M.S. in Statistics

Students with a Master’s degree from UNL find success in a variety of fields, from working as a data analyst with a large financial organization to serving as a statistical consultant in pharmaceutical testing.

During the two years as an M.S. student in the Department, students will be exposed to the core ideas of statistics and gain expertise in statistical applications from agriculture, biological, environmental, and social science. Students here learn more than just the theory – all of our students work with real data through in-class projects, serving as a student consultant, and in most cases the completion of a master’s thesis or project.

The UNL Graduate Bulletin describes two options for a MS degree:

• “Option A" requires a thesis and at least 30 credit hours,
• “Option B” requires at least 36 credit hours.

For both options, students need to complete the following core courses with a grade of B- or higher: 810, 821, 822, 823, 825, 850, 882, and 883. Students not obtaining the necessary grade level in a core course may need to retake it. A student’s Supervisory Committee makes this decision.
In addition to coursework, students need to pass a MS Comprehensive Exam. Students may choose from one of five options:

1. Thesis

   A student takes 6-10 credit hours of STAT 899 and completes a thesis by working directly with their advisor. The results from the thesis are presented by the student in an open forum. After the presentation, the student participates in a formal defense with the committee. The committee decides on a pass or no pass grade.

2. Report

   A student writes a formal 15-30 page report on a statistical research or application topic. This report is completed by the student working directly with their advisor. The corresponding workload should be the equivalent of 3-6 credit hours, and the student may take STAT 898 to receive these credit hours. The results from the report are presented by the student in an open forum. After the presentation, the student participates in a formal defense with the committee. The committee decides on a pass or no pass grade.

3. STAT 930

   A student takes STAT 930 to gain experience as a practicing statistician. As part of the normal course content, the student will assemble project reports and other written experiences into a portfolio that can be shared with potential employers. The overall course grade given by the instructor results in a pass or no pass grade for the MS Comprehensive Exam.

4. PhD Qualifying Exam

   A student takes this exam prior to their second spring semester in the program. If the PhD Qualifying Exam Committee gives the student a pass grade on the exam, this student receives a pass grade for the MS Comprehensive Exam.

5. Internship

   A student completes an internship and writes a report on their experiences. This student takes STAT 997 to receive course credit for it. The report is submitted to their advisor who decides on a pass or no pass grade.

All students are required to obtain an advisor and form an MS Supervisory Committee. This committee needs to approve the option chosen by a student.

In addition to the required core courses, this timeline includes STAT 892 (TA Prep) which is a Year 1 required course for all students with a teaching assistantship (TA).