USC: Academic Bulletins

Overview

The department offers a program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Statistics. The program provides a strong basis in both applied and theoretical statistics and prepares a student for the pursuit of graduate study in statistics or for employment by industry or government. In addition, the department serves many of the disciplines within the University through course offerings which provide basic statistical skills necessary to the pursuit of studies in these disciplines.

General Statistics Courses

STAT 110 is a first course in statistics at the freshman level which is devoted to the basic concepts of statistical thinking, including techniques of collecting, organizing, and presenting statistical data.

STAT 201 emphasizes the concepts and methods of statistical inference. Any of STAT 110, MATH 111, or MATH 115 provide good preparation for STAT 201.

STAT 509 or STAT 515 provide thorough introductions to statistical methods, followed by advanced methods in STAT 506, 518, 519, 520, 525, 530. STAT 511, 512, 513 provide an introduction to the theory of probability and mathematical statistics.

Degree Requirements

(128 hours)

The Bachelor of Science in Statistics degree program is designed to give the student a balance of skills in statistical theory and applied statistical data analysis. The program is broad, yet rigorous enough to prepare a student to work in business, industry, or government as a statistician, or to pursue graduate work in statistics.

1. General Education Requirements (44-53 hours)

The following courses may fulfill some of the general education or cognate requirements and must be passed with a C or higher (in at most two attempts) for a B.S. degree in statistics: MATH 141, 142, 241, 526 (or 544), 550; CSCE 145 or 206; ENGL 462 or 463. For an outline of other general education requirements, see "College of Science and Mathematics."

2. Major Requirements

General Major (28 hours)
Theory and Models: STAT 511, 512, and 513
Methods and Computation: One of STAT 509* or 515* and both of 516 and 517
Advanced Applications: STAT 590 and three STAT electives numbered 500* or above

Major with Emphasis in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics (58-59 hours)¹
Theory and Models: STAT 511, 512, and 513
Methods and Computation: One of STAT 509* or 515* and both of 516 and 517
Advanced Applications: STAT 510, 520, 590, and one STAT elective numbered 500* or above
Cognate in Mathematics: MATH 241, 526 or 544, 550, plus 3 credit hours chosen from MATH 554 or 570
Minor in Risk Management and Insurance: ACCT 222, ECON 224, FINA 363 {=ECON 363}, 3 credit hours chosen from FINA 341 or FINA 444, separate from 3 credit hours chosen from FINA 342, 443, 444, or 445, plus 3 additional credit hours chosen from FINA 342, 346, 443, 444, 445, MGSC 392, 393, 520 {=STAT 520}*, 594, ECON 420, 594, or BADM 499

¹Pending S.C. Commission on Higher Education Approval

Intensive Major (37 hours)
Same as the general major plus MATH 554 and two additional electives selected from STAT courses numbered 500* and above, MATH 527, MATH 555, MATH 570, MATH 574, or MATH 575

*Major credit will be given for only one of STAT 509 or 515; For an emphasis in actuarial mathematics and statistics, STAT 520 {=MGSC 520} must be taken as part of the STAT major and may not be used for the minor in risk management and insurance.

3. Cognate or Minor (12-18 hours), see "College of Science and Mathematics"

4. Electives (20-44 hours), see "College of Science and Mathematics"

Retention: To be retained in the program, a student must obtain a grade of C or higher in at most two attempts in all mathematics, computer science, and statistics courses required for graduation.

Sample Program (Minor in Mathematics)

Freshman Fall, Spring
MATH 141, 142 (4) (4) hours
CSCE 145, STAT 201 (4) (3) hours
ENGL 101, 102 (Grp. I) (3) (3) hours
Foreign Language 121, 122 (Grp. I) (4) (3) hours
ARTH 105 (Grp. III) (-) (3) hours
Total (15) (16) hours

Sophomore
MATH 241, 526 (3) (4) hours
STAT 515, 516 (3) (3) hours
MUSC 110 (Grp. III), GEOG 141 (Grp. IV) (3) (3) hours
Laboratory Science (Grp. V) (4) (4) hours
HIST 101, 102 (Grp. I) (3) (3) hours
Total (16) (17) hours

Junior
STAT 511, 512 (3) (3) hours
STAT 518 (3) (-) hours
MATH 550, 520 (3) (3) hours
PSYC 101 (Grp. IV), ENGL 462 (3) (3) hours
Electives (5) (6) hours
Total (17) (15) hours

Senior
STAT 517, 519 (3) (3) hours
MATH 554, 570 (3) (3) hours
STAT 513, 520 (3) (3) hours
STAT 590 (1), (-) hour
Electives (6) (7) hours
Total (16) (16) hours

Integrated B.S./M.S. in Statistics

The integrated B.S./M.S. education plan is designed to permit outstanding statistics students to pursue both a B.S. degree and an M.S. degree in statistics in five years. During or after the semester in which the student completes 90 credit hours toward the B.S. degree in statistics, the student may apply to the department to participate in the integrated plan. The application will require the approval of the undergraduate advisor, the graduate director in statistics, and the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics. Provisional admission to and continuation in the integrated plan will require at least a 3.40 overall GPA and at least a 3.40 GPA in both undergraduate statistics and mathematics courses. Students opting for the plan should complete their B.S. requirements by the end of their eighth semester of study. Students admitted provisionally in the plan must take the general Graduate Record Examination before the end of their seventh semester. Continuation in the integrated plan after the eighth semester requires that the student be admitted into the graduate program in statistics through The Graduate School. Upon admission to the graduate program, the student may be eligible for financial assistance from the department. In the fifth year during the first or second summer of graduate study, the student may be eligible for a graduate teaching or research assistantship.

Cognate or Minor for Nonmajors

Students with majors in other departments may supplement their major program of study by selecting a cognate or minor in the statistical sciences.

