Statistics

College: Arts and Sciences
Degree: BS
Specialized Admission: No

Description of Major

*Please Note: Face-to-face/in-person instruction of this program is available ONLY at the main campus in Tallahassee, FL. This program is NOT available via Online/Distance Learning.*

For undergraduates, the department offers programs of study in statistics and probability. These are disciplines treating situations which involve uncertainty, such as deciding whether a new drug is better than an old one, analyzing errors of measurement in scientific experiments, determining public attitudes in an opinion poll, and designing an express-way to minimize traffic congestion. Random phenomena such as these are handled through the use of probability models, which serve as guides in decision making, interpretation of data, and allocation of resources.

Some courses in the curriculum emphasize the construction of probability models, whereas others focus upon the application of these models, the analysis of data, and the design of experiments. In the study of statistics, students use and enrich their mathematical expertise and orient their study of the mathematical sciences toward use in society. Flexible, individually planned programs of study for majors or minors are available.

Prospective transfer students should contact as-admissions@fsu.edu (Arts & Sciences Admissions) with specific questions about admission and mapping requirements.

Prerequisite Coursework

State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites

The state of Florida has identified common program prerequisites for this University degree program. Specific prerequisites are required for admission into the upper-division program and must be completed by the student at either a community college or a state university prior to being admitted to this program. Students may be admitted into the University without completing the prerequisites but may not be admitted into the program.

At the time this document was published, some common program prerequisites were being reviewed by the state of Florida and may have been revised. Please visit https://dlss.flvc.org/admin-tools/common-prerequisites-manuals for a current list of state-approved prerequisites.

The following lists the common program prerequisites or their substitutions, necessary for admission into this upper-division degree program:

1. COP XXXX: one scientific programming course for three credit hours designed for computer science majors
2. MAC X311
3. MAC X312
4. MAC X313
5. BSC XXXX/XXXXL or CHM XXXX/XXXXL or PHY XXXX/XXXXL or GLY XXXX/XXXXL: two laboratory-based science courses for four to eight credit hours designed for science majors
6. STA 2XXX

Note: A final grade of "C minus" or better in all coursework is required for admission.

Requirements

Requirements for graduation in the College of Arts and Sciences include:
The College of Arts and Science requires proficiency in a foreign language through the intermediate (2220 or equivalent) level or sign language through the advanced (2614 or equivalent) level.

Requirements for Progression to the Upper-Division Major
To be admitted students must complete at least 52 hours of credit with an adjusted GPA of 2.00 on FSU coursework, and at least half the required hours in General Education requirements, including freshman English composition and mathematics, or an A. A. degree.

Major Program of Studies at FSU: (at least 33 hours)
Mathematics courses should be carefully coordinated with the Statistics requirements. Specifically, students should complete MAC 2311 (Calculus with Analytic Geometry I) prior to the junior year. Students are encouraged to try to satisfy MAC 1105, 1114, and 1140 by examination (CLEP, ACT, SAT, etc.).

A minimum of nine (9) hours of statistics courses counted toward the major must be taken in the Department of Statistics at FSU. Other statistics courses must be approved by the department. Grades below C minus in major and collateral coursework (including statistics, mathematics, and computer science) are not counted toward the major.

Statistics courses: (at least 21 hours numbered 3000 or higher; including the following):
STA 3024 (3) SAS for Data and Statistical Analysis
STA 4321 (3) Mathematical Statistics I or STA 4442 (3) Introductory Probability
Fifteen (15) additional hours of statistics courses at the 3000 level or above, excluding the above core courses.

Collateral Coursework: (at least 12 hours)
MAC 2311 (4) Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
MAC 2312 (4) Calculus with Analytic Geometry II
MAS 3105 (4) Applied Linear Algebra I

Students anticipating graduate study in statistics are encouraged to take additional (optional) mathematics and statistics courses such as:
MGF 3301 (3) Introduction to Advanced Mathematics
STA 4322 (3) Mathematical Statistics II

Minor Coursework:
12 hours from an approved minor area, 15 hours from an approved interdepartmental minor or requirements as stated by the minor area. Statistics majors may use MAC 2311 plus the required collateral mathematics courses to satisfy a minor in mathematics.

Digital Literacy: (3 hours)
STA 3024 (3) SAS for Data and Statistical Analysis meets this requirement for the major.

Oral Communication Competency: Students must demonstrate the ability to orally transmit ideas and information clearly. This requirement may be met through with a University approved college-level course.

Minimum Program Requirements - Summary
Min. Hrs. Required 120
General Education 36*
Prerequisite Coursework 0 beyond other requirements
Major Coursework 33
Minor Coursework 0*
Digital Literacy 0 beyond major requirements
Oral Competency 0-3
Foreign Language 0-12 (depending on placement)
Electives to bring total hours to 120

*NOTE: The student may use MAC 2311 plus the required mathematics collateral courses in the major to complete the a minor in mathematics. However, students are strongly encouraged to explore an additional minor as the schedule should afford the time to do so. . MAC 1105, 1114, and 1140 may be used to satisfy the mathematics requirement of General Education and are prerequisite to required calculus courses.

Mapping

Mapping is FSU’s academic advising and monitoring system. Academic progress is monitored each Fall and Spring semester to ensure that students are on course to earn their degree in a timely fashion. Transfer students must meet mapping guidelines to be accepted into their majors. You may view the map for this major at www.academic-guide.fsu.edu/.

Remarks

1. A minimum of 45 hours at the 3000 level or above, 30 of which must be taken at this University.
2. Half of the major course semester hours must be completed in residence at this University.
3. The final 30 hours must be completed in residence at this University.
4. Students who plan to earn the B. A. degree must complete both a foreign language through the intermediate (2200 or equivalent) level and nine additional hours in the fields of history and humanities.

Employment Information

Salary Information: For more information go to: National Association of Colleges and Employers (www.naceweb.org) or the Occupational Outlook Handbook (www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm) provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Representative Job Titles Related to this Major: Baccalaureate level- Statistician, SAS Programmer, Data/Quantitative/Statistical Analyst, Actuary, Quality Control Specialist, Systems Analyst, Cost Estimator. With Further Study- Statistical Consultant, Data Analytics Specialist, Data Miner/Specialist, Senior Statistical Programmer, Biostatistician, Bioinformatic Scientist, Epidemiologist, Research Statistician, Survey Statistician, Econometrician, Risk Analyst, Reliability Engineer, Quality Engineer, Business Intelligence Analyst, Marketing Analyst, Predictive Modeler.

Representative Employers: Insurance Companies, Banks, Financial Institutions, Communications Companies, Research Foundations, Governmental Agencies, Medical Research Centers, Industrial Firms, Pharmaceutical & Chemical Companies, Marketing Research Firms.