Minimum Course Requirements
Required Courses
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| STA 6207 | Regression Analysis | 3 |
| STA 6326 | Introduction to Theoretical Statistics I | 3 |
| STA 6327 | Introduction to Theoretical Statistics II | 3 |
| STA 6275 | Statistical Computing I | 3 |
| STA 6276 | Statistical Computing II | 3 |
| STA 6246 | Theory of Linear Models | 3 |
Master’s students are required to complete at least six additional courses, at least four of which must be masters electives offered in the statistics graduate program. Courses taken outside of the department must be approved by the Graduate Program Committee.
A minimum of 36 credit hours are required for the masters degree. Up to eight semester hours of graduate level courses, earned with a grade of B or better, may be transferred from an institution approved for this purpose by the Graduate School.
There is no thesis requirement for the Master of Statistics degree.
Supervisory Committee
Students will be assigned an MS advisor during their first year of study. If no minor is elected, then the MS advisor will be formally registered with the Graduate School as the only required member of the student’s committee. When a minor is designated, the committee must include an additional member from the minor department. The committee is responsible for conducting the final oral examination (see below), which is normally taken during the second half of the student’s last semester of registration. At least two faculty members must be present at the final oral examination. It is the students’ responsibility to make sure that his/her committee is properly registered with the Graduate School.
Master of Science in Statistics
Students may choose to write a thesis as part of their masters degree program. A student may count up to six thesis credits (STA 6971 Masters Research) towards a masters degree. These credits can be used in place of two elective courses. Students must give copies of their theses to each member of their supervisory committee at least 10 days prior to their oral exam. The student must be registered for STA 6971 during the final semester of study.
Nontraditional Doctoral/Master’s Degree Program
The Nontraditional Doctoral/Master’s degree form will need to be completed in order to obtain approval for a program of study for a doctoral student who wants to simultaneously complete his/her doctoral degree and a master’s degree in a major outside of his/her doctoral department. If the doctoral student has not yet been admitted to the master’s degree program, signing and submitting this form constitutes official admission to that department. Approval of a program of study for a nontraditional doctoral/master’s degree program does not constitute certification of those degrees for graduation.
All courses listed on this form will be counted towards the student’s master’s degree. Up to nine credits from the doctoral degree program may be counted toward the master’s degree program. It is the student’s responsibility to review this program of study one semester before his/her graduating term. He/she must then inform the UF Graduate School and both departments (doctoral and master’s) of any discrepancies between this program of study and course work actually taken. If there are discrepancies, he/she must submit an accurate, updated program of study to the UF Graduate School before the midpoint deadline (published in the graduate catalog) for the term in which he/she is applying for graduation.
Please contact Christine Miron or Dept. of Statistics to inquire about the forms needed for this program. The Nontraditional Doctoral/Master’s degree form should be completed in the first semester that you plan to register for the core courses for the Master of Statistics but no later than immediately after the First Year Exam has been completed.
First Year Evaluation
After two semesters in the program, the Graduate Program
Committee will review the student’s performance in the first year
courses and will issue the student one of three “First Year
Evaluations.”
PhD-level Pass: The student has demonstrated fundamental
understanding of the MS level material and the Graduate Program
Committee believes he/she will be successful in the PhD program.
The student is encouraged to go on for a PhD.
MS-level Pass: The student has performed adequately in his/her
first year and is encouraged to finish the MS program. The
Graduate Program Committee does not view the student as a
potential PhD candidate and the student will not be admitted into
the PhD program. A student desiring admission into the PhD
program, but only achieving an MS-level Pass may be allowed to
retake one or more of the first year courses, after which the
Graduate Program Committee will reevaluate the student.
Fail: The student shows a definite lack of knowledge in basic
statistics and will not be allowed to continue in the program.
Final Exam
Students are required to take an oral exam in the semester they plan to graduate. See the Graduate Catalog for deadlines. The oral exam will consist of a presentation by the student on a statistical topic not covered in depth in their regular coursework. The student should consult with his/her advisor about the choice of a topic, and present a written report on the topic to their Master’s Supervisory Committee at least one week prior to their exam date. A typical report should be about 8-10 pages, and is not to exceed 12 pages. During and following the presentation, the student’s committee may ask questions related to the topic of the presentation. It is the student’s responsibility to set up a date and time for this examination.
Residence
All work applicable toward the master’s degree must be completed during the seven years immediately preceding the date on which the degree is to be awarded. Students must be registered for at least 3 credit hours in the semester in which they plan to take the final oral examination. No more than six semester credit hours may be taken elsewhere.