days to complete the written document.

The exam is to be completed by the student with no external assistance. Students may not discuss their exam with faculty, other students, or any other person not approved by the committee. Any clarifications or questions should be addressed to the committee. Cheating of any type (e.g., plagiarism, soliciting help from others) will result in a failing grade. Failure of this exam is grounds for dismissal from the graduate program. Students are advised to familiarize themselves with the many guises of plagiarism. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism, and to ensure against it.

The committee will decide on the problem formulation, which may be based on the student’s current work, or other potential areas for investigation. The document should introduce the topic area at a level that would be understandable by anyone with a PhD in statistics but not necessarily familiar with the topic area. Thus the student will need to identify, obtain, read, and assimilate the main developments in the area both from the existing literature, and from the student’s own work. The student should define terms that are not generally known by people outside the topic area. Key statistical issues and problems should be described. Discussion of main existing results and their evolution should be presented. Open questions for future research should be identified. There should be some technical details and displayed equations in the paper. One should strike a balance between the extremes of no equations (very nontechnical) and too many equations. The written prelim exam should also include a small simulation study to compare some of the methods that have been reviewed. Please refer to the guidelines for Monte Carlo studies given in the Statistics Graduate Program Handbook to conduct and report simulations.

The report should be typewritten and contain no spelling errors. A consistent style and notation should be used throughout. Choice of a common notation should be made by the student. It might be helpful to consult the style guidelines on the web for a journal such as Biometrics, JASA, or Genetics for suggestions on format of text, tables, and figures, conventions for references and citations, and general style of presentation. There is no specific page-length requirement; it is up to the committee members to judge the completeness of the paper, but a suggested length is that the main paper should not exceed 20 pages and with simulations the total length should not exceed 25 pages.

The committee will review the paper, and decide whether or not it is satisfactory to continue in the program. In most cases, comments will be given by the committee and the student will have 30 days to revise the paper addressing the specific comments. The final decision would then be made after reviewing the revised paper. This may differ from one committee to the next.

Format for Oral Prelim: he preliminary oral examination may be scheduled only after the student has passed the Preliminary Written Exam and has the advisory committee and POW approved by the Graduate School. Though the format of the oral preliminary examination may vary according to the committee, as a general guideline it will include three elements.

Presentation by the candidate. The candidate makes a presentation of the current state of the research, including a proposal for the future research work to be conducted. This presentation is open only to the committee and any other NCSU graduate faculty member that wishes to attend. It is not open to other students, friends, or family members.
Questioning of the candidate. Anyone attending the presentation will be allowed to ask questions of the candidate during, and at the conclusion of the presentation. Once the general questioning is completed, the committee chair will reconvene the questioning phase in closed session in which only the advisory committee questions the candidate.
Deliberation and decision. Only the advisory committee and the Graduate School representative, if one has been appointed, will be allowed to participate in the deliberation and decision.

Throughout the process, the chair of the candidate’s advisory committee has the obligation to maintain a scholarly atmosphere and to keep academic integrity and the student’s best interest foremost.

The Exam result will be either (1) an unconditional pass, (2) a conditional pass (with explicitly stated conditions for the student to address), or (3) a failure. In case (2) or (3), the committee will abide by the graduate school policies on conditional passes and reexaminations given by https://grad.ncsu.edu/students/rules-and-regulations/handbook/3-5-comprehensive-examinations/

Ph.D. Final Oral Examination

The Ph.D. final oral examination consists of a defense by the candidate of the methodology used and conclusions reached in the dissertation. The dissertation must embody results of original research of a standard that would warrant publication in a statistics research journal. Publication of research in established journals is highly encouraged, regardless of whether you plan to work at a university or at a company. At least FOUR months are required to elapse between the date of an unconditional pass on the preliminary oral exam and the scheduling of the final oral exam. The four-month interval begins with the date when ALL conditions are satisfied and this date may not necessarily be the original date of the preliminary oral exam. As with the preliminary oral exam, it is the student’s responsibility to find a date and time that is acceptable to all members of his/her advisory committee (including the Graduate School Representative) and to notify the graduate secretary at least 15 working days prior to the proposed exam date. The graduate secretary will then reserve a room and make the necessary arrangements with the Graduate School. Unless carefully planned in advance, summer oral exams are difficult to schedule and committee substitutions cannot be guaranteed, especially since a dissertation is involved. It is also the responsibility of the student to provide a typed copy of the dissertation to each committee member at least two weeks prior to the exam. As a courtesy, the student should also offer to provide the Graduate School Representative with a copy. Final oral exams open to university community. Ph.D. Final Oral exams consist of an open seminar followed by questions from the committee in a closed session.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Department of Statistics

Prospective Graduate Students
Undergraduate Programs
Statistics and Data Science
Student Life and Campus Resources
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Graduate College
Visit Illinois
Graduate Programs
Undergraduate Academics
Advising Resources
Courses & Registration Information
Career Services Resources
Student Resources
Statistics Tutoring
Student Groups
Statistics Convocation
Research Overview
Undergraduate Research
Fundamental Research in Statistics
Data Science and Big Data Analytics
Biostatistics and Quantitative Biology
Statistics and Data Science Education
Quantitative Methods
Interdisciplinary Research
Blackwell Summer Scholars Program
Faculty & Staff Resources
Tech & Facilities Support
Campus Dates & Deadlines
Student Advising Resources
Administration & Staff
Doctoral Student
Alumni Spotlight
Statistics PhD Alumni
Stay Connected
Give to Statistics
Consulting Overview
Sample Projects
Research Staff
Consulting Rates
Appointments
Consultation Requests
ISO Invoice Payment
Corporate Connections

Qualifying Exams, Preliminary Exams, Final Exams

Qualifying examinations.

A PhD qualifying exam is offered once each year, at the end of June. The exam covers material in STAT 527, 528, 511, and 575. It consists of two four-hour exams, given on two different days. There are approximately two problems per course, for a total of about eight problems. T he exams are interchangeable, i.e. there could be questions relating to any course on either or both exams.

Every eligible PhD student is required to take the Qualifying exam after the first full year. A student receiving a passing score on the exam becomes a PhD candidate and maintains regular progress towards the PhD degree. A student who does not achieve a passing score will have one of two possible outcomes: (1) near passing, allowed to make a second attempt the following year, or (2) terminal non-passing score.

Preliminary Examination

During the first two years of graduate study, the student should be thinking seriously about what area of statistics to concentrate in, so that upon completing the qualifying examinations, work can begin toward the preliminary examination. The preliminary examination is frequently an oral presentation of the proposed thesis topic.

To schedule your Preliminary Exam visit here . Your request will be processed by the staff in the office and arrangements will be made with the the Graduate College to confirm your committee as well as make arrangements with the Office of the Registrar for an exam location.

You are permitted to have a committee member who is not University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign affiliated. In order to proceed with a non-University of Illinois affiliated committee member, you will need to provide a CV as well as a letter of justification from your Chair on why the individual should serve on the committee. In addition, a valid email address for the non-University of Illinois committee member must be provided so that office staff may contact directly to obtain the appropriate signatures.

Once the office staff have received your request to schedule your Prelim Exam, they will reserve an adequate space that will have both a computer and a projector in the room. If you require additional technology in the room, please indicate as such in your request form. The office staff will also submit the committee approval to the Graduate College. Once the room and committee has been confirmed, you and the committee will be notified via email of the schedule and location of the Prelim Exam.

Preliminary Examination Committee

The Preliminary Examination Committee consists of at least four faculty members, not all of whom need to be in the Department of Statistics. The committee must be approved by the Graduate Advisor of the Department of Statistics, ad well as the Graduate College. The student prepares a written report to be presented to the members of the Committee at least two weeks before the Preliminary Exam. The Preliminary Exam itself consists of a short presentation by the student followed by questions from the members of the Committee. The Committee then has three choices: pass the student, fail the student, or postpone their decision with an indication to the student of what further work must be accomplished to satisfy the Committee. Since failure means that the Committee believes that the chances for success are very slim, only under extraordinary circumstances will a failed student be allowed to retake the Preliminary Exam. A pass means the student is eligible to begin thesis work.

