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Statistics
Statistics is the science that studies data -- its collection, analysis and interpretation. Almost all modern professions, from economists to engineers and from social scientists to medical scientists, rely on statistics. Statistical methods are used for studying relationships, predicting results, testing hypotheses, and a variety of other purposes.
The program is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of probability and mathematical statistics, a complementary knowledge of basic methods for data collection and inference, and practical computing skills to carry out statistical analyses of problems in many different areas of application.
Although there are hundreds of undergraduate statistics majors around the country, SDSU's major is the only undergraduate major in statistics in the greater San Diego area.
Program Overview
There are
three options for undergraduate degrees available to
students. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in
statistics, students may obtain a Bachelor of
Science with emphasis in actuarial science or
emphasis in statistical computing. Masters of
Science degrees are offered in statistics and
statistics with a concentration in biostatistics. A
statistics minor is also available.
Students who choose this diverse area of study will be required to take preparatory courses to develop their mathematical ability. Proficiency in intermediate algebra is needed for introductory courses in applied statistics, and calculus is also recommended. Calculus is needed for introductory course work in mathematical statistics and for higher-level classes in applied statistics. Linear algebra, advanced calculus, and differential equations are useful for advanced courses in mathematical statistics. At the upper-division level, students complete course work in statistical methods and mathematical statistics, as well as various other upper-division mathematics and science courses.
Special Features
- SDSU Statistical Consulting Center provides advice, data management, and statistical analyses to the university community and to the private sector. The Center is staffed by a director who is a Ph.D. level faculty member and by graduate students in the statistics and biostatistics programs at SDSU. Assisted by its own coordinator, the faculty cooperates with statisticians in several disciplines within the university.
- SDSU/CGU joint doctoral program in Computational Statistics: admitted first incoming class for 2007-2008, a joint coordination between the division of statistics and the Computational Science Research Center.
- Undergraduate and graduate students work on special projects with the faculty each semester.
- Graduate programs in Statistics and Biostatistics.
- An initiative in actuarial science provides information and preparation for careers as actuaries in insurance, financial risk management, and related industries.
- Undergraduate programs in statistics, actuarial science, and statistical computing.
- The Mathematics Club has been developed by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and is open to all statistics students.
Faculty Highlights
The international nature of the statistical sciences is reflected in the fact that the department has faculty from at least 12 different nations. Recently hired faculty members include the following:
Samuel Shen, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1987) Dr. Shen is the new Chairman of Department of Mathematics and Statistics. He is an applied mathematician specializing in statistical climatology and nonlinear waves. His areas of research interest include optimal analysis of climate data for global warming assessment and detection, agroclimatic database and information service, signal analysis for nonlinear and non-stationary processes, and forced water waves. He is presently researching on the uncertainties of the global climate change in the last 150 years in both surface air temperature and precipitation, optimal blending of the data from satellite remote sensing and ground station observations, and North America drought monitoring.
Barbara Bailey, Ph.D. (North Carolina State University, 1994) Dr. Bailey is an applied statistician with applications in the atmospheric, environmental, and ecological sciences. Her Ph.D. is in Biomathematics, a graduate program inside the Department of Statistics where her research focused on nonlinear time series and estimation of dynamical system quantities from data. She was postdoctoral research fellow at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. At NCAR, she was part of the Geophysical Statistics Project where her research emphasis was on modeling the spatial and temporal distribution of cloud cover and biogeochemical processes. She has continued and is currently researching the temporal and spatial modeling of environmental processes and the diagnostic and visualization of nonlinear statistical models.
Jianwei Chen, PhD (CUHK, 1999). Dr. Chen obtained his Ph.D. in statistics from Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong). He has some postdoctoral years in Department of Biostatistics at UNC, Harvard and University of Rochester before he joined SDSU. His areas of research interest include statistical methods in medical/public health research, viral dynamic modeling and simulation, statistical inference for nonlinear differential equations with applications to HIV infectious and bio-defined immune modeling, nonparametric and semi-parametric regressions with missing data and measurement errors, mixed effect models in functional data and longitudinal data analysis, outcome dependent sampling designs, quality control and sampling plans, Bayesian methods, MCMC and computational statistics, and hedging models. He has published over twenty research papers in the major journals in the field of the statistics and operations research.
Kristin Duncan, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University, 2004) Dr. Duncan is an applied statistician with research interests in Bayesian modeling, educational assessment, and survey sampling. She is currently working on assessing the fit of item response models such as those used in standardized testing and also on using nonparametric Bayesian modeling for item response.
Career Opportunities
There is a significant demand for statisticians at various levels of the private and public sectors. Employment by the private sector includes such diverse fields as biotechnology, environmental science, insurance, quality control and assurance, product research and development, marketing, opinion polling, and finance.
The federal government employs statistics graduates in such agencies as the National Institutes of Health, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense.
To further explore career options in this field, visit the Career Services and the San Diego chapter of the American Statistical Association for more career information.
General Catalog
You can view more complete information regarding the Statistics program in the General Catalog. All students are responsible for reading and knowing the information pertinent to their areas of study available in the General Catalog. It contains requirements for all academic majors, course descriptions, policies, and regulations governing progress at the University. Catalogs are distributed at all Academic Orientation programs. To order a catalog, call (619) 594-7535.
Contact Information
Mailing address:
Department of Mathematics and
Statistics
College of Sciences
San Diego
State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego,
CA 92182-7720
Email: Nancy Valentine, Department Coordinator
Telephone: (619) 594-2667
Fax: (619) 594-6746
Office location: GMCS Building, Room 413
Office hours: Monday-Friday, 8:15 A.M. - 11:30
A.M.; 12:30 P.M. - 4:15 P.M.