Cognate in Statistics. All courses in statistics numbered 500 and above may be used for cognate credit.

Minor in Statistics. The minor consists of 18 hours of 500-level statistics courses. Minor credit will be given for at most one of 509, 515.

Minor in Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics. The minor consists of the prerequisite courses MATH 141, 142, 241, plus 18 hours of mathematics and statistics courses chosen as follows: MATH 511 {=STAT 511}, STAT 512, 513; one of STAT 510, 520; one of MATH 526, 544; and one of MATH 570, 574.

Course Descriptions (STAT)

110 -- Introduction to Descriptive Statistics. (3) Computational and graphical techniques for organizing and presenting statistical data. Sample mean and sample variance, cross tabulation of categorical data, correlation and simple linear regression, quality control charts, statistical software.
201 -- Elementary Statistics. (3) (Prereq: MATH 111 or 115 or STAT 110, or consent of department) An introductory course in the fundamentals of modern statistical methods. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, random sampling, tests of hypothesis, estimation, simple linear regression, and correlation.
399 -- Independent Study. (3-6) Contract approved by instructor, advisor, and department chair is required for undergraduate students.
506 -- Introduction to Experimental Design. (3) (Prereq: MATH 122 or MATH 142 or STAT 201) Techniques of experimentation based on statistical principles with application to quality improvement and other fields. Full and fractional factorial designs for factors at two levels; dispersion effects; related topics.
509 -- Statistics for Engineers. (3) (Prereq: MATH 142 or equivalent) Basic probability and statistics with applications and examples in engineering. Elementary probability, random variables and their distribution, random processes, statistical inference, curve fitting, prediction, correlation and application to quality assurance, reliability, and life testing.
510 -- Introduction to Applied Probability. (3) (Prereq: MATH 142 with a grade of C or higher) Probability spaces and Markov chains, random variables and expectations, tree measures and transition diagrams, balance equations and limiting distributions, queueing models and Little's Formula, simulation.
511 -- Probability. {=MATH 511} (3) (Prereq: MATH 241 with a grade of C or higher) Probability and independence; discrete and continuous random variables; joint, marginal, and conditional densities; moment generating functions; laws of large numbers; binomial, Poisson, gamma, univariate and bivariate normal distributions.
512 -- Mathematical Statistics. (3) (Prereq: STAT 511 or MATH 511 with a grade of C or higher) Sampling theory, discrete and continuous transformations, t and F distributions, independence of sample mean and S²; limiting distributions, central limit theorem; quality of estimators, testing statistical hypotheses, confidence intervals, Bayesian estimates.
513 -- Theory of Statistical Inference. (3) (Prereq: STAT 512 with a grade of C or higher) Hypothesis testing, Neyman-Pearson Theorem, best tests, likelihood ratio tests; sufficient statistics, Rao-Blackwell theorem, completeness; efficiency, sequential probability ratio test, multiple comparisons.
515 -- Statistical Methods I. (3) (Prereq: a grade of C or higher in MATH 111 or equivalent) Applications and principles of descriptive statistics, elementary probability, sampling distributions, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Inference for means, variances, proportions, simple linear regression, and contingency tables. Statistical packages such as SAS.
516 -- Statistical Methods II. (3) (Prereq: a grade of C or higher in STAT 515 or STAT 509 or equivalent) Applications and principles of linear models. Simple and multiple linear regression, analysis of variance for basic designs, multiple comparisons, random effects, and analysis of covariance. Statistical packages such as SAS.
517 -- Computing in Statistics. (3) (Prereq: STAT 509 or STAT 515 with a grade of C or higher; knowledge of a programming language) Applications of the computer to statistics. Random number generation, efficient design of simulation studies, and advanced statistical computing procedures.
518 -- Nonparametric Statistical Methods. (3) (Prereq: A grade of C or higher in STAT 515 or equivalent) Application of nonparametric statistical methods rather than mathematical development. Levels of measurement, comparisons of two independent populations, comparisons of two dependent populations, test of fit, nonparametric analysis of variance, and correlation.
519 -- Sampling. (3) (Prereq: STAT 515 or equivalent) Techniques of statistical sampling in finite populations with applications in the analysis of sample survey data. Topics include simple random sampling for means and proportions, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, ratio estimates, and two-stage sampling.
520 -- Forecasting and Time Series. {=MGSC 520} (3) (Prereq: STAT 516 or MGSC 391) Time series analysis and forecasting using the multiple regression and Box-Jenkins approaches.
525 -- Statistical Quality Control. {=MGSC 525} (3) (Prereq: STAT 509 or STAT 515 or MGSC 391) Statistical procedures for process control including CUSUM and Shewhart Control Charts, and lot-acceptance sampling.
530 -- Exploring Multivariate Data. (3) (Prereq: STAT 515 or PSYC 228 or MGSC 391 or equivalent) Introduction to fundamental ideas in multivariate statistics using case studies. Descriptive, exploratory, and graphical techniques; introduction to cluster analysis, principal components, factor analysis, discriminant analysis. Hotelling's T² and other methods.
582 -- Bayesian Networks and Decision Graphs. {=CSCE 582} (3) (Prereq: CSCE 350 and STAT 509) Normative approaches to uncertainty in artificial intelligence. Probabilistic and causal modeling with Bayesian networks and influence diagrams. Applications in decision analysis and support. Algorithms for probability update in graphical models.
590 -- Statistics Capstone. (1) (Prereq: STAT 512 and either STAT 509 or STAT 515) Case studies combining applied statistics, mathematical statistics, mathematics, computing, and communications to simulate work experience of a practicing statistician.
599 -- Topics in Statistics. (1-3) Course content varies and will be announced in the schedule of courses by suffix and title.