Doctoral Thesis and Defense Examination

The thesis is written under the supervision of the student's faculty advisor. It must consist of original work, presumably an outgrowth of the preliminary work. A thesis examination committee consisting of at least four faculty members, appointed by the Graduate College at the request of the Department of Statistics, reads the thesis. The student is examined orally by this committee during the defense examination. The committee members should be given sufficient time to study the thesis prior to the examination.

After the defense examination had been passed, copies of the thesis, whose format and physical appearance have been approved by the Department of Statistics and the Graduate College, are to be submitted to the Thesis Office of the Graduate College for final approval.

To schedule your Final Exam and begin preparations for your Thesis format review, you will need to visit here . Your request will be processed by the staff in the office and arrangements will be made with the the Graduate College to confirm your committee as well as make arrangements with the Office of the Registrar for an exam location.

You are permitted to have a committee member who is not University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign affiliated. In order to proceed with a non-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign affiliated committee member, you will need to provide a CV as well as a letter of justification from your Chair on why the individual should serve on the committee. In addition, a valid email address for the non-University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign committee member must be provided so that office staff may contact directly to obtain the appropriate signatures.

Once the office staff have received your request to schedule your Final Exam, they will reserve an adequate space that will have both a computer and a projector in the room. If you require additional technology in the room, please indicate as such in your request form. The office staff will also submit the committee approval to the Graduate College. Once the room and committee has been confirmed, you and the committee will be notified via email of the schedule and location of the Final Exam.

Thesis Review

By following the structure and templates outlined on the Graduate College’s website, you should be able construct your thesis properly and to the standards of the university. For examples and templates, please see: http://www.grad.illinois.edu/thesis/format .

Once your thesis is completed, it must receive a format review from the Department’s Thesis Format Reviewer. The Format Reviewer will check to make sure you meet the standards and requirements set forth by the Graduate College. Upon approval from the Format Reviewer you can then submit your Thesis to the Graduate College by using their web-portal found here: http://www.grad.illinois.edu/thesis/submit .

After receiving approval from the Department Format Reviewer, a Dissertation Approval Form (TDA) will be submitted to the Graduate College indicating that the thesis has met the department’s approval and is now ready for review from the Graduate College. The Graduate College will not review a thesis until the TDA has been submitted.

For more information about Thesis and Dissertations, please see: http://www.grad.illinois.edu/thesis

Secondary Menu

Qualifying examination.

You must pass the Qualifying Examination, covering probability theory and statistics at the level of the core courses. The Qualifying Examination is typically taken at the end of the first year, and must be passed before the start of the third year. The exam consists of two parts:

a 4-hour closed book in-class portion, and
a take-home applied statistics component.

The in-class portion is scheduled early in the week of Spring Semester after final exams. The take-home problem is distributed at the end of the in-class exam, with a due-time 72 hours later.

Exams from previous years are available to view in our Duke Box Folder. Since the first year curriculum has been revised over time, exams from earlier years may cover material that is less relevant. You are encouraged to form study groups to review for the exam.

Access Exams in Duke Box

Our Mission
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
International Recognition
Department History
Past Recipients
Considering a Statistical Science major at Duke?
Careers for Statisticians
Typical Pathways
Applied Electives for BS
Interdepartmental Majors
Minor in Statistical Science
Getting Started with Statistics
Student Learning Outcomes
Study Abroad
Course Help & Tutoring
Past Theses
Research Teams
Independent Study
Transfer Credit
Conference Funding for Research
Statistical Science Majors Union
Duke Actuarial Society
Duke Sports Analytics Club
Trinity Ambassadors
Frequently Asked Questions
Summer Session Courses
How to Apply
Financial Support
Graduate Placements
Living in Durham
Preliminary Examination
Dissertation
English Language Requirement
TA Guidelines
Progress Toward Completion
Ph.D. Committees
Terminal MS Degree
Student Governance
Program Requirements
PhD / Research
Data Science & Analytics
Health Data Science
Finance & Economics
Marketing Research & Business Analytics
Social Science & Policy
Admission Statistics
Master's Thesis
Portfolio of Work
Capstone Project
Statistical Science Proseminar
Primary Faculty
Secondary Faculty
Visiting Faculty
Postdoctoral Fellows
Ph.D. Students
M.S. Students
Theory, Methods, and Computation
Interdisciplinary Collaborations
Statistical Consulting Center
Alumni Profiles
For Current Students
Assisting Duke Students
StatSci Alumni Network
Ph.D. Student - Alumni Fund
Our Ph.D. Alums
Our M.S. Alums
Our Undergrad Alums
Our Postdoc Alums
Alumni Research Symposium

PhD Qualifying Examination

The PhD Qualifying Examination (QEP) is given every year during August, approximately one week prior to the start of Fall semester. This exam is given only once per year.

A student who passes the QEP is eligible for an MS degree in Statistics, pending the completion of the appropriate coursework. See the previous chapter for more details.

Parts, Scope and Time Allowed

The QEP tests material covered during the First-Year core of the PhD program. This core corresponds to STAT6420, STAT 8260, STAT 6810 and STAT 6820. However, the exam does not have separate sections for each course’s material, but rather it tests this core material in a comprehensive way that will require students to synthesize material from all four courses. If you are missing any part of the First-Year core in your previous coursework, youwill be required to pass the QEP before continuing in the PhD program.

The exam will have two separate parts:

Statistical Theory. This is an “in-class” exam which the students have 6 hours to complete. During that time, you may refer to books and notes but will not have access to a computer or the Internet. At the discretion of the Examination Committee, the Theory portion may include a take-come component.
Applied Statistics and Data Analysis. This is a “take-home” exam which you have 4 days to complete. You will be presented with 2 or 3 problems, each with a corresponding data set, from which you must choose 1 problem to solve. The questions are open-ended, requiring you to analyze the data in some appropriate way and draw conclusions about the scientific question(s) of interest. You will hand in a written report detailing the decision you made along the way (for example, which analyses you chose and why), the conclusions you drew, and so forth. You will be evaluated on both the quality of the analysis (the choices you made and how well you justified them) and of the written report (organization, etc.; English language usage specifically doesn’t need to be a criterion, although reports need to be understandable).

Typically, the statistical theory portion of the exam is given on a Monday, and the applied statistics/data analysis portion is made available on the same day, to be turned in on the Friday of the same week.

Each part of your QEP is graded by at least two members of the committee that set the exam. The resulting scores are averaged to determine your score on each part. A pass/fail grade is then determined for each part of the exam. There is no differentiation of different levels of passing (for example, pass at the MS level, or pass at the PhD level). You must pass both parts of the exam to continue in the PhD program.

Rules for Taking and Re-Taking

For your initial attempt, you must take both parts of the QEP. If you do not pass both parts on your initial attempt, you may retake the part or parts of the exam you failed the following August. More than two attempts at the exam will not be allowed.

Faculty Responsibilities

Two faculty committees, one for each part of the exam (stat theory and applied stats/data analysis), have responsibility for setting the exam and administering it. Each of these committees have 4 members, including at least one person who has recently taught one of the first year PhD core courses, and at least one person who has not recently taught one of the first year PhD core courses. Questions for the exam are solicited from the membership of these exam committees as well as the broader faculty, who are encouraged, but not required, to contribute. The committees are responsible for ensuring that the exam is appropriate and reasonably consistent from year to year. They also have the responsibility for grading the exams and making pass/fail recommendations to the entire Graduate Faculty of the Department, who then vote on the results. These committees also have responsibility for the QEM.

