Masters Program
Admission Requirements
To be admitted for graduate study in the Department of Statistics, students should have at least a B (3.00 GPA) average in courses taken during the last two years of the baccalaureate degree or master's degree. Students who do not have at least three semesters of successful course work in calculus will be required to take additional courses in mathematics before being admitted. Prior course work in advanced calculus and in statistics is desirable, but not essential.
A total score of 1000 (verbal plus quantitative) on the GRE exam and a verbal score of at least 360 are required for admission. Students whose native language is not English must score at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam. However, for students who have attended an accredited U.S. institution for one year or longer, that requirement is waived.
International students whose native language is not English must submit satisfactory scores on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or the SPEAK test to be eligible for teaching assignments. Students who score 55 or above are allowed to teach in the classroom. Those who score 45 to 50 are allowed to teach on the condition that they enroll concurrently in ENS 4502. (See the Graduate Catalog for more details.)
The University of Florida and the Department of Statistics encourage applications from qualified individuals from all cultural, racial, religious, and ethnic groups.
Course Requirements for the Masters
A minimum of 36 credit hours are required for the master's degree. A student may transfer up to eight semester hours of graduate level courses, earned with a grade of B or better from an institution approved for this purpose by the Graduate School. The department may waive some of the course requirements for those students have taken equivalent course work at another institution.
There is no language or thesis requirement for the M.S. degree.
Required Courses:
| Course | Title | Hours |
| STA 6207 | Basic Design and Analysis of Experiments | 3 |
| STA 6208 | Regression Analysis | 3 |
| STA 6326 | Introduction to Theoretical Statistics I | 3 |
| STA 6327 | Introduction to Theoretical Statistics II | 3 |
| STA 6329 | Matrix Algebra and Statistical Computing | 3 |
| STA 6246 | Theory of Linear Models | 3 |
In addition, we require Master's students to complete at least four statistics elective courses. Courses that may be used for this purpose include:
| Course | Title | Hours |
| STA 6176 | Survey of Biostatistical Methods | 3 |
| STA 6177 | Survival Analysis and Clinical Trials | 3 |
| STA 6226 | Sampling Theory and Applications | 3 |
| STA 6267 | Sequential Methods | 3 |
| STA 6505 | Analysis of Categorical Data | 3 |
| STA 6526 | Nonparametric Statistics | 3 |
| STA 6662 | Statistical Methods for Industrial Practice | 3 |
| STA 6707 | Analysis of Multivariate Data | 3 |
| STA 6826 | Stochastic Processes I | 3 |
| STA 6857 | Applied Time Series Analysis | 3 |
Masters Examinations
- Written Comprehensive Examination
The written exam is designed to cover material presented during the first year of graduate work. The purpose of the exam is to make sure the students have reviewed their first year's work before starting the second year and to point out weaknesses which should be overcome during their second year in order to graduate. Students are expected to pass this exam in at most two attempts. Follow this link for examples of past exam
-
Final Oral Examination
The department requires students to take an oral exam near the end of their program. The oral exam covers the material presented during the student's program. At least three members of the faculty, including members of the Master's Supervisory Committee, must take part in this examination.