Statistics Department
Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics
Students planning to enter the doctoral program in statistics should obtain information from the departmental office. Plans of study are prepared individually by the graduate student and a faculty advisor to develop the talents and interests of each student.
The focus of the doctoral program is on research. Graduates from this program will be expected to extend the theoretical basis for statistics and to bring statistical thought to scientific research in other fields. With this objective of preparing students to collaborate in interdisciplinary work, advanced knowledge of a substantive field and the collaborative experience itself increase in importance.
Statistics differs from other disciplines in Mathematics and the Sciences in that most beginning graduate students are starting to study statistics seriously for the first time. Ph.D. statisticians often go into jobs that require utilizing their skills immediately. Therefore a graduate student must master technical skills, learn the material central to the field and also develop sufficient understanding of the field to be able to do intelligent research. Thus, while the core and advanced sequence statistics coursework requirements can be met in two years, three years (18 courses plus participatory seminars) may be needed to prepare a student well (especially for students entering the Ph. D. program with a B.S. rather than a M.S.).
The requirement for graduate level coursework in a substantive field gives the graduate student a chance to build a foundation for future collaborative work; it also gives the student a view of the logical reasoning process of another field and of the rationale for determining which scientific questions are most important. The requirement for registration in the Consulting Forum is an opportunity for personal involvement.
A participatory seminar, either the Graduate Student Seminar or the Statistics Research Seminar, is required every semester to help students develop oral and written skills in presentation and to broaden their awareness of current statistical research topics.
Dissertation research is the culminating experience of the doctoral program, the experience all the other requirements are designed to support. A typical dissertation experience begins by assembling the published work in the area of interest, guiding the student to a focus and to initial interesting questions to address. It ends with the student redirecting the effort, perceiving new possibilities and posing cogent research questions and eventually making contributions to the research area and to society.
General Requirements
The following degree requirements are in addition to any and all
of the requirements of the graduate school as stated in the
University's General Bulletin.
A cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 is required to obtain
the Ph. D. degree in Statistics. Satisfactory completion of the
requirement for a substantive field of concentration requires a grade
point average of at least 3.0 in the selected field.
For the Ph.D. degree, the program of study includes coursework in
statistics and related disciplines and coursework in a substantive
field of concentration where statistics can be applied. These courses
must form a coherent program of study to yield a broad understanding
of the discipline of statistics and a deep and detailed knowledge of
more specialized areas of statistics relevant to the substantive field
of concentration. Since this coursework includes a minimum of 18
courses (plus participatory seminars), ordinarily it will require
three years; it is possible for an especially well-prepared student
who devotes full-time to the program to advance more rapidly to
dissertation research and to fulfill all the requirements for a
Ph.D. degree in four years.
Every doctoral student must demonstrate the ability to perform
independent research, completing a minimum of 18 hours of STAT 701,
Dissertation Research; the student also must be able to articulate
research contributions in both written and oral presentation.
University regulations permit a maximum of five consecutive calendar
years from the semester of the first credited STAT 701 registration to
complete all the requirements for the doctorate.
Individual Program of Study
Each new student meets with an assigned faculty advisor upon entering
the doctoral program. The student and the faculty advisor together
outline an initial Program of Study which meets the student's
educational objectives and fulfills the departmental requirements.
This program of study is reviewed each semester and revised as
appropriate until a final Program of Study is submitted for approval,
normally before the end of the semester of the Preliminary
Examination, and always prior to advancement to candidacy. Three
departmental requirements must be met: i) statistics coursework
requirement, ii) substantive field concentration, iii) dissertation
requirement.
Students must
maintain a minimum quality point average in all statistics course (excepting
those graded S or U) of 3.00.
Credit for Previous Coursework
A student may petition to
receive departmental credit toward the Ph.D. for previous studies up
to a maximum of six (6) statistics courses. Each approved course will
reduce the minimum 18 course requirement accordingly. Courses taken
prior to entry into the CWRU program can only be approved
prior to advancement to candidacy. The petition
for a course taken after entry into the CWRU program must be
submitted during the first semester of registration at CWRU after
taking the course.
A student may also petition to receive
departmental credit for previous studies in a substantive field, and
the petition will be reviewed in consultation with a faculty member
from the substantive field. However, in no case will the combined
reduction in the minimum 18 course requirement exceed six (6)
courses.
Advancement to Candidacy
The student is advanced to
candidacy in the Ph.D. program upon successful completion of the
Comprehensive Examination, and submission and approval by the Statistics
Faculty of a program of study. The requirement for a substantive
field of concentration may be completed following advancement to
candidacy.