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. Click here to learn more about giving.

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.

PhD in Statistics

Program description.

The Ph.D. program in statistics prepares students for a career pursuing research in either academia or industry. The program provides rigorous classroom training in the theory, methodology, and application of statistics, and provides the opportunity to work with faculty on advanced research topics over a wide range of theory and application areas. To enter, students need a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, statistics, or a closely related discipline. Students graduating with a PhD in Statistics are expected to:

Demonstrate an understanding the core principles of Probability Theory, Estimation Theory, and Statistical Methods.
Demonstrate the ability to conduct original research in statistics.
Demonstrate the ability to present research-level statistics in a formal lecture

Requirements for the Ph.D. (Statistics Track)

Course Work A Ph.D. student in our department must complete sixteen courses for the Ph.D. At most, four of these courses may be transferred from another institution. If the Ph.D. student is admitted to the program at the post-Master’s level, then eight courses are usually required.

Qualifying Examinations First, all Ph.D. students in the statistics track must take the following two-semester sequences: MA779 and MA780 (Probability Theory I and II), MA781 (Estimation Theory) and MA782 (Hypothesis Testing), and MA750 and MA751 (Advanced Statistical Methods I and II). Then, to qualify a student to begin work on a PhD dissertation, they must pass two of the following three exams at the PhD level: probability, mathematical statistics, and applied statistics. The probability and mathematical statistics exams are offered every September and the applied statistics exam is offered every April.

PhD Exam in Probability: This exam covers the material covered in MA779 and MA780 (Probability Theory I and II).
PhD Exam in Mathematical Statistics: This exam covers material covered in MA781 (Estimation Theory) and MA782 (Hypothesis Testing).
PhD Exam in Applied Statistics: This exam covers the same material as the M.A. Applied exam and is offered at the same time, except that in order to pass it at the PhD level a student must correctly solve all four problems.

Note: Students concentrating in probability may choose to do so either through the statistics track or through the mathematics track. If a student wishes to do so through the mathematics track, the course and exam requirements are different. Details are available here .

Dissertation The dissertation is the major requirement for a Ph.D. student. After the student has completed all course work, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the student, selects a three-member dissertation committee. One member of this committee is designated by the Director of Graduate Studies as the Major Advisor for the student. Once completed, the dissertation must be defended in an oral examination conducted by at least five members of the Department.

The Dissertation and Final Oral Examination follows the GRS General Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree .

Satisfactory Progress Toward the Degree Upon entering the graduate program, each student should consult the Director of Graduate Studies (Prof. David Rohrlich) and the Associate Director of the Program in Statistics (Prof. Konstantinos Spiliopoulos). Initially, the Associate Director of the Program in Statistics will serve as the default advisor to the student. Eventually the student’s advisor will be determined in conjunction with their dissertation research. The Associate Director of the Program in Statistics, who will be able to guide the student through the course selection and possible directed study, should be consulted often, as should the Director of Graduate Studies. Indeed, the Department considers it important that each student progress in a timely manner toward the degree. Each M.A. student must have completed the examination by the end of their second year in the program, while a Ph.D. student must have completed the qualifying examination by the third year. Students entering the Ph.D. program with an M.A. degree must have completed the qualifying examination by October of the second year. Failure to meet these deadlines may jeopardize financial aid. Some flexibility in the deadlines is possible upon petition to the graduate committee in cases of inadequate preparation.

Students enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) are expected to adhere to a number of policies at the university, college, and departmental levels. View the policies on the Academic Bulletin and GRS website .

Residency Post-BA students must complete all of the requirements for a Ph.D. within seven years of enrolling in the program and post-MA students must complete all requirements within five years. This total time limit is set by the Graduate School. Students needing extra time must petition the Graduate School. Also, financial aid is not guaranteed after the student’s fifth year in the program.

Financial Aid

As with all Ph.D. students in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the main source of financial aid for graduate students studying statistics is a Teaching Fellowship. These awards carry a stipend as well as tuition remission for six courses per year. Teaching Fellows are required to assist a faculty member who is teaching a course, usually a large lecture section of an introductory statistics course. Generally, the Teaching Fellow is responsible for conducting a number of discussion sections consisting of approximately twenty-five students each, as well as for holding office hours and assisting with grading. The Teaching Fellowship usually entails about twenty hours of work per week. For that reason, Teaching Fellows enroll in at most three courses per semester. A Teaching Fellow Seminar is conducted to help new Teaching Fellows develop as instructors and to promote the continuing development of experienced Teaching Fellows.

Other sources of financial aid include University Fellowships and Research Assistantships. The University Fellowships are one-year awards for outstanding students and are service-free. They carry stipends plus full tuition remission. Students do not need to apply for these fellowships. Research Assistantships are linked to research done with individual faculty, and are paid for through those faculty members’ grants. As a result, except on rare occasions, Research Assistantships typically are awarded to students in their second year and beyond, after student and faculty have had sufficient time to determine mutuality of their research interests.

Regular reviews of the performance of Teaching Fellows and Research Assistants in their duties as well as their course work are conducted by members of the Department’s Graduate Committee.

Ph.D. Program Milestones

The department considers it essential that each student progress in a timely manner toward completion of the degree. The following are the deadlines for achieving the milestones described in the Degree Requirements and constitute the basis for evaluating satisfactory progress towards the Ph.D. These deadlines are not to be construed as expected times to complete the various milestones, but rather as upper bounds. In other words, a student in good standing expecting to complete the degree within the five years of guaranteed funding will meet these milestones by the much e arlier target dates indicated below. Failure to achieve these milestones in a timely manner may affectfinancial aid.

Target: April of Year 1
Deadline: April of Year 2
Target: Spring of Year 2 post-BA/Spring of Year 1 post-MA
Deadline: End of Year 3 post-BA/Fall of Year 2 post-MA
Target: Spring of Year 2
Deadline: End of Year 3
Target: Spring of Year 2 or Fall of Year 3 post-BA/October of Year 2 post-MA
Deadline: End of Year 3 post-BA/October of Year 2 post-MA
Target: end of Year 3
Deadline: End of Year 4
Target: End of Year 5
Deadline: End of Year 6

If you have any questions regarding our PhD program in Statistics, please reach out to us at [email protected]

Departments and Units
Majors and Minors
LSA Course Guide
LSA Gateway

Search: {{$root.lsaSearchQuery.q}}, Page {{$root.page}}

News and Events
Computing Resources
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Provide Climate Feedback
Stats Portal
Undergraduate Students
Ph.D. Students
Master's Students
Alumni and Friends

Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate FAQs
Undergraduate Student Group
Transfer Credit
Undergraduate Programs
Statistics Ph.D. Student Council
FAQs for Current Students
Ph.D. Program
Graduate Courses
Prospective Ph.D. Students
Graduate Resources
Master's Degree Programs
Prospective Master's Students - Admissions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Alumni Spotlight
Statistics Alumni
Giving Opportunities
Statistics PhD Alumni
Statistics Career Placements
Previous Program Requirements
National Science Foundation Research Training Grant

Qualifying Requirements prior to Fall 2019

Qualifying exams.

Doctoral students are required to pass two qualifying exams.

Comprehensive theory exam. This exam covers probability and theoretical statistics at the level of a graduate textbook such as "Statistical Inference" by Casella and Berger, used by Stats 510/511. The comprehensive exam is offered twice a year, in late August and in late May. Students with advanced preparation may take this exam at the start of their first year. Two attempts are allowed, and the attempt at the start of the first year does not count towards this maximum of two. All students need to pass this exam within 12 months of enrolling in the program unless an exception is approved by the PhD Program Director.
Applied statistics exam. This exam tests modeling and data analysis skills and is roughly based on Stats 600/601. It is given as a 3-day take-home exam once a year in late May. Two attempts are allowed. All students need to pass this exam within two years of enrolling in the program unless an exception is approved by the PhD Program Director.

