General Program Description
The
Field of Statistics offers two programs of study: the PhD and
MS/PhD programs. The PhD program is intended to prepare students for
a career in research and teaching at the University level, and
requires writing and defending a dissertation. The MS portion of the
MS/PhD program is primarily intended as the first part of the PhD
program and typically involves two years of graduate-level coursework
in statistics and probability; upon successful completion,
as outlined in
Program Course Requirements and
Timetables, students are eligible
to transition into the PhD program.
Note: Cornell University does not offer a separate Masters of
Science (MS) degree program in the Field of Statistics. Applicants
interested in obtaining a masters-level degree in statistics should
consider applying to Cornell's
MPS Program in Applied Statistics.
Program Admission
Applicants having achieved a BA or BS degree are eligible for
admission to the MS/PhD program only. Applicants that have earned a
masters degree in a related field of study (e.g., statistics,
mathematics, computer science) will, at the discretion of the Director
of Graduate Studies, be considered for admission directly into the PhD
program. Further information on the academic preparation expected of
incoming students can be found
under Recommended Academic
Background. Further information on program requirements,
examinations and general expectations of progress can be found under
Program Course Requirements and
Timetables and
Evaluations and Examinations.
Residency Requirements
Students admitted to the MS/PhD program must be "in residence" for at
least six semesters; students in the PhD program must be "in
residence" for at least four semesters. The chair of your Special
Committee awards one residence unit after the satisfactory completion
of each semester of full-time study. Fractional units may be awarded
for unsatisfactory progress.
Your Advisor and Special Committee
The
Director of Graduate Studies is in charge of general issues pertaining
to graduate students in the Field of Statistics. Upon arrival, a
temporary Special Committee is also declared for you, consisting of
the Director of Graduate Studies (chair) and two other faculty members
in the Field of Statistics.
This temporary committee shall remain in place until you form your own
Special Committee for the purposes of writing your doctoral
dissertation. The chair of your Special Committee serves as your
primary academic advisor; however, you should always feel free to
contact and/or chat with any of the graduate faculty in the
Field of Statistics.
The formation of a Special Committee for your dissertation research
should serve your objective of writing the best possible dissertation.
The Graduate School requires that this committee contain at least
three members that simultaneously represent a certain combination of
subjects and concentrations. The chair of the committee is your
principal dissertation advisor and always represents a specified
concentration within the subject & field of Statistics. The Graduate
School additionally requires PhD students to have at least two minor
subjects represented on your special committee. For students in the
Field of Statistics, these remaining two members must either represent
(i) a second concentration within the subject of Statistics, and one
external minor subject; or, (ii) two external minor subjects. Each
minor advisor must agree to serve on your special committee; as a
result, the identification of these minor members should occur
at least 6 months prior to your A examination.
Some examples of external minors include Biometry, Demography,
Computer Science, Economics, Epidemiology, Mathematics, and Operations
Research. The declaration of an external minor entails selecting (i)
a field other than Statistics in which to minor; (ii) a subject &
concentration within the specified field; and, (iii) a minor advisor
representing this field/subject/concentration that will work with you
in setting the minor requirements. Typically, external minors involve
gaining knowledge in 3-5 graduate courses in the specified
field/subject, though expectations can vary by field and even by the
choice of advisor. While any choice of external minor subject is
technically acceptable, the requirement that the minor representative
serve on your Special Committee strongly suggests that the ideal
choice(s) should share some natural connection with your choice of
dissertation topic.
The fields, subjects and concentrations represented on your committee
must be officially recognized by the
Graduate School; the Degrees, Subjects & Concentrations tab
listed under each field of study provides this information.
Information on the concentrations available for committee members
chosen to represent the subject of Statistics. can be found
here.
Completion of the PhD Degree
In addition to the specified residency requirements, students must
meet all program requirements as outlined in Program Course Requirements and Timetables
and
Evaluations and Examinations,
as well as complete a doctoral dissertation approved by
your Special Committee. The target time to PhD completion
is 5 years for MS/PhD students and 3 years for PhD students;
the actual time to completion varies by student.
Students should consult both the Guide to Graduate Study and Code of
Legislation of the Graduate Faculty (available
at www.gradschool.cornell.edu)
for further information on all academic and procedural matters pertinent
to pursuing a graduate degree at Cornell University.
