Statistics Graduate Program

The Doctor of Philosophy program in Statistics prepares students for careers in industry, research institutions, and universities. The students initially undergo solid training in theory and applied statistics, followed by advanced courses and dissertation research. Statistics faculty in the department work in diverse 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.

The multifaceted training of our students, through course work, research, and the wide range of interdisciplinary experience through an 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. A list of past students and their job placements is available here. 

The program offers core courses on statistical and computational foundations in modeling and data analysis:

• Mathematical statistics
• Applied statistics
• Statistical computing using SAS and R both for beginning and advanced students

In addition, the program provides several area-specific courses including

• Spatial Statistics
• Survival analysis and logistical regression
• Bayesian analysis
• Time series
• Statistical Machine Learning
• Statistical Consulting

Refer to Department Graduate Handbook regarding 

• University Requirements
• Qualifying examination
• Four preliminary examinations 
• Breadth requirement
• Advanced examination 

PhD students typically begin their dissertation research at the beginning of the third year in the program, after finishing the required prelim exams by the end of the second year. Students are encouraged to choose a topic of their interest from various research focuses and faculty expertise in the Division. Information on the exciting and diverse research areas of faculty can be seen here.

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 position of student’s interest. The internship training offers the students experience in applying statistical methods to real-world problems under the mentorship of experienced statisticians and researchers while they pursue their PhD degrees. Students also have the opportunity to choose a PhD dissertation research topic related to their internship work.  

Students who do not have government or other external sponsorship are generally offered a Graduate Assistantship (GA) with a University Graduate Scholarship (UGS) that covers most of the students' tuition and fees. The GA and UGS are renewable for up to six years for students entering with a bachelor's degree and up to five years for students entering a master's degree. A variety of fellowships and research grants are also available. Applicants who do not need financial support should clarify it in their application since the competition for GAs is more intense than that for admission only. Applicants wishing to be considered for financial aid should complete their applications by the February 1st deadline.

To submit an electronic application for the PhD in Statistics, please visit our Online Graduate College Application and complete the form. The application deadline is February 1st for Decision Round 1 and April 1st for Decision Round 2.

• Admission Requirements
• Graduate College Information for PhD in Statistics

For further information, please contact Professor Robert Buckingham 
Email: buckinrt@ucmail.uc.edu 
Phone: 513-556-4085
Fax: 513-556-3417

Our Master of Science (MS) in Statistics is a high-quality program with an esteemed reputation among employers since 1980s. The MS program begins in fall semester and students can complete in as little as 18 months (3 semesters). It offers flexible curriculum to accommodate students with diverse educational backgrounds and work experiences. Students are trained ready to enter the vibrant job market as statisticians, data scientists, risk or financial analysts, biostatisticians and market and consumer analysts. Here are some program highlights:

• Designed to combine statistics, analysis, modeling and elective topics ranging from data mining to epidemiology.
• Featuring courses to develop computational skills, to obtain SAS certification, and to gain experience working on data analysis projects.
• Students are trained ready to enter the job market.
• Recognized as a STEM discipline.
• Students can complete the degree in as few as 18 months or 3 semesters.
• More than 20 nationalities are represented among our students and faculty.

The program offers core courses on statistical and computational foundations in modeling and data analysis:

• Mathematical statistics
• Applied statistics
• Time series
• Statistical computing with SAS and R
• Statistical machine learning
• Survival analysis and logistic regression
• Applied Bayesian analysis

In addition, the program offers a statistical consulting class, and provides training or internship at local research institutes and corporations. 

• A minimum of 30 graduate credits in statistics with a GPA of at least 3.0
• The following courses are required (18 credits):
  
  • STAT6021 Mathematical Statistics I
  • STAT6022 Mathematical Statistics II
  • STAT6031 Applied Statistics I
  • STAT6032 Applied Statistics II
  • STAT7023 Linear Models and Multivariate Analysis I
  • STAT7024 Linear Models and Multivariate Analysis II or
  • STAT7020 Topics in Applied Statistics
• Two additional courses are required from the following list (6 credits):
  
  • STAT6041 Time Series
  • STAT6042 Generalized Linear Models and Survival Analysis
  • STAT6043 Applied Bayesian Analysis
  • STAT6044 Non-parametric Statistics
  • STAT6045 Statistical Computing with SAS and S-Plus
  • STAT6051 Statistical Consulting
  • STAT6071 Statistical Machine Learning
  • STAT7020 Topics in Applied Statistics
  • STAT7024 Linear Models and Multivariate Analysis II
• Students can earn other six credits by taking additional courses from the above list, or course(s) outside the department with written advance permission from his or her adviser.   
  
• At the end of their first year of study, students must pass the written Statistics Qualifying Examination based on Mathematical Statistics STAT6021-6022 and Applied Statistics STAT6031-6032
  
• In their final semester, students must take and pass an oral exam (passing the qualifying exam at the PhD level, or defending a Master's thesis can substitute for this requirement)
  
• Please see the Department’s Graduate Handbook for more details concerning the requirements of the program. See the Course Descriptions for information on the content of required courses.
  
• A student entering with the minimum requirements should expect to take two years to complete the program. Students entering the program with a stronger background in statistics may be able to complete the program in three or even two semesters.

• Students have the opportunity to take part-time internship positions at local companies after taking two or three semester course work.

LinkedIn rated Statistical Analysis and Data Mining as the top skills that led to employment in 2014. FORBES rates Statistics No.2 best Master’s Degree for jobs in 2015. 

Our MS graduates have been 100% successful in terms of either moving onto employment or continuing to enroll in a PhD programs, many joining companies right here in Cincinnati.

Our program prepares students to work in a wide range of fields:

• Clinical Research
• Market Research
• Genomic Sequencing
• Health Information Systems
• Machine Intelligence
• Financial Fund Management
• Pharmaceutical Research
• Insurance and Risk Management

Alumni Employers Include:

• Procter & Gamble
• Eli Lilly
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
• Med Pace
• Choice Point Inc.
• Digital Management Inc.
• Epsilon Data Management
• ICON plc
• INC Research

After referring to the following information, apply online at grad.uc.edu/admissions

• Admission Requirements
• Graduate School Information for MS in Statistics

For further information, please contact Professor Robert Buckingham
Email: buckinrt@ucmail.uc.edu
Phone: +513-556-4085
Fax: 513-556-3417