Program Requirements prior to Fall 2020

The Ph.D. in Statistics is flexible and allows students to pursue a variety of directions, ranging from statistical methodology and interdisciplinary research to theoretical statistics and probability theory. Students typically start the Ph.D. program by taking courses and gradually transition to research that will ultimately lead to their dissertation, the most important component of the Ph.D. program. The major requirements of the Ph.D. program are coursework, qualifying exams, advancement to candidacy, and dissertation.

Required Courses

The core PhD curriculum consists of four course sequences, offered annually:

Applied Statistics — STATS 600 and 601
Theoretical Statistics — STATS 610 and 611
Probability — STATS 620 and 621
Computational Methods for Statistics — STATS 507 and STATS 606 ( prior to Fall 2019: STATS 607 I and II, 608 I and II )

Stats 600, 601, 610, 611, 620, and 621 are semester-long courses, and Stats 607 I and II, 608 I and II are half-semester modules. Any combination of two half-semester modules in the 607/608 sequence is equivalent to one course. All doctoral students must take at least 6 out of 8 required courses, with at least one course selected from each of the four sequences. A B+ average or higher in the six selected courses is required.

In addition, all students are required to complete two professional development seminar courses:

STATS 810 , which covers research ethics and introduction to research tools. Must be taken in the first semester in the program.
STATS 811 , which focuses on technical writing and presentation skills. Students are strongly advised to complete this course as soon as they have a writing project on which to work, such as a prelim proposal or a manuscript draft. Most students take this course in their second or third year. This course is required for graduation but not for advancing to candidacy.

First Year Course Placement

Our Ph.D. program admits students with diverse academic backgrounds. All PhD students take Stats 600/601 (the PhD level applied statistics sequence) in their first year. Students with less mathematical backgrounds typically take Stats 510/511 (the Master’s level probability and theoretical statistics) in the first year and PhD-level theory courses (610/611, 620/621) in their second year. Students who wish to take 600-level theory courses in their first year should take the Theory QR exam offered just before the fall semester of their first year. Based on the results, they will either be approved to go on to the 600-level courses, or advised to take Stats 510/511. Passing the theory QR exam automatically places a student in 600-level courses, but one may also score high enough to place in 600-level courses without clearing the theory QR. In all cases, the PhD Program Director will help students choose their individual path through the required courses.

Qualifying Requirements

These requirements apply to students admitted in Fall 2019 and later. Students admitted in Fall 2018 can choose between the old requirements and the new requirements.

All doctoral students need to satisfy the Applied and Theoretical Statistics qualifying requirements (QR).

Applied statistics QR . This requirement is satisfied by passing a modeling and data analysis exam, roughly based on Stats 600/601. It is given as a 3-day take-home exam once a year in May. Two attempts are allowed. All students need to pass this exam within two years of enrolling in the program unless an exception is approved by the PhD Program Director.
Theoretical statistics QR . This requirement may be satisfied by either excellent performance in certain courses (described below) or by passing the statistical theory exam offered once a year in late August. The exam covers probability and theoretical statistics at the level of a graduate textbook such as "Statistical Inference" by Casella and Berger, used by Stats 510/511. All PhD students need to satisfy the theoretical statistics QR by the beginning of their second year in the program unless an exception is approved by the PhD Program Director. A well-prepared student can opt to take this exam just before the start of their first year; if they do not pass, this attempt does not count. Whether they attempt this exam before the first year or not, all students can either qualify for an exemption based on course grades (see below) at the end of their first year, or take the exam in August just before the start of their second year. No further attempts are allowed.

A student can be exempt from taking the theoretical statistics QR exam based on coursework. To qualify for an exemption, the student can use their grades from two courses taken in their first year. One of the courses must be either Stats 510, 620, or 621 and the other course must be either Stats 511, 610, or 611. To qualify for an exemption, the average grade from the two chosen courses must be at least 3.65, and if at least one 500-level course is used, then the average must be at least 3.85. This is based on the conversion of letter grades to GPA points as follows: B- = 2.7, B = 3.0, B+ = 3.3, A- = 3.7, A = 4.0, A+ = 4.0.

Here are some examples of courses and grades that would qualify for an exemption:

STATS 510 (A) and 511 (A-)
STATS 510 (A) and 611 (A-)
STATS 621 (A-) and 610 (A-)
STATS 621 (B+) and 610 (A)

Advancing to Candidacy

Students who have passed the qualifying exams are expected to find a faculty advisor and start research leading to their dissertation proposal. The PhD Program Director and the faculty mentor assigned to each first year student can assist with finding a faculty advisor. Students are expected to submit a dissertation proposal and advance to candidacy within three semesters from passing the qualifying exams. Requirements for advancing to candidacy are:

At least 18 credit hours of graduate course work , including at least 6 out of the required 8 core courses and Stats 810. A B+ average in the selected 6 core courses is required. Stats 808/809/818/819 (Department Seminar), Stats 990 (Dissertation Research) and similar non-graded courses do not count towards the credit requirement.
At least 4 credit hours of cognates , which are 400- and higher-level courses from outside the Statistics department. All cognate course selections must be approved by the PhD Program Director.
Writing a dissertation proposal and passing the oral preliminary exam which consists of presenting the proposal to the student's preliminary thesis committee.

A dissertation proposal should identify an interesting research problem, provide motivation for studying it, review the relevant literature, propose an approach for solving the problem, and present at least some preliminary results. The written proposal must be submitted to the preliminary thesis committee and the graduate coordinator ahead of time (one week minimum, two weeks recommended) and then presented in the oral preliminary exam. The preliminary thesis committee is chaired by the faculty advisor and must include at least two more faculty members, at least one of them from Statistics. The faculty on the preliminary thesis committee typically continue to serve on the doctoral thesis committee, but changes are allowed. Please see Rackham rules on thesis committees for more information.

At the oral preliminary exam, the committee will ask questions about the proposal and the relevant background and either elect to accept the proposal as both substantial and feasible, or ask for specific revisions, or decline the proposal. The unanimous approval of the proposal by the committee is necessary for the student to advance to candidacy.

Additional Course Requirements

Students must take at least three additional PhD level semester-long courses or equivalent in half-semester modules. This requirement can be fulfilled with additional courses from the core sequences, advanced PhD courses, or topics courses. Stats 810, 811, and 750 (independent reading) do not count towards this requirement. While these additional courses are not required for advancement to candidacy, it is expected that students take at least some of them before advancing to candidacy. Taking courses after advancement to candidacy may require careful planning as candidates are allowed to take only one course per semester without an increase in tuition.

In addition, all PhD students are expected to register for Stats 808/809/818/819 (Department Seminar) every semester and attend the seminar regularly. Candidates registered for another course do not have to register for the department seminar, but are still expected to attend.

Exceptions to the above requirements may be granted by the PhD Program Director .

Annual Progress Reports

Each candidate is required to meet with the members of their thesis committee annually. This could be in the form of either giving a short presentation on their research progress to the thesis committee as a group, or meeting with committee members individually.

Each committee member should complete a Thesis Committee Member Report and return it to the student. The student should share the completed Thesis Committee Member Reports with both the PhD Program Coordinator and their advisor.

All meetings with the committee members should take place by April 15.

Following the meetings, the student and the advisor should complete the Annual PhD Candidate Self-Evaluation and Feedback Form . The advisor should review the committee members’ Thesis Committee Member Reports and take them into account when completing the advisor’s portion. The completed Annual PhD Candidate Self-Evaluation and Advisor Feedback Form must be submitted to the PhD Program Coordinator by May 31. The completed form will be saved with the department, and a copy will be shared with the student.

