Doctoral Program
The department looks for motivated students who
wish to prepare for research careers in statistics or probability,
either applied or theoretical. Advanced undergraduate or masters
level work in mathematics and statistics will provide good background
for the doctoral program. Quantitatively oriented students with
degrees in other scientific fields are also encouraged to apply for
admission. In particular, the department is expanding its research and
educational activities towards computational biology,
mathematical finance and information science, via a VIGRE program. The doctoral program normally takes four years to complete.
Program Summary
Students are required to
master the material in the prerequisite courses, pass the first-year core program,
pass two of three parts of the qualifying examinations (beginning of second year); comply with the breadth requirement (second or third
year); pass the university oral examination (end of third year or beginning of
fourth year); and submit a dissertation (fourth year).
In addition students are required to take 9 units of advanced topics
courses offered by the department (including at least two of the following:
314, 317, 318, 315A, or 315B, but not including literature, research,
or consulting), and 3 units of statistical consulting.
All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code and the Fundamental Standard.
Doctoral and Research Advisors
From the student's arrival until the selection of a research advisor, the student's academic progress is monitored by a faculty member, currently Guenther Walther, who is designated as department Doctoral Advisor. Each student should meet at least once a quarter with the Doctoral Advisor to discuss their academic plans and their progress towards choosing a thesis advisor.
Qualifying Examinations
Qualifying examinations are part of most Ph.D. programs in the United
States. At Stanford these exams are intended to test the student's
level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all
students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the
three core subjects of statistical theory and methods, applied statistics,
and probability theory, and are typically, but not always, taken
during the summer between the student's first and second years.
Students may take two or three of these examinations and are expected
to show acceptable performance in two examinations. Letter grades are
not given. After passing the qualifying exams, students will file for
Ph.D. candidacy, a University formality.
While nearly all students will pass the qualifying examinations, those who do not can arrange to have their financial support continued during the period when other plans are being made. With very few exceptions, all students will be able to complete requirements for the M.S. degree in Statistics in two years or less, whether or not they have passed the Ph.D. qualifying exams.
University Oral Examination
This examination is intended to demonstrate the viability of the
student's Ph.D. thesis topic and the student's familiarity with
statistical subjects related to the thesis area. It is also an
opportunity for the student to obtain additional guidance for the
completion of the thesis. The exam is taken on the recommendation of
the student's research advisor after the thesis problem has been
well defined and some research progress has been made. Usually, this
happens early in the student's fourth year.
The oral examination consists of a 40-minute presentation on the
thesis topic, followed by two question periods. The first relates directly to the student's presentation; the second
is intended to explore the student's familiarity with
broader statistical topics related to the thesis research.
The examining committee usually consists of four faculty members
from the Statistics Department and a fifth faculty member from outside
the department. Four out of five passing votes are required and no
grades are given. Nearly all students can expect to pass this
examination, although it is common for specific recommendations to be
made regarding completion of the thesis.
At least two quarters must elapse between successful
completion of the oral examination and awarding of the
Ph.D. degree---this is to allow sufficient time to complete the
research and writing, and to pursue suggestions arising from the
examination. Thus, for example, for June graduation the oral
examination must occur before the end of the preceding autumn
quarter.
When the thesis is nearly complete the student will present a
seminar to the entire department, although this is not considered to
be an examination. The departmental seminar serves both to inform the
department and to provide practice for the student.
Dissertation
The dissertation is the capstone of the Ph.D. degree. It is
expected to be an original piece of work of publishable quality. The
research advisor and two additional faculty members constitute the
student's thesis committee. Students present their research in a
department seminar prior to graduation.
Masters Degree
Ph.D. students who do not already have a Masters degree in Statistics
will normally have fulfilled the requirements for the degree at
Stanford after four or five quarters in the Ph.D. program. Students
may apply for this degree while continuing toward the Ph.D. It is
also possible to obtain a Masters degree in a related department while
pursuing the Ph.D. in Statistics, although this will usually mean
doing substantial course work in the related department.
Ph.D. Minor
The minimum requirement for a PhD minor is 20 units of course work at the 200+ level, taken at Stanford. The Department of Statistics devises individual PhD minor programs,
but the department urges all graduate students in other fields who wish
to have a subspeciality in statistics to study for an MS degree instead. The
unit requirement for an MS is 45 units, whereas the number of units
required for a minor averages around 30. The student can make up this difference of 15 units by including in the MS program courses from his
or her own field that are related to statistics or applications of statistics. Contact the Student Services Officer for further information.
Graduate Student Association
The Ph.D. students in our department have organized themselves into a
Graduate Student Association. The GSA provides a means for discussing
academic and nonacademic issues of interest to students. The GSA also
sponsors some social activities, as well as a weekly student seminar
where students make presentations to other students of assorted
research problems. The GSA also assists in the assignment of teaching
assistant duties.

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