STAT FAQ

The UGA Department of Statistics is an academic department within the University of Georgia dedicated to the study of statistics and data science. It evolved from offering a few courses in various programs in the 1940s to becoming an interdisciplinary Institute of Statistics in the 1950s, and eventually, in 1964, it formalized into a Department of Statistics. From 1964 to 2010, it has awarded 152 Ph.D. degrees, 544 master's degrees, and 493 bachelor's degrees.

Statistics is the science of collecting, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, presenting, and making inferences from data. It involves techniques for summarizing and making sense of data to draw meaningful conclusions. Statistics is widely used in fields like economics, psychology, social sciences, and various scientific research areas. It is essential for quality control, clinical trials, and survey analysis. It differs from Data Science in that Data science is an interdisciplinary field that combines various techniques and tools from computer science, statistics, and domain expertise to extract insights and knowledge from data. Both involve data collection, cleaning, analysis, and the development of data-driven models.

The Department of Statistics offers both a major and a minor in Statistics for undergraduate students, as well as master’s and PhD degree programs for graduates. Joint with Computer Science, we also offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees in data science. Click on this link for more info.

Statistics students at UGA work hard to develop a powerful toolkit for mastering statistical analysis, mathematical reasoning, data management, and more, making them indispensable problem solvers in today's data-driven world. Here are some common career paths and opportunities available for statistics majors:
Data Analyst: Data analysts collect, clean, and analyze data to help organizations make informed decisions. They work with various data sources and statistical techniques to extract valuable insights.

Epidemiologist: Epidemiologists investigate patterns and causes of diseases within populations. They use statistical tools to analyze health data and inform public health policies.

Statistical Consultant: Statistical consultants provide expertise to businesses and researchers, helping them design experiments, analyze data, and interpret results. They often work across different industries, including healthcare, finance, and marketing.

Biostatistician: Biostatisticians collaborate with researchers in the field of biology and healthcare. They design experiments, analyze clinical trial data, and contribute to medical research and drug development.

Market Research Analyst: Market research analysts study market trends and consumer behavior using statistical methods. They help companies understand their target audience and make informed marketing and product development decisions.
 

Statisticians and data scientists do research in more areas than you might think! Our department provides a good snapshot of the breadth of our field. In addition to developing basic theories and methods that have broad potential applications, our faculty work, often collaboratively with researchers in other disciplines, on problems ranging from modeling infectious diseases, analyzing climate data, designing, analyzing computer experiments, and much more!

Involvement in novel research is fundamental to the training and development of PhD students, but master’s students and even undergraduates have great opportunities to do research as well. The thesis option in the MS degree offers Master’s students the opportunity to engage in statistics research under the supervision of a faculty advisor.

To contact a faculty member or advisor in the UGA Department of Statistics, we recommend visiting the "Faculty/Staff" page on the UGA Statistics website. You can find their contact information, including email addresses, there. Sending an email is usually the preferred method of initial contact.

In addition to reaching out to faculty members and advisors directly, individuals can also contact the department's front desk at 706-542-5680 or email the department at stat@uga.edu for general inquiries and assistance.
 

The University of Georgia offers various scholarships and financial aid options for students pursuing degrees in both statistics and related fields. Find more information here. 

The UGA Statistical Consulting Center (or SCC) offers statistical assistance to UGA students, staff, and faculty engaged in research. This ranges from short-term advice about statistical software, study design, and basic methods, to long-term collaboration using sophisticated statistical methodology. The SCC also serves external clients on a wide variety of projects that aren't necessarily research-related. SCC consultants are graduate students in the Department of Statistics, and working for the SCC is great training and a lot of fun. For more information, check the SCC pages on our website

Yes, the Statistics Department offers Online courses. Online classes at the University of Georgia are a great way to fulfill your requirements without coming to Athens. UGA and the STAT department offer a variety of courses online that will fulfill core, major, and elective requirements. Find more info for online courses here