Dissertation and Defense

Each doctoral student is expected to write a dissertation that makes a substantial and original contribution to statistics or a closely related field. This is the most important element of the doctoral program. After advancing to candidacy, students are expected to focus on their thesis research under the supervision of the thesis advisor and the doctoral committee. The composition of the doctoral committee must follow the Rackham's guidelines for dissertation committee service . The written dissertation is submitted to the committee for evaluation and presented in an oral defense open to the public.

Rackham Requirements

The Rackham Graduate School imposes some additional requirements concerning residency, fees, and time limits. Students are expected to know and comply with these requirements.

Advancing to Candidacy Checklist

Embedded Master Checklist

PhD Graduation Checklist

Information For
Prospective Students
Current Students
Faculty and Staff
More about LSA
How Do I Apply?
LSA Magazine
Student Resources
Academic Advising
Global Studies
LSA Opportunity Hub
Social Media
Update Contact Info
Privacy Statement
Report Feedback

Sample Qualifying Exams

Below are samples of recent qualifying exams offered in the department. Descriptions of the topics covered on these exams can be found in the graduate handbook . Current students who want access to more exams should consult Graduate Program Manager Kaitlyn O'Konis ( @email ).

Basic Exams

Adv calc/linear algebra, applied statistics, probability, advanced exams, advanced statistics version i, advanced statistics version ii, applied math, stochastics.

Program Overview
Applied Mathematics MS
Remote Statistics MS
How to Apply
Financial Aid
Admissions FAQ
Recent Courses
Qualifying Exams
Alumni Testimonials

Award-winning teaching, research opportunities, and interdisciplinary programs in a diverse, inclusive community of excellence.

Lederle Graduate Research Tower, 1654 University of Massachusetts Amherst 710 N. Pleasant Street Amherst, MA 01003-9305, USA

Department Phone: (413) 545-2762 Department Fax: (413) 545-1801 Department Office: LGRT 1622

Qualifying Exam Syllabus

About the Statistics Department
Prospective Students
Statistical Consulting Center
Awards and Prizes
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs in Statistics
Statistical Data Science M.S. Admissions
Statistics Ph.D. Admissions
Applied Statistics Certificate
Student Ambassadors
Graduate Courses
TAMIDS MS in Data Science
Research Goals and Strategic Plan
Schedule an Appointment
Help Sessions
Statistics Former Student Network
Current Month Events
Department Directory
Directions To The Department of Statistics

Statistics Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Doctor of philosophy program.

Applying: Please visit Statistics PhD Admissions .

The aim of the Ph.D. program is to provide comprehensive and balanced training in statistical methods, computational statistics, and the theory of statistics. Particular emphasis is placed on training students to independently recognize the relevance of statistical methods to the solution of specific problems and to enable them to develop new methods when they are needed. The training aims to convey a sound knowledge of existing statistical theory, including the mathematical facility to develop new results in statistical methodology. At the same time, the program is kept sufficiently flexible to permit students to develop their specific interests.

The students seeking a Ph.D. degree must fulfill a number of departmental requirements in addition to university requirements specified by the Graduate and Professional School ( GPS ).

The Ph.D. at Texas A&M requires a minimum of 64 credit hours beyond a Master’s degree or 96 credit hours beyond a Bachelor’s degree. Statistics Ph.D. students are required to take 32 credit hours of Ph.D. level courses, 4 credit hours of seminar, 2 credit hours of statistical consulting and a sufficient number of research hours to meet the minimum 64/96 credit hour requirement.

Ph.D. Level Courses:

Core-I ( 600 , 612 , 613 , 614 , 632 ) Core-II ( 648 , 649 , 693 )
At least two courses 6 credit hours from STAT 605 , 615 , 620 , 624
At least 9 credit hours from STAT 616 , 618 , 621 , 627 , 631 , 633 , 642 , 647 , 673 , 674 , 677 , 689 , 695 or outside of the department courses upon approval.

Other requirements:

Four credit hours of STAT 681 — Seminar over 4 semesters.
A sufficient number of research hours STAT 691 to meet the minimum requirement of 64 hours beyond a Master’s degree or 96 credit hours beyond a Bachelor’s degree.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The Ph.D. Qualifying Exam will cover the material from 5 of the 7 required courses: STAT 600 , 612 , 613 , 614 and 632 . A student who fails the qualifying exam can retake in August before the start of Fall. Students who fail both exams will be asked to leave the Ph.D. program. There are three ratings of the exam: (1) Pass at the Ph.D. level; (2) Pass at the M.S. level; (3) Fail. Students who fail to pass at the Ph.D. level will be given the opportunity to obtain an M.S. degree.

Degree Plan

Students are expected to have selected a thesis advisor and the remainder of the advisory committee before Spring semester of the second year. The student’s advisory committee, in consultation with the students, will develop a proposed degree plan. Degree plans must be approved by the student’s advisory committee and the Ph.D. program director.

Degree plans must be filed through GPS' online system before the end of Spring semester of second year and at least 90 days prior to the preliminary examination date. Any petitions to the degree plan must be submitted at least 3 weeks before the proposed date of preliminary exam.

Preliminary Examination

Completing preliminary exam is a university requirement. The preliminary exam for a doctoral student in the Department of Statistics is an oral exam. The format of the exam shall be determined by the student’s advisory committee and communicated to the student in advance of the examination. The student and committee chair should review and complete Preliminary Examination Checklist to verify the student’s eligibility to schedule the preliminary exam. Details are available in Steps to Fulfill Preliminary Exam from the GPS .

The Ph.D. Dissertation

After successfully completing the course work and the preliminary examination, a period of time is to be devoted to a research topic in either statistical methodology or statistical theory under the guidance of the student’s advisor. The results of this research must be collected in a written dissertation satisfying the guidelines established by the University. The research must constitute an original contribution to the science of statistics and may derive new results in statistical theory or methodology or may be concerned with developing statistical methodology in new areas of application.

Admittance to Candidacy

Prior to students being allowed to take their dissertation defense examination, they must be admitted to candidacy and their current official cumulative and degree plan GPAs must be 3.00 or better. To be admitted to candidacy for a doctoral degree, a student must have:

Completed all coursework on the degree plan except any remaining 684 and 691,
A 3.0 Graduate GPA and a Degree Plan GPA of at least 3.0 with no grade lower than C in any course on the degree plan,
Passed the preliminary examination,
Submitted an approved dissertation proposal,
Met the residence requirements .

The research proposal and its approval form must be submitted to the GPS at least 20 working days prior to the submission of the Request for the Final Examination .

Final Examination/Dissertation Defense

The dissertation is the major requirement of the Ph.D. degree. Students must complete and pass a final examination by deadline dates announced in the GPS Calendar each semester. The doctoral student is allowed only one opportunity to take the final examination.

The dissertation defense at Texas A&M is public. The request to hold and announce the final examination must be submitted to the GPS a minimum of 10 working days in advance of the scheduled date. The student’s advisory committee will conduct this examination. Details of the final exam procedures are described in Steps to Fulfill Doctoral Degree Requirements from the GPS website.

