Statistics & Data
We live in a data-driven world. Increasingly, people in science, industry, business, sports management, and government depend on statistical analysis of data to draw conclusions and make sound decisions.
What is statistics? It’s the science of collecting, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data. For example, medical researchers might collect data about a sample of people receiving a form of treatment, and draw conclusions from the sample about a larger population. Modern statistical science has its origins in the late 17th Century, emerging from work on probability, and it was broadened and made more rigorous during the course of the 19th and 20th Centuries. The 20th Century also saw the introduction of computational statistics, in which computer technology is harnessed to analyze ever larger data sets. Today’s internet connectivity allows us to gather and share data on any imaginable subject. This has greatly widened the scope of inquiry of statistics and made it an indispensable tool in almost all areas.
Our department offers a major in Applied Mathematics as well as minors in Statistics and Data Science. If you are interested in being a professional statistician, you should consider the Applied Mathematics major with a Statistics minor, and prepare for graduate studies (aiming for a masters or a PhD) in statistics. To prepare for a career as a Data Scientist, complete the Applied Math major with a Data Science minor. Actuarial Science is a specialized application of statistics to risk analysis in the insurance industry; for more information on this high-demand career and how to prepare for it, see our page on Actuarial Science. There are a wide variety of careers in science, business, industry, or government which involve applications of statistics to data analysis, risk analysis, or predictive analytics; for more information on those careers and how to prepare for them, see our page on applications to STEM and our page on applications to BIG. Finally, a minor in Statistics or Data Science can add value to majors in business, economics, computer science, any of the physical or social sciences, and education. Discuss your interests and your career plans with your advisor in order to identify the right academic program and coursework for you.