DEPARTMENT OF STATISTICAL SCIENCE

GRADUATE CURRICULUM

I.  Curriculum Objective

 Each student successfully proceeding in the Department of Statistical Science passes through one or both of two phases of development.  The first phase, culminating with the awarding of a Master of Science Degree, emphasizes breadth and fundamental knowledge of a wide variety of statistical theory and applications.  The second phase - one, which the student must be invited to enter, and which generally requires excellent performance during the Master’s program - stresses depth, and its successful completion results in the award of the Doctor of Philosophy degree.  Each of these phases is discussed separately.
 

II.     Master’s Program

 The emphasis in the master’s program is on developing a fundamental breadth in both theory and applications.  The master’s program generally requires two years after the baccalaureate degree.  The goal of the Department of Statistical Science is for the Master of Science (M.S.) degree candidate to be able to apply statistical thinking, principles, and methods in a variety of situations.  With this in mind, the M.S. curriculum stresses applied courses and encourages the student to become knowledgeable in as many different applied areas as possible.  To meet this goal, basic theoretical courses - Mathematical Statistics (6327, 6328), and applied courses - Statistical Analysis (6336, 6337), Computational Statistics (6304), and Linear Regression (6345)  are required during the first year.  A typical curriculum is listed in Section V at the end of these guidelines.  With the aid of the department’s Graduate Advisor (see Section IV), each student will draw up a course schedule that should reflect both the departmental requirements and the student’s interest.

 The progress of the student toward attaining the breadth and sound fundamental knowledge that characterizes the successful M.S. candidate is measured in  three ways.  First, the individual instructors in the various courses the student attends assess classroom performance.  Second, a basic written examination is administered at the end of the first year or on the completion of at least the following courses (some of which may be waived for students entering the program with equivalent coursework taken elsewhere):  6304, 6327, 6328, 6336, 6337, and 6345.  The basic examination consists of two parts, theory and methods.  The theory portion of the exam is one-day, in-class and closed-book.  The methods portion of the exam is one-half day in class, closed-book and a two-day take-home.  The take-home portion of the exam requires the comprehensive analysis of a data set.   The basic examination is normally given after the end of the final examination period for the spring semester; there are no final exams in first year courses in the Spring Semester.

Based on a student’s performance on the basic examination and first-year course work, one of following three recommendations will be made by the faculty:

(i) the student has demonstrated excellent knowledge and understanding of the basic material and is progressing satisfactorily toward a doctoral degree;
(ii) the student has demonstrated adequate knowledge and understanding of the basic material and is proceeding satisfactorily toward a master’s degree, but has not yet demonstrated complete mastery of the curriculum content needed to proceed toward a doctoral degree; or
(iii) the student has failed to demonstrate an adequate knowledge or understanding of the basic material and has not sufficiently demonstrated mastery of the curriculum content needed for a master’s degree.

 Students who receive the first of the above recommendations and who  wish to continue their program beyond the Master’s level are invited to proceed to the second (i.e., Ph.D.) phase of the graduate curriculum.  The second recommendation allows the student to complete the M.S. program and receive the M.S. degree upon successful completion of all requirements.  With this recommendation the student who would like to proceed to the second phase is not immediately invited to enter the Ph.D. program but may be allowed to retake the basic written examination if there is sufficient evidence from the examination and course work to indicate that the re-examination may be beneficial in establishing a student’s potential for pursuing a Ph.D.  If excellence on the basic material is then demonstrated, the recommendation may be changed from (ii) to (i).  The third recommendation will not allow the student to enter the doctoral phase of the graduate program.  The Master’s degree may also be denied at this time.  A student who receives this recommendation may petition the faculty once to retake the examination. If sufficient evidence warrants it, the student may be allowed to retake the basic examination and/or basic courses to demonstrate adequate knowledge of the basic material in order to complete the requirements for the M.S. degree.  The M.S. degree is, however, terminal for any students receiving the third recommendation.

 The third method of evaluating the progress of the M.S. candidate occurs near the end of the third semester; i.e., normally in November of the second year of full-time coursework.  This evaluation  consists of a basic oral examination, which enables the student to display understanding and insight into the fundamentals of statistical reasoning.  The oral examination is important in assessing the student’s grasp of basic material since the practicing statistician with a Master’s or a Ph.D. degree is expected to be able to orally communicate ideas and interpretations in a variety of consulting environments. For this reason, the oral examination will not be scheduled until a student successfully completes the basic written examination with either recommendation (i) or (ii).