Stack Exchange Network

Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow , the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

On Ph.D. Qualifying Exams

Where can I find Ph.D. qualifying exams questions? Is there any website that keeps a collection of such problems? I need it for doing some revision of the basic topics. I know of a book but that doesn't have the full collection.

reference-request
soft-question
online-resources

8 $\begingroup$ Checking the links in the two first answers I remember what I was told during the presentation of my M.Sc. final exam: you must know what your thesis is about (really?!) and also the general stuff from undergraduate studies. This was funny since in graduate school they killed us with super year-long courses in topology, algebra or functional analysis (at least two of these three), plus some other optional courses, yet they remarked: it's your level in stuff of undergraduate level that'll decide whether you continue to PhD or not (with a mark of at least 85)...the same as Harvard and TAMU $\endgroup$ – DonAntonio Commented Dec 30, 2012 at 11:47
$\begingroup$ UFL link above is broken. Here is the right link: gma.math.ufl.edu/past-exams $\endgroup$ – user157687 Commented Jun 17, 2014 at 22:29

5 Answers 5

These are the sets of qualifying/preliminary examinations of US universities that I collected some time ago for the same purposes as you. (Dave L. Renfro points out in a commentary below that he compiled a similar list a decade ago , the following includes new departments, updated old broken links and removes unavailable sources). These exams are of much help and some even include solutions!:

University of Arizona Ph. D. Qualifying Exams
Arizona State University Qualifying Examinations
University of Alabama Qualifying Exams .
University of Alabama at Birmingham Qualifying Exams
SUNY Albany Ph.D. Preliminary Examinations .
University of California-Berkeley Preliminary Examinations .
Boston University Preliminary Exams .
University of Colorado-Boulder Prelim Exams .
Columbia University Qualifying Exams .
University of Connecticut Prelim Exams .
University of California-Davis Exams .
University of California-Irvine Exams
University of California-Riverside Exams
University of Florida Graduate Exams .
University of Georgia-Athens Qualifying Exams .
Harvard University Qualifying Exams .
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Comprehensive Exams .
Indiana University-Bloomington Tier I Examinations .
University of Iowa Qualifying Exams .
Iowa State University Qualifying Exams
Johns Hopkins University Qualifying Exams .
Kansas State University Qualifying Exams .
University of California-Los Angeles Qualifying Exams .
Louisiana State University Comprehensive Exams .
University of Maryland Qualifying Exams .
University of Massachussetts-Amherst Qualifying Exams .
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Qualifying Review Examinations .
University of Minnesota Prelim Exams .
University of Missouri-Columbia Qualifying Exams .
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Qualifying Exams .
University of New Mexico Qualifying Exams .
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Comprehensive Ph.D. Exams (requires one to log in) .
Northeastern University Qualifying Examinations .
Northwestern University Preliminary Examinations .
Ohio State University Qualifying Exams .
Oklahoma State University Comprehensive Exams .
University of Oklahoma Qualifying Exams .
Pennsylvania State University Qualifying Exams .
University of Pittsburgh Preliminary Exams .
Purdue University Qualifying Exams .
University of Rochester Preliminary Exams .
Rutgers University-New Brunswick Qualifying Exams and oral exams .
Stanford University Qualifying Exams .
Syracuse University Prelim and Qualifying Exams .
Temple University PhD. Exams .
University of Texas at Austin Preliminary Exams .
Texas A & M University Qualifying Examinations .
University of Utah Qualifying Examinations .
University of Washington Preliminary Examinations .
University of Wisconsin-Madison Qualifying Exams .

13 $\begingroup$ @ Javier Álvarez: I don't know how much time it took you to assemble this list, but you might be amused at how long it took me to do this back in May 2000 (probably over 15 hours). See my comment at the StackExchange question Qual question archives? , where I incorrectly said there that it was in 1999. There still seem to be a few (legitimate) webpages carrying my list, despite the fact that I last updated it in December 2001. $\endgroup$ – Dave L. Renfro Commented Jan 4, 2013 at 19:28
1 $\begingroup$ @DaveL.Renfro: I had the list already assembled some months ago and was unaware of your list. What I did was merely keeping a bookmarks folder of the departments which had copies of old exams as I was visiting every single one of them to look for their research interests. It grew slowly as I was surveying webs to make a suitable list of graduate schools I would apply to. To put it here was just copy and paste after a text script to change the bookmarks to StackExchange format. I hope you do not see my post as an illegitimate one... as there are a few more items and no broken links. $\endgroup$ – Javier Álvarez Commented Jan 4, 2013 at 19:46
1 $\begingroup$ thanks for your huge effort $\endgroup$ – Koushik Commented Jan 5, 2013 at 1:39
2 $\begingroup$ Most links are broken as of now. $\endgroup$ – user557 Commented Jul 11, 2019 at 23:17
8 $\begingroup$ I've updated most links. I wasn't able to find working links for ASU, Alabama, UNC (the one I added requires you to log in), Columbia. $\endgroup$ – user557 Commented Jul 23, 2019 at 20:52

Some old qualifying exams from Harvard: http://www.math.harvard.edu/quals/index.html

Try the collection at Texas A&M University. Although I am not a student of the university, I used the collection to practice for my own qualifying exams. Here is the link: http://www.math.tamu.edu/graduate/phd/quals.html .

Berkeley Problems in Mathematics (Problem Books in Mathematics) 2004 by Paulo Ney de Souza and Jorge-Nuno Silva.

Download preface, sample pages 1 and table of contents in https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387204291

In 1977 the Mathematics Department at the University of California, Berkeley, instituted a written examination as one of the first major requirements toward the Ph.D. degree in Mathematics. Its purpose was to determine whether first-year students in the Ph.D. program had successfully mastered basic mathematics in order to continue in the program with the likelihood of success. Since its inception, the exam has become a major hurdle to overcome in the pursuit of the degree. The purpose of this book is to publicize the material and aid in the preparation for the examination during the undergraduate years. The book is a compilation of over 1,250 problems which have appeared on the preliminary exams in Berkeley over the last twenty-five years. It is an invaluable source of problems and solutions for every mathematics student who plans to enter a Ph.D. program. Students who work through this book will develop problem-solving skills in areas such as real analysis, multivariable calculus, differential equations, metric spaces, complex analysis, algebra, and linear algebra. The problems are organized by subject and ordered in an increasing level of difficulty. Tags with the exact exam year provide the opportunity to rehearse complete examinations. The appendix includes instructions on accessing electronic versions of the exams as well as a syllabus and statistics of passing scores. This new edition has been updated with the most recent exams, including exams given during the Fall 2003 semester. There are numerous new problems and solutions which were not included in previous editions.

The Written Qual Book by Daryl DeFord and David Freund.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for browse other questions tagged reference-request soft-question online-resources ..

Upcoming Events
2024 Community Moderator Election ends in 7 days
Featured on Meta
We've made changes to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy - July 2024
Bringing clarity to status tag usage on meta sites
Upcoming Moderator Election
2024 Community Moderator Election

Hot Network Questions

Dropper post won't actuate. Is this fixable?
Rock paper scissor game in Javascript
Will I have to disclose traffic tickets to immigration (general)
Why did Borland ignore the Macintosh market?
Looking for a British childrens book, I think from the 1950s, called "C-for-Charlie"
Counter in Loop
Do non-necessarily symmetric, minimal IC-POVM exist in all dimensions?
How much air escapes into space every day, and how long before it makes Earth air pressure too low for humans to breathe?
Why are these simple equations so slow to `Solve`?
What tool has a ring on the end of a threaded handle shaft?
Why would luck magic become obsolete in the modern era?
I need to better understand this clause in an independent contract agreement for Waiverability:
Sharing course material from a previous lecturer with a new lecturer
What counts as a pet?
How can I obscure branding on the side of a pure white ceramic sink?
Why does Air Force Two lack a tail number?
A burning devil shape rises into the sky like a sun
Why don't programming languages or IDEs support attaching descriptive metadata to variables?
how can I handle this challenge with S3 indicating Orange color
Did Newton predict the deflection of light by gravity?
A post-apocalyptic short story where very sick people from our future save people in our timeline that would be killed in plane crashes
What is the lowest feasible depth for lightly-armed military submarines designed around the 1950s-60s?
If there is no free will, doesn't that provide a framework for an ethical model?
Is "the above table" more acceptable than "the below table", and if so, why?

$statistics phd qualifying exam$

PhD in Statistics

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Statistics prepares students for careers in industry, research institutions, and universities. The students initially undergo a sound training in theory and applied statistics, followed by advanced courses and dissertation research. Statistics faculty in the department work in diverse areas of research topics and are also actively involved in interdisciplinary research collaboration. This provides our PhD students a wide array of research topics to choose from for their PhD dissertation.

