DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICS

Undergraduate Department of Statistics

COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Chair: Eric Chicken; Director, Undergraduate Studies and Statistical Consulting Center: Ramsier; Director, Graduate Studies: Barbu; Professors: Barbu, Cao, Chicken, Mai, Niu, Patrangenaru, She, Sinha, Slate, Srivastava, Wu, H. Zhang, J. Zhang; Associate Professors: Barrientos, Bradley; Assistant Professors: Bhattacharya, Jauch, Lin, Loyal, Sarkar, Stewart, Sun, Xie; Teaching Professors: Ramsier, Shows; Senior Lecturer: Bose; Research Faculty I: Y. Zhang; Professors Emeriti: Huffer, Lin, McGee, Meeter, Sethuraman

The Department of Statistics offers a program leading to the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in statistics. Statistics is the science of analyzing random events and their associated data. The goals of the analysis are to describe the properties and characteristics of the data visually and numerically, to provide a model for the underlying events which considers the randomness of the phenomena, and to make accurate predictions of future events. In the study of statistics, students use and enrich their mathematical expertise and orient their study of the statistical methodology toward useful and relevant purposes in society. Significant opportunities for well-trained persons in statistics arise in many career environments, such as the social sciences, the natural sciences, business, industry, health services, and government services. Flexible, individually planned programs of study for minors or majors, including an honors option, are available. Interested students should contact the director of the undergraduate program for more information.

The Department of Statistics offers a wide selection of undergraduate courses in statistical methods for nonmajors with minimal background in mathematics. One of STA 2023, 2122, 2171, or 3032 is a prerequisite for the remaining courses in the series, which are STA 3024, 4202, 4203, 4222, 4502, 4634, 4664, 4702, and 4853.

The department offers a combined bachelor's/master's pathway designed for academically gifted students who wish to pursue an accelerated program culminating in a BS degree in Statistics and an MS degree in Statistics, Statistical Data Science, or Biostatistics. This pathway allows up to 12 credit hours of coursework to be dually counted toward both the BS and MS degrees.

The Department of Statistics provides access to for computation for use with coursework and research. The department holds licenses to several popular statistical software packages and has connections to other statistical computing tools. This enables students to work on computationally intensive projects.

Digital Literacy Requirement

Students must complete at least one course designated as meeting the Digital Literacy Requirement with a grade of “C–” or higher. Courses fulfilling the Digital Literacy Requirement must accomplish at least three of the following outcomes:

Evaluate and interpret the accuracy, credibility, and relevance of digital information
Evaluate and interpret digital data and their implications
Discuss the ways in which society and/or culture interact with digital technology
Discuss digital technology trends and their professional implications
Demonstrate the ability to use digital technology effectively
Demonstrate the knowledge to use digital technology safely and ethically

Each academic major has determined the courses that fulfill the Digital Literacy requirement for that major. Students should contact their major department(s) to determine which courses will fulfill their Digital Literacy requirement. Undergraduate majors in statistics satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of “C–” or higher in STA 3024.

State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites for Statistics

The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) houses the statewide, internet-based catalog of distance learning courses, degree programs, and resources offered by Florida's public colleges and universities, and they have developed operational procedures and technical guidelines for the catalog that all institutions must follow. The statute governing this policy can be reviewed by visiting https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2021/1006.73.

FLVC has identified common program prerequisites for the degree program in Statistics. To obtain the most up-to-date, state-approved prerequisites for this degree, visit: https://cpm.flvc.org/programs/61/200.

Specific prerequisites are required for admission into the upper-division program and must be completed by the student at either a community college or a state university prior to being admitted to this program. Students may be admitted into the University without completing the prerequisites but may not be admitted into the program.

Requirements for a Major in Statistics

Please review all college-wide degree requirements summarized on the Undergraduate Review page of the College of Arts & Sciences chapter.

Major

The major requires 33 total credit hours. Twenty-one of those hours are required statistics courses, including STA 3024 and either STA 4321 or 4442. The additional 15 credit hours are elective and may be selected from any other 3000- or 4000-level courses with the STA prefix.

Additional requirements include the mathematics courses MAC 2311, MAC 2312, and MAS 3105. A grade of “C–” or better must be earned in each statistics and mathematics course counted toward the major. At least 17 credit hours of courses counted toward the major must be taken at Florida State University. Statistics courses taken at other universities or colleges must be approved by the department.

