The M.S. in Statistics is administered by the Department of Mathematics
and Statistics located in the Chapman Building on the University of
Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) campus. UAF is reputed for its strength in
the
natural
sciences, especially in those areas touching on the arctic environment.
Many
institutes and departments use statistical methodology in
their
research, among them the Institute of Arctic Biology, the Institute of
Marine
Sciences, the Geophysical Institute, the Department of Biology and
Wildlife and
the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. The MS in Statistics
program builds upon UAF’s strength in the natural sciences
by
introducing a strong quantitative alternative to existing programs.
Graduates
of this program could be labeled quantitative biologists,
biometricians,
quantitative geologists, geostatisticians, or mathematical
statisticians
depending upon their specific coursework. In addition, this
program
prepares individuals for Ph.D. level work in statistics or in their
area of
application. Students pursuing a Ph.D. in another field can
pursue the M.S. program in statistics simultaneously.
The
program is intended to take two academic years to complete for
individuals with the appropriate prerequisite courses and does not
interfere with summer field work in the area
of
specialization.
Graduates of the program will be qualified to do the following:
The program is built around three core courses (Statistical Theory I, II and III labeled STAT 651, 652, and 653) and a collection of elective courses that enroll students from a variety of disciplines. The core courses are designed to blend the two semesters of mathematical statistics typical of an M.S. program in statistics with real applications. Such a blending requires a third semester but provides a substantial improvement in the graduate's skills, see course descriptions below.
The Department of Mathematical Sciences offers several teaching assistant positions, consisting of a stipend (scroll down on this link to see stipend amounts) and tuition waiver. The department also works with other units on campus to arrange research assistantships (RA); we typically have several students on RAs. Some students already enrolled in other programs are externally supported.
The program is typically completed with a project. Two
presentations to faculty and fellow students are associated with the
project; first, a proposal presentation laying out the plan
of work; second, a project
completion presentation. If a thesis is written rather than a
project, it must follow the required UAF
thesis format requirements (see UAF graduate school).
The project must be summarized in the
required format for a specific journal (e.g., The Journal of
Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics, The Journal of
Wildlife Managment, or Canadian Journal of Fisheries) and the final
project must be made available in a pdf format for library archives.
All students in the program must pass the following examinations:
To be admitted to the program, an applicant must complete the general UAF procedures for admission into the graduate program and submit the following:
Shortly after starting your program you should download and read UAF's
Graduate School Manual (scroll down to download manual).
During your first semester you should meet all the statistics faculty
and get to know their research interests, then form a graduate advisory
committee consisting of at least three statistics faculty members and
identify one of the
statistics
faculty members to chair the committee as your Advisor. You
may select one advisory committee member from another UAF department or
from a
different institution. Complete and submit UAF's
Graduate Advisory Committee form (scroll down to download the
form). Copies
should be kept by the department administrative assistant in your file,
by your advisor and by you. You may change advisors later in your
program if your project work is related to someone other than your
original advisor.
The student must satisfy the general university requirements, in
particular,
complete a minimum of 30 semester credits of which at least 24 credits
must be
at the 600 level (including those earned for thesis or research
projects which
are limited to a maximum of 12 credits).
The program requires the following specific requirements:
I. Complete the M.S. Core Statistics Courses: |
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|
STAT651 |
Statistical Theory I |
3 credits |
|
STAT 652 |
Statistical Theory II |
4 credits |
|
STAT 653 |
Statistical Theory III |
3 credits |
|
STAT 654 |
Consulting Seminar |
1 credit |
|
STAT 698 |
Research/Project |
6 credits |
|
|
17 credits
subtotal |
|
II. Complete at least 6 Credits of Statistics Courses from the following list: |
||
|
STAT461 |
Applied Multivariate Statistics |
3 credits |
|
STAT 602 |
Experimental Design |
3 credits |
|
STAT 631 |
Categorical Data Analysis |
3 credits |
|
STAT 661 |
Sampling Theory |
3 credits |
|
STAT 605 |
Spatial Statistics |
3 credits |
|
STAT 611 |
Time Series |
3 credits |
|
|
6 credits subtotal |
|
Complete at least 6 Credits of approved courses from an application area of specialization or courses with substantial statistical and/or mathematical content.