All PhD students have the opportunity to work as paid interns in the nearby industries and research institutions, such as Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Proctor & Gamble, and Medpace, after they finish a set of core applied statistics courses. The internships are coordinated by the Department. The Department is consistently successful in placing most of our students with an internship of student’s interest. The internship offers the students experience in applying statistical methods they learn to real-world problems under the mentorship of experienced statisticians and researchers, while they pursue their PhD degree. Students also have the opportunity to choose a PhD dissertation research topic related to their internship work.

The multifaceted training of our students, through course work, research, and the wide range of interdisciplinary experience through internship, sets our PhD program apart from other PhD programs in statistics. Our past students have had an extremely high success rate of employment in industries, research institutions, and universities after graduation.

Admission Requirements

Students applying for the program should have or be expecting to obtain a bachelor’s degree in statistics or a related area. Specifically, all students should have taken:

Three semesters of calculus up to and including multivariate calculus
A semester course in linear algebra
A semester course in calculus-based probability and statistics
Courses in pure and applied statistics similar to STAT 6021-6022 (Mathematical Statistics I and II) and STAT 6031 (Applied Regression Analysis) and STAT 6032 (Design and Analysis of Experiments).

An official GRE score is not required for admission, but a quantitative score of 160 or higher is recommended.

Proficiency in English is required of international students whose native language is not English. The minimum scores required for admission and to be considered for an assistantship are as follows:
	Admission	Assistantship
TOEFL	80	93
IELTS (overall band)	6.5	7
PEARSON (PTE)	54	64
Duolingo	110	115

The English proficiency requirement is met for applicants with degrees earned in English from accredited universities and colleges in the US or other English-speaking countries .

Financial Support

Most of our PhD students receive full financial support (tuition remission and a Graduate Assistantship, a fellowship, or an internship), and most are supported through their entire UC career. Travel support is available for students to attend or present their work at conferences.

All applicants for the PhD program are automatically reviewed for graduate assistantship eligibility at the time of application.

Financial aid opportunities for students in the Mathematical Sciences Department
Tuition and fees for graduate and professional students

Application Instructions

Applicants will need to meet the minimum requirements to be considered for the program. Completed applications will be reviewed beginning February 1 . We will continue to receive applications until all positions are filled.

All application materials from international students requiring a US visa must be received prior to April 1 (but sooner is better) in order to allow time for the necessary paperwork to be processed. The visa application process can often take 90 days or more to complete.

How to apply:

1. Create an online application

2. Include these documents in your application:

Three letters of recommendation. The application system will automatically send an email to each of the recommenders with a link to submit their letters.
Unofficial copy of transcript (official transcript will be required if you are admitted to the program).
GRE general test score
Statement of purpose/cover letter
English Proficiency for international students.

3. Pay the application fee

UC’s CEEB college code is 1833, as established by The College Board . CEEB codes are used to ensure that test scores are sent to the correct institution.

More information about submitting your application materials
FAQs for the admission process

For additional guidance, watch the video below for step-by-step application instructions:

To access the video description, click the "i" icon on the top right of the video.

Program Description

The credit-hour requirement includes a minimum of 90 graduate credits beyond the bachelor's degree or a minimum of 60 credits beyond a master's degree, including 7 hours in dissertation research, with a GPA of 3.3 or higher.

All incoming PhD students are required to take the qualifying exam before the beginning of their first semester. Students who do not pass this exam at the PhD level are placed in the appropriate 6000 - level courses. The Statistics Qualifying Exam is based on the two two-semester sequences Mathematical Statistics STAT6021-6022 and Applied Statistics STAT6031-6032.

All PhD students must pass the preliminary examination by the end of their second year. The Statistics Preliminary Exam is based on the two courses Linear Models and Multivariate Analysis II STAT 7024 and Statistics Theory STAT 7031.

After the preliminary examinations, an advanced examination in the area of examination of the student is required. An advanced exam may either be a written exam, a presentation or a series of presentations. The exam will be administered by a committee. Generally, this committee will form the students’ dissertation committee.

Visit the curriculum guide to learn more about the required courses. More details concerning the requirements of the program are explained in the Mathematical Sciences Department’s Graduate Handbook . See the course descriptions for information on the content.

About Cincinnati

Cincinnati is a big city with a small-town feel. The cost of living is low, but the quality of life is high. Forbes named Cincinnati the #5 most affordable city and the #9 best city for raising a family. Cincinnati has ranked the best place to live in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report, also the fourth-best city in the country for parks . UC is home to over 10,500 graduate students, 20% of which are international students.

Why Cincinnati
Estimated living expenses (for international students)

For further information, please contact the Graduate Program Director, Dr. Robert Buckingham:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 513-556-4085

See the full list of our graduate programs

Download Calendar (.ics) Subscribe (RSS)

August 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final
Final

July 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final

June 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final
General
General

May 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final
General
Final
General

April 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
General

March 2024
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
General

December 2023
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final
General
General

November 2023
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
General

August 2023
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
General
Final

June 2023
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final

May 2023
Exam Type	Speaker	Title	Time
Final

Our websites may use cookies to personalize and enhance your experience. By continuing without changing your cookie settings, you agree to this collection. For more information, please see our University Websites Privacy Notice .

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of Statistics

Poster submission – sip2024.

IMAGES

(PDF) Statistics GIDP Ph.D. Qualifying Exam Methodology · Statistics
PPT
PPT
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination in Statistics January 2008
PhD Qualifying Examination
PhD Qualifying Examination

