The M.S. degree in Statistics is based on a mixture of theoretical and applied coursework, and a comprehensive exam. For more information please contact the Master's Program Coordinator Amy McFarland.
All students are assigned a faculty advisor and all plans of study must be approved by them. The M.S. Advising Committee members for 2024-25 are Miles Lopes (Chair), Chris Drake, Alexander Aue, and Xiao Hui Tai.
Note: The degree requirements for the M.S. degree in Statistics were recently updated. Students admitted for the Fall 2023 term or later must follow the new requirements. Students enrolled prior to May 2023 may follow the previous requirements or the updated requirements (with advisor approval). For questions about the degree requirements, please email Amy.
MS Program Planner (pdf) (based on updated requirements)
Updated Graduate Degree Requirements - Approved by Graduate Council May 5, 2023
Previous Graduate Degree Requirements - For students enrolled prior to May 2023 only
- Double-Major M.S.
- If you are a current UC Davis graduate student and are considering adding Statistics as a double-major master's degree, the minimum admissions requirements still apply, however there are different guidelines for the application process. Please see Double Major MS Application Guidelines for more information.
The Admissions Chair for the M.S program is Prof. Jie Peng. For more information, please see our Admissions Section. - Program of Study - STANDARD TRACK (44 Units)
- NOTE: This information is based on the updated degree requirements. For the previous degree requirements, please see the linked file.
The program of study will be developed and approved for each student by one of the Graduate Advisers in consultation with the student. This is a M.S. Plan II program (no thesis). A minimum of 44 units is required, of which at least 18 must be at the graduate level (according to university regulations). A comprehensive final examination in the major subject is required of each candidate. No thesis is required. The comprehensive final examination fulfills the capstone requirement.
Core Courses (total 32 units):
STA 200A Introduction to Probability Theory (4 units)
STA 200B-200C Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (4 units each)
STA 135 Multivariate Data Analysis (4 units)
STA 206, 207 & 208 Statistical Methods and Research (4 units each)
Plus one of the following two courses:
STA 242 Introduction to Statistical Programming (4 units), or
STA 243 Computational Statistics (4 units)
Elective Courses (total 12 units):
At least three courses selected from this list (with at least one course at the graduate level):
STA 137 Applied Time Series Analysis (4 units)
STA 138 Analysis of Categorical Data (4 units)
STA 142 Reliability (4 units)
STA 144 Sampling Theory of Surveys (4 units)
STA 145 Bayesian Statistical Inference (4 units)
STA 220 Data & Web Technologies for Data Analysis (4 units)
STA 221 Big Data & High Performance Statistical Computing (4 units)
STA 260 Statistical Practice and Data Analysis (3 units)
or any four-unit letter grade graduate level course in Statistics with advisor approval
The following courses can be used as substitutes:
For students who enter the graduate program as Ph.D. students, successful completion of STA 232ABC substitutes for STA 206, 207, 208 as a requirement for the M.S. degree.
With the permission of one of the Graduate Advisers, an internship coupled with STA 299 can substitute for one elective
Summary:
Full-time students must enroll for 12 units per quarter including research, academic and seminar units. Courses that fulfill any of the program course requirements may not be taken S/U unless the course is normally graded S/U. Once course requirements are completed, students can take additional classes as needed, although the 12 units per quarter are generally fulfilled with a research class (299) and perhaps seminars, or additional electives, approved by one of the Graduate Advisors. Per UC regulations, students should not ordinarily enroll in more than 12 units of graduate level courses (200) or more than 16 units of combined undergraduates and graduate level (100, 200, 300) courses per quarter.
Standard Track: 32 units of core coursework and 12 units of electives are required for a total of 44 units.
Emphasis in Data Science Track: 32 units of core coursework and 16 units of electives are required for a total of 48 units. - Program of Study - DATA SCIENCE TRACK (48 units)
- NOTE: This information is based on the updated degree requirements. For the previous degree requirements, please see the linked file.
The program of study will be developed and approved for each student by one of the Graduate Advisers in consultation with the student. This is a M.S. Plan II program (no thesis). A minimum of 44 units is required, of which at least 18 must be at the graduate level (according to university regulations). A comprehensive final examination in the major subject is required of each candidate. No thesis is required. The comprehensive final examination fulfills the capstone requirement.