III. The following are examples of courses for specific areas of concentration: |
||
|
Wildlife* |
WLF 625 and WLF 695; STAT 402 recommended |
|
|
Fisheries* |
FISH 601 and FISH 602; STAT 402 recommended |
|
|
|
OR |
|
|
|
FISH 621 and FISH 622; STAT 402 recommended |
|
|
Mathematical Statistics |
MATH 641 and MATH 660; many other possibilities |
|
|
Geology |
GEOS 430 and GE/MIN 635 |
|
|
Econometrics |
ECON 626 and ECON 636 |
|
As UAF has strong graduate programs in Fisheries, Marine Science, Wildlife, Biology, Geophysics, among others, there are many available graduate-level applications courses. Please check out the links at the bottom of this document for more information. * - Courses useful for State of Alaska Biometrician qualification.
IV) Complete approved elective courses, 8 credit subtotal
30 credits TOTAL
· Statistics Graduate Course Descriptions
· Statistics Undergraduate Course Descriptions
·
Current
Semester Course
Offerings
NOTES: STAT480 "Topics in Statistics" may be retaken for
credit as long as the topic varies.
Past topics have included:
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) currently has more than 30 full-time biometricians. Historically, ADF&G has had difficulty recruiting biometricians and commonly recruits outside Alaska because of a lack of adequately trained individuals within the state. ADF&G commonly has more than one open position each year. The Commissioner of ADF&G wrote to UAF in 1995 suggesting that the university offer additional biometrics coursework and potentially a degree program in this area.
The minimum qualifications for biometrician positions include a masters degree in statistics, biometrics, or in one of the biological sciences with 18 semester hours in graduate- level biometrics or statistics courses. The statistics MS program will well qualify graduates for state biometrician positions. Our program was developed in close consultation with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Many of our graduates currently work in ADF&G Biometrician positions.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
Statistics Faculty
Dana
Thomas,
Ph.D. Professor and Department Chair. At UAF since 1981.
Chair of the Dept. of
Mathematical Sciences. Oregon State
University '82 Ph.D. Specializes in
Experimental Design, Simultaneous Inference,
Design and Analysis of Resource Selection Studies. http://www.uafcs.alaska.edu/~thomas
Ron
Barry,
Ph.D. Associate Professor. At UAF since 1991. University of California, Irvine '91, Ph.D. Specializes in Experimental Design and
Spatial Statistics. http://www.uafcs.alaska.edu/~barry
Julie
McIntyre,
Ph.D. Assistant Professor. At UAF
since January 2006. North Carolina State
University
'03, Ph.D.
All
of the
faculty members regularly publish peer-reviewed articles in statistics. As part of their workload, they also
regularly offer consulting services to graduate students and
researchers at
UAF, especially those studying wildlife biology and fisheries. They maintain close ties to biometricians in
State and Federal Agencies, through their leadership in the Alaska
Chapter of
the American Statistical Association and through extensive research
collaboration with biometricans and researchers.
Retired Faculty
Affilite Faculty
Terrance Quinn II, Ph.D. Professor, School of Fisheries and Ocean Science (Juneau)
EXAMPLE TWO-YEAR PROGRAM
Fall 1: Statistical
Theory I (STAT651), Experimental Design (STAT602), applied elective (3
cr.).
Spring 1: Statistical
Theory II
(STAT652), Time Series Analysis (STAT611), applied elective (3 cr.).
Fall 2:
Categorical Data Analysis (STAT631), Project (3 cr.,
STAT698), applied elective (3 cr.).
TOTAL GRADUATE CREDITS: 30 to 36 cr.
Ronald Barry, Department of Mathematical Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6660. Phone: (907) 474-7226, Fax: (907)-474-5394, e-mail: ffrpb@uaf.edu
Applicants may apply at any time up to the beginning of their first semester. However, if an applicant is interested in obtaining a teaching assistantship, they should apply before March 1.
· General Information for Prospective Students
· Admission to UAF graduate programs
Also of interest:
For more information, feel free to contact Ronald Barry.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Alaska Fairbanks
P.O. Box 756660
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6660
ffrpb@uaf.edu
(907)-474-7226
Revised: December 20, 2005