Options

Students interested in pursuing a course of study in applied statistics are encouraged to take STA 3032, 3064, 4202, and 4203. This provides a strong background in practical data analysis which will be attractive to future employers, as well as completing most of the requirements for a SAS certificate in Programming and Data Analysis.

Students anticipating graduate study in statistics are strongly encouraged to take the STA 4321 and 4322 sequence and additional mathematics courses such as MGF 3301, MAA 4226, MAA 4227, and MTG 4302.

Double Major Overlap Policy

For students double majoring in statistics and another discipline, the department's overlap policy permits six credit hours of coursework counted toward the other major to be also counted toward the statistics major requirements. This overlap limit excludes prerequisite coursework and collateral mathematics courses (MAC 2311, MAC 2312, and MAS 3105).

Minor

The minor may be in any of the departmental or interdepartmental fields approved by the College of Arts and Sciences. A minor in mathematics may include MAC 2311, 2312, and MAS 3105.

Honors in the Major

The Department of Statistics offers honors in the major to encourage talented students to undertake independent research. For requirements and other information, see the “Discipline-Specific Honor Societies” tab of the Honors chapter.

Requirements for a Minor in Statistics

Required are 12 credit hours in statistics courses, including one of STA 2122, 2171, 3024, 3032, 4442, or 4321 with the remaining three coming from any STA course numbered at the 3000 level or higher. Courses should be selected in consultation with the director of the undergraduate statistics program. A grade of “C–” or better must be earned in each course counted toward the minor. At least six credit hours in statistics courses counted toward the minor must be taken in the Department of Statistics at Florida State University. Statistics courses taken at other universities or colleges must be approved by the department. Contact the department for a full list of requirements and courses applicable to the minor.

Examples of Minor Options

A minor in statistical methodology with minimal mathematical prerequisites: STA 2122 or 2171, plus nine credit hours selected from any of STA 3024, 3064, 4173, 4202, 4203, 4222, 4502, and 4664.

A minor with statistical theory as well as methodology: STA 4321 and 4322, plus six hours selected from any of STA 4102, 4202, 4203, 4222, 4502, 4702, and 4853.

Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Pathway in Statistics

The combined bachelor's/master's pathway in the Department of Statistics is designed for academically strong students who wish to pursue an accelerated program culminating in a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in statistics and a Master of Science (MS) degree in Statistics, Statistical Data Science, or Biostatistics. Upon approval, this program allows up to 12 graduate hours to be shared with, or double-counted toward, both a BS and an MS degree.

An undergraduate student wishing to enroll in this pathway must meet the following criteria:

Completion of at least 12 credit hours of mathematics or statistics in the undergraduate statistics major at Florida State University with a GPA of at least 3.2 in those courses.
Completion of at least 60 credit hours at Florida State University with a GPA of at least 3.0. Transfer students must have completed at least two terms and 24 credit hours at FSU with the same minimum GPA.

Undergraduate students may apply as early as the first term of their junior year. If accepted, they should take the GRE by the beginning of their senior year and apply to the graduate school during the first term of their senior year.

For more information, please visit https://stat.fsu.edu/undergraduate-program/combined-bachelorsmasters-pathway.

Undergraduate Certificate in SAS Programming and Data Analysis

The FSU Department of Statistics offers a certificate in Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Programming and Data Analysis. The certificate is designed to provide students with in-demand programming and statistical computing skills using one of the leading statistical software packages. Focus is placed on applications that require data management and statistical analyses typically used in the field of data sciences. A certificate with an honors option is available.

The undergraduate certificate requires 12 credit hours consisting of one required core course, STA 3024, and three elective courses with a SAS component selected from the following list: STA 3064, 4173, 4202, 4203, 4664, 4853, 4930 (depending on the special topic—check with an advisor) and 4931. Students seeking the honors designation may take STA 5066 in place of STA 3024 as the required core course or augment STA 3024 for honors credit. The coursework will also meet the requirements for students seeking a minor in statistics and can be embedded into a program for those students seeking a major in statistics.

Applicants must also submit a portfolio of their SAS coursework. The portfolio will include major assignments or projects from the courses taken in the certificate program with all four courses being represented. The completed portfolio will demonstrate several areas of SAS skills that are deemed valuable for public sector, private sector, or graduate schoolwork. Students interested in the certificate must apply before completion of their second course in the program. The certificate application and more program details may be found at https://stat.fsu.edu/sas-certificate.