Mar 29, 2024  
Undergraduate Record 2007-2008 
    
Undergraduate Record 2007-2008 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Statistics


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Kerchof Hall
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400135
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4135
(434) 924-3222 Fax: (434) 924-3076
www.stat.virginia.edu

Overview Statistics is a means of analyzing data to gain insight into real problems. It is focused on problem solving, rather than on methods that may be useful in specific settings. Statistics is unique in its ability to quantify uncertainty. Thus statistics has become a crucial tool in all aspects of modern society, providing insight in such fields as public policy, law, medicine, the social sciences, and the natural sciences.

The Department of Statistics shares the newly emerged consensus among statisticians that statistical education should focus on data analysis and statistical reasoning rather than the presentation of a coterie of methods. As importantly, the department believes that the mathematical tools underlying statistical inference are significant and necessary for statistics education, but those tools must necessarily remain secondary in the training of statisticians. Because of these views, the statistics program strongly emphasizes its consulting service, which provides statistical consultation to all branches of the University. Through this service, statistics students gain valuable insight into all branches of the field while acquiring practical training in problem solving.

The Department of Statistics offers a broad range of courses covering all areas of applied and theoretical statistics.

Faculty The faculty consist of six full-time, one half-time, and seven adjunct appointments. The half-time faculty has a joint appointment in the department of mathematics, and the adjunct faculty have primary appointments in the departments of biostatistics, economics, and systems engineering. This collection of disciplines, in addition to the interests of the full-time faculty, ensures that the department is able to cater to the interests of diverse students.

Students Students who graduate with in-depth training in statistics enjoy a large range of opportunities. Some pursue employment in the public or private sector, working as actuaries, consultants, data analysts, or teachers, among many fields. Others do graduate study in fields such as economics, finance, mathematics, operations research, psychology, and, of course, statistics.

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