Curriculum FAQs

Before taking STAT-404 and STAT-405, it is important that students review differential and integral calculus, and this is especially true for students who are a little rusty and took these classes some time ago. Students are suggest to obtain Schaum's Calculus Review and work through lines, circles, equations and graphs, limits, continuity, derivatives and rules, implicit differentiation, applications of derivatives, trigonometry, rates, integrals, logs and exponentials, l Hopitals rule, exponential growth/decay, applications of integration, techniques, improper integrals, double integrals, infinite series and sequences.

Students are advised to familiarize themselves with basic matrix/linear algebra before the start of the class; these topics are covered in most course textbooks and online materials posted on the Web. No worry, you do not need to become a linear algebra wiz, just familiar with how to perform linear regression using matrices. A formal class in linear algebra is certainly not required.

Graduate classes are not offered during the Summer semester, as most students serve as interns during the Summer months and faculty are travelling to conferences.

Here is the typical sequence for students entering during the Fall semester:

It is possible to start our program in the Spring semester, and such students work with the Graduate Program Director (GPD) to work out their individual schedules.

Some of our Fall-entrant students do choose to remain in our program for a fourth semester, but International Students in such situations are advised that visa requirements are such that, with the exception of the final semester, these students much take at least 9 credits to maintain their visas; students who meet these criteria must work with the GPD on their schedule.

Fall-only courses: STAT-403 (Statistical Computing), STAT-404 (Intro to Probability), STAT-407 (Experimental Design), STAT-408 (Intro to Regression), STAT-411 (Survival Analysis), Predictive Analytics, and Statistical Consulting. Spring-only courses: STAT-405 (Statistical Inference), STAT-410 (Categorical Data Analysis), and Nonparametric Statistical Methods. As often as possible: STAT-406 (Stochastic Processes), STAT-421 (Simulation and Modelling), STAT-426 (Advanced Theory), Bayesian Statistical Methods, Data Visualization & Missing Data, Hierarchical and Mixed Modelling, Longitudinal Data Analysis, Nonlinear Regression Methods, Optimal Design, Sampling Methods, Spatial Statistics Methods, and other special topics classes.

Students wishing to take course(s) outside of STAT need prior approval of the Graduate Program Director.

Students need to maintain a 3.0 GPA during the program and in order to graduate. Those students dipping below the 3.0 GPA benchmark are placed on academic probation and then have two semesters to raise their GPAs to this threshold. Students failing to achieve the 3.0 benchmark in this time-frame are dismissed from the program.

Notify the Graduate Program Director immediately.

Email the Graduate Program Director immediately letting it be known of your desire to be considered for a Merit Award.

The Graduate School has recently been placing stricter limitations on independent study courses, and student’s point of contact on these courses is the Graduate Program Director. In the past, students have been limited to taking at most one three-credit independent study course.

You need to notify the Graduate Program Director (GPD) as early as possible. Working with the GPD, the student would then work through the LOA procedure given on the Graduate School's Academic Policies page. 

Contact the Graduate Program Director immediately to be enrolled in the course.

Reach out to any of your instructors and/or the Graduate Program Director for advice.