3 US statistics degrees preparing graduates for global success

The world needs more experts who can make sense of, make predictions, and make decisions in a data-driven world.

Enter statisticians. Whether as amazing professors, analysts of professional sports leagues, or advisors to some of the most important government agencies and corporations in the world, these are the people who help the world find meaning from data. Without their expertise, we wouldn’t be able to uncover new patterns, trends, and relationships — some of which could be crucial to creating a better world. 

This noble pursuit is open to anyone to try to reach — but first, you’ll need to master multivariable calculus, the application of statistical methods, computing, and theory in data analysis, and more. These three US universities offer graduate degrees that will take your career in statistics to greater heights.

Soure: Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Established in 1947, the Department of Statistics at Iowa State University is today home to one of the first, largest, and top-ranked statistics graduate programs in the US. It offers excellent advanced training in statistical theory, methods, and applications through its master’s degrees and doctoral degrees. Both the Master of Science (MS) in Statistics and PhD are identical in the first year. In the second year, each program goes its own way — setting you on a path to either work in industry or academia. The newly launched Master of Applied Statistics, on the other hand, is fully online, which allows students to complete the 30-credit program at their own time and pace.

Being part of Iowa State means being welcomed to a vibrant community of students, faculty, and staff who will help you on your journey towards success in the field of statistics. You have the privilege of joining an alumni network of statisticians employed in academia, government, business, and industry. Recent graduates have gone on to work in companies such as Amazon, Boeing, Disney, and Google, national labs like NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, Los Alamos National Labs, and Pacific Northwest National Labs, and in various universities.

As you’ll be based in the second-best college town in the US, you’ll find the city of Ames to be an affordable and safe place to live with low crime rates. Housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities cost less than nearly any other city in the nation. Open doors to career-fulfilling opportunities by obtaining a master’s degree or PhD in Statistics from Iowa State University.

Apply to the Department of Statistics at Iowa State University today.

Source: University of California, Davis/Facebook

University of California, Davis

Getting a graduate degree at the University of California, Davis’s Department of Statistics means studying various topics, from mathematical statistics to methods for genomics, longitudinal studies, and astrophysics. Take the MS in Statistics, for example. You can choose to pursue a standard or data science track, the latter focusing on analyzing and interpreting large sets of data using statistics. 

The PhD program, on the other hand, covers subjects involving contemporary statistical theory and provides an opportunity to study and contribute new knowledge to a field in which statistics is applied. You’ll have to complete a doctoral dissertation that must contain an original contribution of publishable quality to the knowledge of statistics that may expand the theory or methodology of statistics, or expand or modify statistical methods to solve a critical problem in applied disciplines. 

Today, statistics is one of the strongest disciplines in the university with faculty members and instructors committed to shaping you into a standout statistician. Just take a look at some of the department’s alumni who have gone to work at the likes of American Express, Bank of America, Facebook, Nike, AirBnB, and many more.

Ranked among the top 100 safest cities in California, this is a place you can walk or bike from the main campus to the main street in a few blocks. In fact, here at the Bicycle Capital of the US, you can bike almost everywhere, with 98% of the city’s roads labeled as bike-friendly. Head to the dozens of farm-to-fork restaurants, visit museums, the 100-acre arboretum, arcade, and bowling alley, or join the weekly events and attractions. There’s always something fun to do here.

Columbia University’s MA in Statistics program prepares graduate students for careers or further study in statistics and related quantitative fields. Source: Columbia University

Columbia University

Transforming complex data into impactful insights is one of, if not the most coveted skill across industries today. Columbia University’s Master of Arts in Statistics program equips you with precisely that crucial know-how right from the heart of New York City. From machine learning and data science to finance, engineering, and biomedicine, the program cultivates robust technical skills that gear you up for today’s data-driven employment landscape.

Such readiness for industry or academia is thanks to two facts. The MA is one of the longest-running of its kind and offered by one of the nation’s oldest Statistics departments. It’s with this rich legacy, paired with diverse courses and mentored research opportunities that the MA ensures its continued relevance and competitiveness in the ever-evolving world of statistics. What further sets it apart is how the MA matches every student with a faculty advisor. They provide access to career coaching and unparalleled opportunities for networking and practical experiences, the kind that are exclusive to NYC alone.

The MA starts with three core courses in probability, inference, and linear regression models and six electives, half of which are often taken from another department, before ending with a capstone course. Whilst you can tailor the MA to your interests and career aspirations, the curriculum naturally supports four primary learning paths: statistical machine learning/data science, traditional statistical modelling, financial modelling and mathematics of finance, and preparation for PhD studies in statistics or related fields.

Whichever path you choose, you’ll learn from distinguished faculty members. They are dedicated mentors and exceptional educators, many of whom are esteemed leaders in their respective disciplines. These are the people behind seminal advancements such as the development of likelihood ratio tests by Wald and Wolfowitz in the 1940s, pioneering work on decision theory by Raiffa and Robbins in the 1950s, and ongoing research in probability theory, mathematical finance, Bayesian statistics, and machine learning, with applications across epidemiology, bioinformatics, neurobiology, astronomy, and more.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International