Graduate Minor in Statistics

Our graduate minor in statistics provides a broad perspective on the fundamentals that will demonstrate capability in statistics and add depth to study in many disciplines. The minor is designed to be more compact than the full M.S. degree and with no research component. It is intended to support students in other disciplines that require a basic working knowledge of statistics for their own work.

What are the Options?

The Department of Statistics has approved three (3) possible options for a Graduate Minor in Statistics:

STAT/MATH 414-415 and at least three (3) 500-level courses from the department.
Five (5) or more courses totaling fifteen (15) credits at the 500-level from the department. STAT 464 or STAT 463 may also count towards the fifteen (15) credits.
Four (4) 500-level courses totaling twelve (12) credits from the department and one (1) additional course of three (3) credits, cannot be from major, approved by the Department Head or Graduate Studies Chairman.

What are the Restrictions?

Any class that fills a requirement for your Major Ph.D. program of study cannot be used for the Statistics minor.
Your Statistics minor adviser must be part of your Ph.D. committee. Good ways to find your minor adviser include:
- Asking professors from courses you have taken
- Talking with your major adviser about Statistics faculty
- Attending Statistics seminars related to your research
STAT 500 will not be counted toward the minor in statistics under any option.
A cumulative 3.5 GPA in all classes used for the minor is required.
Courses should be taken in-residence, but ONE online course can be counted toward the minor. Additional online courses will be counted toward a minor only if petitioned prior to taking the course.
This application should be submitted prior to taking the Ph.D. comprehensive exam; post-comps submission will require a special memo from the student’s major program.
You must indicate the fact that you wish to have a Minor in Statistics when you file your diploma card the semester you expect to receive your Ph.D. degree.
The Department of Statistics does NOT currently have a Graduate Minor for Master's Degrees. If you are a Master's student and want a graduate minor in Statistics, you must satisfy the requirements above.
Transfer credits from another institution are only allowed by petition. Prior to petitioning, the courses must be transferred into PSU. At most three credits can be transferred from another institution. These credits must be from a Statistics course taught by a Statistics department at another university.

How do I Apply?

Procedure for obtaining approval for the Graduate Minor in Statistics:

Obtain a Request to Add Graduate Minor form at https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-611-minor-research-doctorate/ or from your department.
List on that form the courses you plan to take. None of these courses can fill any requirement for your major program of study.
Find a Statistics faculty to be your Minor Adviser. Invite them to be on your Ph.D. Committee, and have them sign this form.
Have your Request to Add Graduate Minor form signed by the Graduate Program Chair in your department.
Send the Request to Add Graduate Minor to the Statistics Graduate Minor Coordinator, Armine Bagyan (aub171@psu.edu). It will be signed by the Minor Program Representative and submitted to the Graduate School for processing.
The semester you graduate, inform the graduate minor coordinator (Armine Bagyan) that you plan to graduate and email them a current transcript. This should be done in the first two weeks of the semester you intend to graduate.