Applicable only to students admitted during the 2016-2017 academic year.

Statistics

College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Statistics offers the Master of Applied Statistics (M.A.S.), Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Statistics.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

The Director of the Master of Applied Statistics program is a regular Statistics faculty member who will head a committee of faculty members who may serve as academic advisers. The research interests of the members of this committee span most of the major areas of statistics. Each student will be assigned an academic adviser who is responsible for monitoring the student’s degree progress and approving the study list each quarter. All students will work with their academic adviser in the first quarter to adopt a plan for degree completion. All participating faculty will be potential academic advisers and thesis committee members. Further advising and mentoring will be done by the thesis adviser, who will also chair the student’s master’s thesis committee. Students will then meet with their thesis adviser monthly until the degree is completed, which gives the faculty an opportunity to ensure that students are assigned to and working on a thesis project that will allow for timely completion of the degree.

Areas of Study

The strengths of current and prospective faculty dictate the specific fields of emphasis in the department. The core consists of six courses in statistical theory and methods. Courses are currently offered only once per year, and so students are encouraged to meet with their adviser to plan their graduation pathway.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

M.A.S. students will typically take two courses per quarter, including the summer, for a minimum of 11 courses (44 units). Students will typically complete the program in 21 months, with a maximum of 30 months (10 quarters).  MAS students will enroll in the 400 level courses. The Master of Applied Statistics program has a set of six required core courses. In addition, students will choose at least five electives that emphasize statistical modeling and programming. A written thesis is the final requirement.

Core Courses

The core consists of six courses in statistical theory and methods. Courses are currently offered only once per year, and so students are encouraged to meet with their adviser to plan their graduation pathway.

400 Introduction to Probability Models
401 Survey of Methods in Modern Statistics (students with appropriate academic statistical preparation may have this course waived)
402 Applied Regression
403 Mathematical Statistics
404 Statistical Computing and Programming
405 Data Management

Elective Courses

Students must choose at least five distinct courses from the following list. Not all courses will be offered every year.

412 Advanced Regression and Predictive Modeling
413 Machine Learning
411 Applied Multivariate Analysis
419 Applied Experimental Design
414 Computer Intensive Methods
418 Tools in Data Science
415 Introduction to Forecasting
416 Applied Geostatistics
417 Statistical Models in Finance

Each of the above courses is 4 units. All courses must be passed with the grade of B or better and students must maintain an overall grade-point average of 3.0 or better.

Teaching Experience

Not required. However, students will be encouraged to participate in internships with industry partners. Students may, if they wish, gain 4 units of course credit for their internship by enrolling in Stats 495 (Statistics Internship) and writing a substantial paper relating to or arising from the internship. This paper must be closely supervised by a faculty adviser, who will ensure that the work does not overlap with the thesis.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

This plan is not available to Master of Applied Statistics.

Thesis Plan

Every master’s degree thesis plan requires the completion of an approved thesis that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research.

This plan is for master’s degree students only. Students must find a thesis adviser, who approves the topic and form of the thesis. Students must nominate a thesis committee consisting of the adviser and at least two other faculty members who are eligible to serve on thesis committees, and the committee must be appointed by the Graduate Division. The final thesis must be approved by the thesis committee.

All students will complete a thesis, which will report on research and analysis done under the supervision of both a faculty member and an industry partner. While students may work with proprietary data, industry partners must agree that the student can publish and distribute the thesis. The thesis must consist of an original analysis that solves a real-world problem. A faculty adviser and a regular member of the Department of Statistics will supervise the thesis project, who will ensure the statistical integrity of the analysis. Most thesis topics will originate from industry partners, who will propose topics and provide data sets. In these cases, a representative of the industry partner will work with the student and the faculty adviser to ensure that the solution provided in the thesis is satisfactory to the industry partner.

Students are encouraged to participate in internships with industry partners. Students may elect to earn 4 units of course credit for their internship by enrolling in the Statistics Internship course and writing a substantial paper relating to or arising from the internship. This internship paper must be closely supervised by a faculty adviser, who will ensure that it does not overlap with the thesis.

Time-to-Degree

Students must complete the requirements for the Master of Applied Statistics, including the written thesis, within 10 academic quarters. The standard time for most students will be 6 academic quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.S.	6	6	10

Termination of Graduate Study and Appeal of Termination

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for termination of graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing termination of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

Master’s

A student who does not complete all the requirements for the M.A.S. degree within 10 quarters is subject to a recommendation for termination. The graduate vice chair decides in each case whether a recommendation for termination is warranted. A student may appeal a recommendation for termination to the Graduate Studies Committee, which makes the final departmental decision.