The Ph.D. degree is designed to prepare the student to conduct independent research, to work as a lead statistician in business or industry, and/or to teach statistics at the collegiate level.

The profile of a successful Ph.D. applicant includes either a master’s degree with excellent performance from an accredited institution, or post baccalaureate with an average GRE verbal in the 65th or higher percentile and an average GRE quantitative in the 80th or higher percentile with an average GPA of 3.30 or higher. He/she will also have a strong math background including 3 semester sequence in calculus, linear algebra, and often real analysis.

Learning Outcomes

1. The Ph.D. recipient should have solid knowledge of the advanced theory of statistics and probability.
2. The Ph.D. recipient should have the ability to substantially add to the body of knowledge in the field in statistics.
3. The Ph.D. recipient who desires a career in academia should have the ability to teach at the collegiate level.
4. Doctoral students should complete all required coursework, pass the qualifying exam at the Ph.D. level, then propose, write, and defend their dissertation in a timely manner. 

Degree Requirements (60 Post-Baccalaureate Hours; 42 Post-Masters Hours)

Post-Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (60 hours)

A minimum of 60 semester hours of approved course work built around a core of 10 three-credit courses. The remaining 30 credit hours must include 3 hours of Doctoral seminar, at least 12 hours of Dissertation Preparation and at least 12 hours of STAT elective courses at the 700+ level, provided that the total number of credit hours is at least 60. A 700-level course that is not a STAT course may count toward the 60 hours if approved by the graduate director as being related to the student’s dissertation research.

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Core Courses
STAT 704	Data Analysis I	3
STAT 705	Data Analysis II	3
STAT 712	Mathematical Statistics I	3
STAT 713	Mathematical Statistics II	3
STAT 714	Linear Statistical Models	3
STAT 740	Statistical Computing	3
STAT 810	Probability Theory I	3
STAT 811	Probability Theory II	3
STAT 820	Advanced Statistical Inference I	3
STAT 821	Advanced Statistical Inference II	3
Electives 1		15
Doctoral Seminar		3
STAT 890	Doctoral Seminar
Dissertation Preparation 2		12
STAT 899	Dissertation Preparation
Total Credit Hours		60

¹

At least 15 required elective credit hours, 12 of which must be from STAT courses at the 700+ level. All elective credit hours must be approved by the Graduate Director.

²

The doctoral dissertation must be written in conjunction with the dissertation preparation.

Earning the Master's Degree En Route to the Ph.D.

A student may earn the master’s degree en route to the Ph.D. after completing a minimum of 33 hours, including STAT 704, STAT 705, STAT 712, STAT 713, and STAT 714. If earning the master's en route to the Ph.D., the thesis requirement is waived, provided the student has earned a master’s pass or a Ph.D. pass on the admission-to-candidacy exam (qualifying exam).  Any required Ph.D. courses used for this master’s en route may also be applied to the Ph.D. coursework, and any other STAT 700+ courses used in the master’s en route may be used as elective credit for the Ph.D.

Post Master's Degree Requirements (Minimum of 42 hours)

A minimum of 42 semester hours of approved course work built around a core of five three-credit courses. The remaining 27 credit hours are comprised of 3 hours of Doctoral Seminar, 12 hours of Dissertation Preparation and 12 hours of STAT elective courses at the 700+ level. Some remedial coursework may be required by the Graduate Director (e.g., STAT 714 if you have not taken an equivalent course in your master’s studies).

Core Courses (15 Hours)

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Core Courses
STAT 740	Statistical Computing	3
STAT 810	Probability Theory I	3
STAT 811	Probability Theory II	3
STAT 820	Advanced Statistical Inference I	3
STAT 821	Advanced Statistical Inference II	3
Electives 1		12
Doctoral Seminar		3
STAT 890	Doctoral Seminar
Dissertation Preparation 2		12
STAT 899	Dissertation Preparation
Total Credit Hours		42

¹

12 hours of STAT elective courses at the 700+ level. Some remedial coursework may be required by the Graduate Director for the electives (e.g., STAT 714 if you have not taken an equivalent course in your master’s studies).

²

 The doctoral dissertation must be written in conjunction with the dissertation preparation.

Additional Requirements

The progression through the degree program involves three examinations: the admission-to-candidacy exam (qualifying exam), usually taken after the first year of study; the comprehensive exam in the form of a dissertation proposal, usually completed near the end of required course work; and the dissertation defense.