A Master’s degree candidate will be examined on the analysis of a data set prepared by the Chair of the oral examination committee in consultation with other committee members.  Ordinarily, the candidate will receive the data set from the Chair of the examining committee three weeks prior to the scheduled oral examination. The candidate will be able to use class notes, textbooks and library and computing resources. No discussion of the analysis will be permitted other than with the Chair of the committee. The Chair can clarify the goals of the analysis and answer appropriate questions by the candidate about the analysis but will not direct how the analysis is to be performed. The candidate must deliver a maximum five-page summary of the data analysis to the committee members at least one week prior to the oral examination. The written report should clearly and completely outline the candidate’s analysis of the data set. This deadline is imposed so that the committee can be adequately informed of the candidate’s proposed methods of analysis. Failure by the candidate to provide the committee with the report by the deadline mandates a postponement of the oral examination.

The candidate is required to demonstrate mastery of the analysis of the data set and be able to satisfactorily respond to questions. The questions posed by the oral examination committee will ordinarily concentrate on material in coursework that relates to the statistical methods that were used in the analysis, as well as on alternatives to those methods used in the analysis. The oral examination will consist of a 30-minute presentation by the candidate followed by questions from the committee. The candidate’s oral examination will be open to all faculty members and graduate students in the Department of Statistical Science and scheduled as a department seminar when possible. Unless teaching or other duties preclude attendance, all graduate students in the Department will be required to attend each oral examination.  At the completion of this examination, the student’s committee (see Section IV) will make a final assessment of the student’s overall performance at the Master’s level.  If the student is judged to have performed adequately, the Master of Science degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the required coursework: a total of 36 hours of coursework without thesis or 30 hours of coursework and a thesis.
 

III.    Ph.D. Program

Students receiving recommendation (i) above on the basic written examination and having successfully completed the first phase of the graduate program will be invited to proceed to the second phase.  This phase stresses strong theoretical foundations and requires the student to demonstrate depth in one or more areas of specialization. The program outlined below presumes that a student has completed the first two years in the program, has satisfied all the requirements for the M.S. degree, and has received recommendation (i) from the evaluation of the basic examination and first-year coursework. Students entering our graduate program with a Master’s degree in statistics from another department ordinarily do not need to complete the two-year program outlined for the M.S. degree. Students entering with a M.S. degree may take some courses ordinarily taken by second- and third-year graduate students. They are required to take the basic examination and receive an evaluation of (i) in order to ensure that they are prepared for the doctoral phase of study. The timing of the basic examination for these students and the course of study they will undertake are determined in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies when they enter the program.

The doctoral phase of the graduate program consists of advanced theoretical courses required of all doctoral candidates and specialized courses in the field of intended dissertation research.  Students in the doctoral phase of the program need not select an area of intended research until completion of the Ph.D. written examination.  They are encouraged to choose coursework in the third year of our program that will enhance their knowledge of their likely research area(s).   Upon successful completion of the Ph.D. written examination, a doctoral candidate may, with approval of the Graduate Advisor and the intended director of the dissertation, elect to take one specialized study course  each semester of the third year that will focus explicitly on the intended dissertation research topic.

 The major assessments of the student’s performance in the doctoral phase of study are the recommendations of instructors and the results of a comprehensive written examination administered at the end of the second year of coursework; i.e., normally the week following the basic exam in the Spring semester of a student’s second year of full-time coursework. The Ph.D.  course of study requires completion of courses in Probability Theory (6371) and Advanced Statistical Inference (7327), at least one of which must be completed prior to taking the Ph.D. written examination. The examination consists of a research question posed to the student. The student has one week to prepare a report describing his or her solution to the problem. The report will be written in the style of a technical report, typically including a literature review, methodology and results sections.  The purpose of the comprehensive written examination is to demonstrate that the student has sufficient knowledge and skills to embark on the dissertation phase of their education.

One of the following recommendations will be made to the student on the basis of their performance on the comprehensive exam:

(i) the student has demonstrated the required knowledge and skills to begin dissertation work;
(ii) the student has not demonstrated  the required knowledge and skills to begin dissertation work.

Recommendation (i) enables the student to proceed to preparation for research on a dissertation topic. The student must obtain consent from a faculty member to serve as his or her dissertation director by the end of the  fall semester following the comprehensive exam. A student receiving recommendation (ii) may be offered the opportunity to retake the comprehensive exam the following year. The student may not initiate dissertation research until receiving recommendation (i) on a retake of the exam, but he or she may enroll in a specialized study course in the spring semester of the third year while preparing to retake the exam.  The student will be allowed to retake the comprehensive exam only once. All the above recommendations require a majority vote of the faculty.