With advancement to candidacy, the student together
with the Dissertation Director assemble a Dissertation Advisory
Committee consisting of the Dissertation Director, two other
Statistics faculty members and a faculty member from another
department at CWRU, most often from the substantive field on which
the student chooses to concentrate.
Substantive Field Concentration
The substantive field for concentration may
be selected according to the interests of the individual student
from the many disciplines suited to the application of statistics;
an interdisciplinary focus may be approved if it is clearly
focused. The requirement for concentrated study in a substantive
field consists of a minimum of 9 credits at the 400 level or above
in courses chosen to give a coherent view of the field or the
relevant area within it. Ordinarily a faculty member from the
substantive field will act as advisor in planning this coursework
and will also be a member of the student's Dissertation Advisory
Committee. The substantive field coursework must be completed with
at least a 3.0 average.
Ph.D. Dissertation
A doctoral dissertation must represent a significant
research contribution to statistical theory and methodology; and it
must be the individual work of a student under the direct
supervision of a Statistics faculty member. The quality of the work
should merit publication in a respected journal in statistics or
other mathematical science. Normally such a serious contribution to
the existing knowledge in statistics requires two years; but the
time may be longer or shorter depending on the student and on the
research topic.
In the semester following advancement to
candidacy, the student is permitted to register for up to nine (9)
credit hours of STAT 701 each semester. When a cumulative total of
18 credit hours of STAT 701 has been earned, the student may register
for a minimum of one (1) credit hour of STAT 701; however, once
registration in STAT 701 begins, the student must continue
registration every regular semester until the dissertation is
completed unless a leave of absence is granted
formally.
Doctoral students have five consecutive
calendar years from the semester of first registration in
STAT 701 to complete all requirements for the Ph.D. A student who
fails to complete all requirements within five years may petition
for an extension of a maximum of one academic year
upon recommendation of the dissertation advisor and
approvals of the Chairperson of Statistics and the Dean of Graduate
Studies. During this extension, the minimum acceptable registration
is three (3) credit hours of STAT 701 each semester.
When
the student and the Dissertation Director decide upon a focus of
research, three faculty members are added to form the Dissertation
Advisory Committee to act as a research resource throughout the
development of the dissertation. One member of this committee must
come from outside the Statistics Department; this member is usually
from the student's chosen substantive field of concentration. This
committee also holds the ongoing responsibility to assess the
student's work and to provide both constructive criticism and helpful
suggestions to assure that the research is of high quality and has
intrinsic value and that the results are communicated clearly and
effectively in oral presentation and, finally, in written form in
the dissertation.
The doctoral student is expected to
arrange periodic meetings with each member of the Dissertation
Advisory Committee, and to arrange a meeting of the full committee
at least once a year to assess the student's
progress.
Final Oral Examination
Each
doctoral candidate is required to pass a final oral examination in
defense of the dissertation. The Examining Committee is responsible
for certifying that the quality and suitability of the material
presented in the dissertation meet acceptable scholarly standards.
All faculty members are encouraged to attend and to participate in
the final oral examination; students are also invited to attend.
Usually the Dissertation Advisory Committee members also act as the
Examining Committee at the Final Oral Examination when the student
formally presents the dissertation for approval. Additional work
may be required based on the result of the examination.
The
doctoral candidate must arrange the date for the final oral
examination with the examining committee at least four weeks prior
to the proposed date, and this date must be approved by the
Chairperson of Statistics. At the same time (or earlier), the
candidate must submit the completed Program of Study so that it can
be verified that all coursework and quality-point average
requirements have been met. Then with the Statistics Chairperson's
approval the candidate must submit the schedule to the Office of
Graduate Studies no later than three (3) weeks prior to the date of
the examination. Members of the examining Committee must have
copies of the dissertation in hand at least two (2) weeks before the
examination and a copy must be made available for general inspection
at the Statistics Department at the same time. The student must
obtain all appropriate dissertation approval forms from the Office
of Graduate Studies. An unbound copy of the dissertation is to be
given to the Statistics Administrator for the
Department.
Part-Time Study
Students may pursue a
doctoral degree part-time while continuing their local employment
with very careful planning of their individual programs. It is
advisable to plan for at least one (1) year of full-time study to
complete coursework requirements within a reasonable period of time.
In addition to credit for previous coursework, students may be
eligible for a waiver of the Consulting Forum (6 credits) requirement
depending upon their experience in collaborative statistics in the
place of work. Also, the student may petition for a waiver of the
participatory seminar requirement during the semesters of part-time
study. The statute of limitations, calculated from first
registration in STAT 701, applies to part-time as well as full-time
students.
PROTOTYPE PROGRAMS - STATISTICS COURSEWORK
Prototype planned course of study for students entering AY 2000 or before
Prototype planned course of study for students entering AY 2001 or later
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