Program Course Requirements & Timetables
The following statement was approved by the Field of Statistics in Fall 2005. Each student in the program
arrives with a different level of preparation, and not all students will be required to take all courses as
specified below. In particular, coursework may be tailored to round out the preparation of each individual
student.
A faculty member in the Field of Statistics serves as a temporary academic advisor for each student entering
the MS/PhD or PhD programs in statistics. Your academic advisor will assist you in choosing courses, etc...
until you declare a Special Committee for your dissertation research, at which point the chairperson of your
Special Committee takes over this responsibility.
MS/PhD: Courses and Study Timetable:
In year 1, MS/PhD students are required to take 3 courses for a letter grade per semester. In year 2, MS/PhD
students are required to take 3 courses for a grade per semester. Of these 6 courses taken in the second year,
at least 4 must be for a letter grade; the remaining courses can be taken S/U and can include an independent
study or research course.
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By the end of the first year, students admitted to the MS/PhD program must have taken graduate-level courses
in mathematical statistics, probability, stochastic processes, and linear models. These 4 courses comprise
the core coursework of the MS/PhD program; all of these courses must be taken for a letter grade.
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By the end of the second year, students in the MS/PhD program must have taken all 4 courses specified in #1,
plus courses covering the following topics (all courses must be taken for a letter grade unless otherwise
specified):
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EITHER: a second course in mathematical statistics or asymptotic theory;
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A graduate-level course in statistical or scientific computing;
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A graduate-level course in advanced statistical modeling (examples include Bayesian statistics,
generalized linear models or likelihood theory, multivariate analysis, stochastic modeling, spatial
statistics, and survival analysis);
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At least one semester of BTRY 795 (Statistical Consulting) or equivalent. BTRY 795
may be taken either for audit or for credit.
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At least 4 other graduate-level elective courses approved by the chair of your Special Committee, at
least 2 of which must be for a letter grade. The majority of these elective courses are expected to
contain a high level of content relevant to applied or theoretical statistics or probability.
Progression into the PhD program occurs after the second year of study. Progression is not automatic; rather,
it is contingent upon the results of the First and Second Year Evaluations. See
Evaluations & Examinations for further details.
PhD: Courses and Study Timetable:
MS/PhD students that successfully transition into the PhD program are considered to be equivalent to 2nd year
PhD students (i.e., are credited with having completed 2 semesters of study in the PhD program). Students
entering the PhD program from programs other than Cornell's MS/PhD program are expected to have already completed
all core coursework required of our MS/PhD students.
In year 1, PhD students are required to take 3 courses for a grade per semester. Of these 6 courses, at least 4
must be for a letter grade; the remaining courses can be taken S/U and can include independent study or research
courses. In year 2, PhD students are required to take 3 courses per semester. Of these 6 courses, at least half
must be for a letter grade. Beyond the second year, coursework requirements for PhD students are left to the
sole discretion of the Special Committee.
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By the end of the first year, PhD students are expected to have satisfied the majority of coursework
requirements expected of MS/PhD students. Credit toward these requirements will be given to students as
appropriate; any remaining requirements must be made up by the end of the 2nd year.
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PhD students are expected to select a Special Committee for their dissertation work by the end of their 3rd
semester in the PhD program.
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PhD students are expected to schedule their A exam by the end of their 6th semester in the PhD program.
Depending on circumstances, students failing to schedule their A exam by the end of the 7th semester in the
program may be at risk of losing financial support.
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PhD Students are expected to schedule their B exam by the end of their 8th semester in the program.
Depending on circumstances, students failing to schedule their B exam by the end of the 9th semester in the
program will be in danger of losing financial support.
Note: MS/PhD students that transition into the PhD program are credited with one year (two semesters) of study.
MS/PhD students that successfully transition into the PhD program are therefore expected to select a Special
Committee before the end of their 5th semester of study, take the A exam by the of 8th semester of study, and
schedule the B exam by the end of the 10th semester of study.
Progress Forms
You will be expected to report your progress to your adviser and the Field at the end of each academic year in
the form of a "Progress Report". This information will be used by your adviser and other faculty members (e.g.,
your Special Committee) to understand where you are in the program and to better advise you about subsequent steps.
