Undergraduate Curriculum

The Center for Applied Statistics offers a minor.  The curriculum starts with courses at the 300 level, and all courses will be cross-listed so that they are open to graduate students also.

The minor requires 15 credits (5 courses) plus a research project which normally will be completed in the student's major department. Many students have found that this experience helps prepare them for graduate school, as well as for positions in the private sector that involve technical analysis. 

Course Requirements for Undergraduate Minor

Most students interested in completing the minor will be considering a career in social science or biological research. The minor requires 15 credits (5 courses), plus a significant research project involving the analysis of data.

The research project is intended to verify that minors can perform original statistical analysis. It should be 8-12 pages, double-spaced with 1" margins and 12 point font. Students may extend work done for class purposes, but they need to submit the original paper and the new paper in order to show the additional work. The paper should be organized as follows:

1. A brief description of the substantive problem.
2. An explanation of the data including variables and how they are coded.
3. The model description.
4. The results. Be specific about the software or other tools used.

The minor will start with courses at the 300 level, and all courses are cross-listed so that they are open to graduate students.

A minor in Applied Statistics would not substitute for or replace courses in mathematical statistics offered by the Department of Mathematics.

(Students considering a career in statistics should pursue their primary curriculum through Mathematics; those students may choose to enrich their education with some courses from the Centor for Applied Statistics.)

The core curriculum requires a sequence of three required courses and two electives, as follows:

1. Introduction to Applied Statistics*: This course is completed by taking one of many (but not all) first semester statistics courses offered by Arts & Sciences departments. Acceptable courses include Math 2200 (any section), or Political Science 363. ASTAT 330 will be offered as an alternative to each of these courses.
2. Intermediate Applied Statistics: Linear Models This course can be completed with Economics 413, Psychology 5067, or Applied Statistics 350.
3. Philosophy of Science: This course, with an emphasis on conceptual issues in statistics, is offered by the Department of Philosophy as Philosophy 321. It is also offered as Applied Statistics 361.
4. Elective
5. Elective: The fourth and fifth courses to complete the minor can be selected from a series of electives:

370 - Topics in International Affairs:  A Quantitative Look
418A - Phylogenetic Comparative Methods
420 - Categorical Data Anaylsis
430 - Multilevel Modeling
440 - Factor Analysis and Related Methods
450 - Panel Data
460 - Time Series Modeling in Social Science

*Introductory Applied Statistics is a prerequisite for all other courses in the minor. Remaining core curriculum courses can be taken simultaneously. In special cases other courses can be substituted for ASTAT 330, including Math 3200 and some courses in the Business School. Please meet with the Program Director to discuss your specific situation.