When a student has chosen a dissertation  director, he or she takes on the responsibilities of the student’s advisor.  If they have not previously done so, the student and dissertation director select a research topic of mutual interest.  When the dissertation director  feels that the student is sufficiently prepared, a written prospectus describing the proposed dissertation work is prepared. An oral defense of the prospectus will be presented to a dissertation committee (to be chosen in the interim as explained below) and the entire faculty, ordinarily in the spring semester of the third year but no later than the fall semester of the fourth year.  All graduate students are encouraged to attend the prospectus of each Ph.D. candidate. The prospectus will identify the area of research and present in-depth state of the art knowledge of the intended area of study.  The candidate must be able to answer questions relating to the intended research plan.  This meeting is designed primarily to aid the student, who can expect to reap the benefit of comments and suggested approaches to the problem by faculty members whose specialty may be quite removed from the areas of research.

The final requirement for the awarding of the Doctor of Philosophy degree is the oral defense of the written dissertation.  This is the culmination of the student’s training and demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct research at an advanced and sophisticated level.  This defense is ordinarily a pleasure for the student and the dissertation committee. When feasible, the dissertation defense will be included in the department’s regularly scheduled seminar series. All graduate students are encouraged to attend each dissertation defense.
 

IV.    Assistantships

Most graduate students in the department are supported by an assistantship. The standard assistantship covers all tuition/fees and pays $1,500 per month for 10 months. Teaching assistants are paid bi-weekly (every other Friday). Your award will be explained to you when you are accepted into the program and an assistantship offer is made. Also included in your financial aid, is health insurance.  This is provided by the Dean's office of Dedman College for all TAs/RAs that make over $10,000 a year in support from Dedman College.

Assistantship duties vary depending on the individual's strengths and the department's needs.  Teaching assistantships typically require that the graduate student meets with undergraduates in small lab sessions, holds office hours and grades some papers. Other students grade papers. Research assistants work on research projects with faculty members usually supported on grants. Duties are assigned at the beginning of the semester by the department Chair, usually in a meeting on the first day of classes. While you can't choose your assignment, making your preferences known to the chair certainly doesn't hurt. When you find out your duties for the semester you should talk with the faculty member to whom you are assigned to learn the specifics of your assignment. The department emphasizes that your assistantship duties take you about 10 hours per week; this is 5-10 hours less than most schools.

There is a mandatory one-day training workshop for teaching assistants put on by the university. This workshop comes during the week prior to the start of the fall semester and is a good opportunity to gain some insight into teaching SMU undergraduates. Ask in the department when you first arrive for the specific day and time of this workshop.

V.  Advisors and Committees

 On entering the Department each new student initially is advised by the department’s Graduate Advisor.  The advisor will discuss the student’s goals, interests, and desires, will aid the student in the selection of courses, and will act as a source of information regarding policies of the department and university.  The course schedule is based on the student’s interests and the availability of courses.  The advisor also will act as a student’s representative to the faculty.

An M.S. Degree candidate can choose either 36 hours of coursework and no thesis (the recommended option) or 30 hours of coursework and a thesis.  Either of these options requires the student to have a committee chosen for the basic oral examination.  Under the first option the committee for this examination consists of three faculty members, two of whom must be from the Statistical Science Department (who are chosen at random for each student by the Graduate Advisor).  The student will ask one of the three faculty members  to serve as Chair of the committee.  If the student elects the thesis option the student may request, by mutual consent, any full-time or adjunct members of the Department of Statistical Science to serve on the thesis committee. The student may also request any of these members to serve as the thesis advisor. This committee should be formed at the beginning of the student's second year so that its members may aid in guiding the thesis research. 

Students invited to continue for the Ph.D. degree may change advisors at any time and invite whomever they choose from among the full-time faculty and adjunct faculty of the Department of Statistical Science to serve as such.  It is particularly important that the doctoral candidate choose (by mutual consent) the dissertation director carefully. The choice should reflect the mutual interests of both the student and advisor.  The candidate and advisor then invite other committee members (two more from the Statistical Science Department and one from outside the department) to aid the student in the direction of the research.  The committee, after consultation with all faculty present, must approve both the prospectus and the defense of the dissertation.

Typical Degree Plan for Beginning Graduate Students

FIRST YEAR

 SECOND YEAR  

  THIRD YEAR

  FOURTH YEAR

Revised  1/2007