Core Courses (32 units)
STA 135 Multivariate Data Analysis (4 units)
STA 200A Introduction to Probability Theory
STA 200B Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (4 units each)
STA 206, 207 Statistical Methods and Research (4 units each)
STA 208 Statistical Methods in Machine Learning (4 units)
STA 209 Optimization for Big Data Analytics (4 units)
Plus one of the following two courses:
STA 242 Introduction to Statistical Programming (4 units), or
STA 243 Computational Statistics (4 units)
Elective Courses (total 16 units):
At least one course selected from the following:
STA 137 Applied Time Series Analysis (4 units)
STA 138 Analysis of Categorical Data (4 units)
STA 144 Sampling Theory of Surveys (4 units)
STA 145 Bayesian Statistical Inference (4 units)
STA 260 Statistical Practice and Data Analysis (3 units)
Or any graduate level statistics course (4 units)
At least two courses selected from the following:
STA 220 Data & Web Technologies for Data Analysis (4 units)
STA 221 Big Data & High Performance Statistical Computing (4 units)
ECS 120 Theory of Computation (4 units)
ECS 122A, B Algorithm Design and Analysis (4 units)
ECS 130 Scientific computing (4 units)
ECS 140A Programming languages (4 units)
ECS 165A, B Database Systems (4 units)
ECS 240 Programming languages (4 units)
ECS 289G Special Topics in Computer Science (4 units)
A fourth elective course taken from Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related disciplines (with approval of the Graduate Advisor). (4 units) With the permission of one of the Graduate Advisors, an internship coupled with STA 299 can substitute for an elective course.
Link to ECS Course Descriptions
Summary:
Full-time students must enroll for 12 units per quarter including research, academic and seminar units. Courses that fulfill any of the program course requirements may not be taken S/U unless the course is normally graded S/U. Once course requirements are completed, students can take additional classes as needed, although the 12 units per quarter are generally fulfilled with a research class (299) and perhaps seminars, or additional electives, approved by one of the Graduate Advisors. Per UC regulations, students should not ordinarily enroll in more than 12 units of graduate level courses (200) or more than 16 units of combined undergraduates and graduate level (100, 200, 300) courses per quarter.
Standard Track: 32 units of core coursework and 12 units of electives are required for a total of 44 units.
Emphasis in Data Science Track: 32 units of core coursework and 16 units of electives are required for a total of 48 units. - M.S. Comprehensive Exam
- Every M.S. student must pass a comprehensive exam to continue in the program. The M.S. Comprehensive Examination is a written examination. The examination may include the use of statistical software and may be offered in a computer lab. The examination is taken at the end of the Winter quarter (during Spring Break) upon completion of STA 200A, 200B, 206, and 207 with a grade of C- or higher. If a student does not attempt the examination upon completion of those courses, and does not receive prior approval from the exam committee, it will be counted as not passing the comprehensive exam.
Should a student not pass the comprehensive exam at this time, the student will be offered a second examination during the Spring quarter following the first exam. If a student does not attempt the second exam, it will be counted as a failure. Failure to pass the exam at the second attempt will be counted as a failure of the comprehensive exam.
Failure to pass the comprehensive exam will result in a recommendation to the Dean of Graduate Studies for disqualification of the student from the graduate program.
Students who entered the graduate program as Ph.D. students and subsequently change their degree objective to the M.S. program are considered to have passed the comprehensive examination for the Master’s if they passed the STA 232AB part of the program’s pre-qualifying Ph.D. written exam. - Advancement to M.S. Candidacy (Preparing to Graduate)
- Plan II M.S. Candidates must file an advancement to M.S. candidacy (Plan II) form prior to completion of the program. Candidates must have taken at least half of the required coursework for their degree requirements (18 units).
- Thesis
- Since the M.S. in Statistics is a Plan II program, no thesis is required. Research experience can be gained by electing Statistics 299 under the guidance of a faculty member. This course may be related to work for the project or data analysis to be presented at the M.S. Comprehensive Exam.
- Normative Time to Degree
- The Normative time to Degree for the Statistics M.S. program is four to six quarters. A well-prepared student typically completes the program in four quarters.
- Typical Timelines and Sequence of Events
- Graduate Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units every quarter. These 12 units can be made up of both required courses and 299 variable unit courses.
For a well-prepared student it is possible to complete the core course requirements by the end of the first year. Students may take longer if they take required electives in the fourth or fifth quarter.
The following would be a typical program:
Year 1
Fall
STA 206 (4)
STA 200A (4)
Elective (4)
Winter
STA 207 (4)
STA 200B (4)
STA 135 (4)
M.S. Comprehensive Exam & Advance to Candidacy
Spring
STA 200C (4)
STA 208 (4)
STA 242/243 (4)
Year 2
Fall
Elective (4)
Elective (4)
Elective or 299 + internship (4)
The following would be a typical program for a student requiring two full years:
Year 1
Fall
STA 106 (4)
STA 131A (4)
STA 141A/Elective (4)
Winter
STA 108 (4)
STA 131B (4)
STA 135 (4)
Spring
STA 131C (4)
Elective (4)
Elective (4)
Year 2
Fall
STA 206 (4)
STA 200A (4)
Elective (4)
Winter
STA 207 (4)
STA 200B (4)
Elective (4)
M.S. Comprehensive Exam & Advance to Candidacy
Spring
STA 208 (4)
STA 242/243 (4)
STA 200C (4)
*STA 200ABC is the requirement effective Fall 2017, replacing STA 131ABC.
- Funding
- We don't typically offer funding to our Master's students. While we don't usually have TA positions to offer Master's students, all graduate students are welcome to apply for Teaching Assistant, Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) or Reader positions across campus. More information about academic employment.
Click here for the latest tuition and fees for graduate students.