COMMENTS

Previous Statistics Ph.D. Qualifying Exams
Previous Statistics Ph.D. Qualifying Exams. Previous Statistics Ph.D. Qualifying Exams. August 2023 Questions, Part 2. August 2023 Questions, Part 1. August 2022 Questions, Part 2. August 2022 Questions, Part 1. May 2021 Questions, Part 2. May 2021 Questions, Part 1. Data set "abalone2" from May 2021 exam.
Doctoral Program
Doctoral Program - Qualifying Exams. Qualifying examinations in the statistics department are intended to test the students' level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the three core subjects of (1) applied statistics, (2) probability theory, and (3) theoretical ...
Past Qualifying Exams
Exam preparation. For the MS/PhD qualifying exams and the PhD comprehensive exam the following courses are suggested: Stat 540 & 545 for the take-home exam. Stat 553 & 561 for the in-class exam. Stat 546, 556, 557 and 567 for the comprehensive exam.
PhD Program
For example, every Ph.D. candidate who passes the qualifying exam gives a 30 minute presentation each semester (in Stat 300), in which the faculty ask questions and make comments. The Department recently introduced an award for Best Post-Qualifying Talk (up to two per semester), to further encourage and reward inspired research and presentations.
Qualifying Exams
The Department of Statistics offers qualifying exams for MS and Ph.D. students. The MS exam is designed for students in both the MS in Statistics and the MS in Biostatistics. It is focused on testing basic understanding of course materials. The Ph.D. qualifying exam is designed for students pursuing a Ph.D. in Statistics.
Qualifying Exams
The qualifying exam process consists of: Exams in probability (December) and theoretical statistics (May). Students who do not pass an exam in their first year of study have the option of a retake the following year. Oral exam: scheduled individually for each student, exploring research in an area of interest that might lead to an eventual ...
Doctor of Philosophy
There are four Ph.D. qualifying examinations that cover material in methodology, probability, mathematical statistics, and computational statistics and are based on the core courses of the first year of graduate study in statistics. Preliminary Examination. A student who has submitted an approved plan of study and passed the qualifying exams is ...
Doctoral Program
Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units. In addition, students must enroll in STATS 390 Statistical Consulting, taking it at least twice. All students who have passed the qualifying exams but have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal Meeting must take STATS 319 at least once each year.
PhD Program information
The Statistics PhD program is rigorous, yet welcoming to students with interdisciplinary interests and different levels of preparation. ... Qualifying Exam Chair. For qualifying exam committees formed in the Fall of 2019 or later, the qualifying exam chair will also serve as the student's departmental mentor, unless a student already has two ...
Department of Statistics
By the end of year 1: passing the qualifying exams; By the end of year 2: fulfilling all course requirements for the MA degree and finding a dissertation advisor; By the end of year 3: passing the oral exam (dissertation prospectus) and fulfilling all requirements for the MPhil degree. By the end of year 5: distributing and defending the ...
Ph.D. Examinations
For students entering with a previous Master's degree in Statistics, the qualifying exam should be taken within one year of entering the program. Ph.D. Preliminary Exams. Deadline: Each PhD student is required to: Successfully pass the PhD Written Prelim Exam within 18 months from the date of successfully passing the PhD Qualifying Exam.
Qualifying Exams, Preliminary Exams, Final Exams
A PhD qualifying exam is offered once each year, at the end of June. The exam covers material in STAT 527, 528, 511, and 575. It consists of two four-hour exams, given on two different days. There are approximately two problems per course, for a total of about eight problems.
Qualifying Examination
The Qualifying Examination is typically taken at the end of the first year, and must be passed before the start of the third year. The exam consists of two parts: a 4-hour closed book in-class portion, and. a take-home applied statistics component. The in-class portion is scheduled early in the week of Spring Semester after final exams.
PDF PhD Qualifying Exam Syllabus
PhD Qualifying Exam Syllabus Option A (709/710) Probability and Distribution Theory. Set operations, ˙- elds, measures, probability measures, distribution functions, measurable functions, ran- ... su cient statistics, factorization theorem, minimal su ciency, exponential family, nat- ... similar test and Neyman structure, likelihood ratio test ...
PhD Qualifying Examination
The PhD Qualifying Examination (QEP) is given every year during August, approximately one week prior to the start of Fall semester. This exam is given only once per year. A student who passes the QEP is eligible for an MS degree in Statistics, pending the completion of the appropriate coursework. See the previous chapter for more details.
PhD in Statistics
PhD Exam in Applied Statistics: This exam covers the same material as the M.A. Applied exam and is offered at the same time, except that in order to pass it at the PhD level a student must correctly solve all four problems. ... Completion of pre-qualifying exam coursework (MA779, MA780, MA781, MA782) Target: Spring of Year 2 post-BA/Spring of ...
Statistics PhD Qualifying and Preliminary Exams
Statistics based on the two two-semester sequences Mathematical Statistics STAT6021-6022 and Applied Statistics STAT6031-6032. All incoming PhD students are required to take the qualifying exam before the beginning of their first semester. Students who do not pass this exam at the PhD level are placed in the appropriate 6000 - level courses.
Previous Program Requirements
Qualifying Exams. Doctoral students are required to pass two qualifying exams. Comprehensive theory exam. This exam covers probability and theoretical statistics at the level of a graduate textbook such as "Statistical Inference" by Casella and Berger, used by Stats 510/511. The comprehensive exam is offered twice a year, in late August and in ...
Sample Qualifying Exams : Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Algebra. Analysis. Applied Math. Stochastics. Topology. Samples of recent qualifying exams offered in the department. Descriptions of the topics covered on these exams can be found in the graduate handbook. Current students who want access to more exams should consult Graduate Program Manager Kaitlyn O'Konis ([email protected]).
Qualifying Exam Syllabus
Download PhD-QE-Syllabus. Qualifying Exam Syllabus. Site footer content. Quick Links. Welcome and Diversity; Academics; Research Interests; Faculty List; Staff; Learning Center; Contact Us. UW Madison Department of Statistics 1300 University Ave Madison, WI 53706 USA; Email: [email protected]; Phone: (608) 262-2598 Website feedback ...
Statistics Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. The Ph.D. Qualifying Exam will cover the material from 5 of the 7 required courses: STAT 600, 612, 613, 614 and 632. A student who fails the qualifying exam can retake in August before the start of Fall. Students who fail both exams will be asked to leave the Ph.D. program.
On Ph.D. Qualifying Exams
Syracuse University Prelim and Qualifying Exams. Temple University PhD. Exams. University of Texas at Austin Preliminary Exams. ... The appendix includes instructions on accessing electronic versions of the exams as well as a syllabus and statistics of passing scores. This new edition has been updated with the most recent exams, including exams ...
PDF PhD Qualifying Exam
Department of Statistics PhD Qualifying Exam August 2010 University of Florida Instructions: 1. You have exactly four hours to answer questions in this examination. 2. There are 8 problems of which you must answer 6. You must do at least one problem from each of the four categories of Linear Models, Generalized Linear Models, Prob-ability, and ...
PhD in Statistics
The Statistics Qualifying Exam is based on the two two-semester sequences Mathematical Statistics STAT6021-6022 and Applied Statistics STAT6031-6032. All PhD students must pass the preliminary examination by the end of their second year. The Statistics Preliminary Exam is based on the two courses Linear Models and Multivariate Analysis II STAT ...
PhD Exams
PhD Exams PhD Exams. Download Calendar (.ics) Subscribe (RSS) August 2024 Exam Type Speaker Title Time; Final Nicholas Irons: Statistical estimation and decision-making for the COVID-19 pandemic: Tue, 08/20/2024 - 09:30: Final ... Exam Type Speaker Title Time; Final
Poster Submission
Phone: (860) 486-3414: E-mail: [email protected]: Address: Room 323, Philip E. Austin Building 215 Glenbrook Road, Unit 4120 Storrs, Connecticut 06269-4120

Department of Mathematics & Statistics

Past Qualifying Exams

Past Qualifying Exams - Statistics

Previous exams

Qualifying exams

Comprehensive exams

Campus Life

Information for…

Department of Statistics

PhD Program Requirements

PhD Program Admissions Process

Need Assistance?

Department of Statistics and Data Science

Doctor of Philosophy

Requirements

Faculty Research Areas

Doctoral Program

Doctoral and Research Advisors

Qualifying Examinations

Thesis Proposal Meeting and Dissertation Reading Committee

University Oral Examinations

Dissertation

PhD Program information

Normal progress entails:

Program Requirements

Course work and evaluation

Requirements on course work beyond the first year

Guidance on choosing course work

The Qualifying Examination

The Doctoral Thesis

Teaching Requirement

Mentoring for PhD Students

PhD Student Forms:

Expected Progress Reviews:

Graduate Student Handbook (Coming Soon: New Graduate Student Handbook)

Applications for Admission

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Links

Upcoming Events

Find websites, locations and people

Ph.D. Examinations

Ph.D. Preliminary Exams

Ph.D. Final Oral Examination

Department of Statistics

Qualifying Exams, Preliminary Exams, Final Exams

Preliminary Examination

Preliminary Examination Committee

Doctoral Thesis and Defense Examination

Thesis Review

Secondary Menu

PhD Qualifying Examination

Parts, Scope and Time Allowed

Rules for Taking and Re-Taking

Faculty Responsibilities

PhD in Statistics

Requirements for the Ph.D. (Statistics Track)

Financial Aid

Ph.D. Program Milestones

Search: {{$root.lsaSearchQuery.q}}, Page {{$root.page}}

Qualifying Requirements prior to Fall 2019

Program Requirements prior to Fall 2020

Required Courses

First Year Course Placement

Qualifying Requirements

Advancing to Candidacy

Additional Course Requirements

Annual Progress Reports

Dissertation and Defense

Rackham Requirements

Sample Qualifying Exams

Basic Exams

Statistics Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

Degree Plan

Preliminary Examination

The Ph.D. Dissertation

Admittance to Candidacy

Final Examination/Dissertation Defense

Stack Exchange Network

On Ph.D. Qualifying Exams