MS in Statistical Practice

The Master of Science in Statistical Practice is designed for students who want to acquire fundamental training in statistics and how it is applied in fields like economics, education, law, management, science, and social science, to real-world problems. It is suitable for students with backgrounds in fields like biology, bioinformatics, economics, management, neuroscience, psychology, and various areas of engineering.

The MSSP program is centered on a foundational sequence of statistics courses designed to reinforce and extend your quantitative background while providing essential instruction in statistical theory and analytic methodology. The goal of the practicum is to provide students with an environment that facilitates the development of the critical skills and experiences that are necessary for successful statistical practice and to integrate those skills with the background in statistical theory, methods, and applications.

The practicum begins with classroom training, focused on the development of skills in consulting, speaking, and writing, as well as the use of various statistical software packages. Students apply these skills in a within-university consulting practice that is led by faculty members and staffed by the students themselves. The live consulting projects provide working examples from which students gain practical experience in statistical practice. Students use this experience to assemble a portfolio of materials that demonstrates the knowledge and skills they have gained during their time in the program.

Along with the specially designed coursework, available only to MSSP students, the practicum provides:

• Exclusive, team-based projects with industry partners.
• Career development workshops and seminars focused on navigating a career in data science.
• Training to sharpen writing, public speaking, and presentation skills.
• A professional portfolio of work, showcasing for potential employers various consulting and collaborative experiences.
• Opportunities to interface with working professionals through the Statistics@Work seminar series.

Course Requirements

In order to complete the Master of Science in Statistical Practice, students must successfully complete eight one-semester courses (32 credits). The specific course requirements are as follows:

• GRS MA 675 Statistics Practicum 1
• GRS MA 676 Statistics Practicum 2
• GRS MA 681 Accelerated Introduction to Statistical Methods for Quantitative Research
• CAS MA 684 Applied Multiple Regression & Multivariable Methods
• CAS MA 685 Advanced Topics in Applied Statistical Analysis
• One statistics elective at the level of 500 or above
• One 2-semester elective sequence from statistics or a complementary discipline, which must be chosen from the approved list

Language Requirement

There is no foreign language requirement for this degree.

Final Report

In addition to the course requirements above, students must successfully complete a final report about the consulting work that they have carried out as a central component of the Statistics Practicum course, GRS MA 675–676.

In the MSSP Consulting Service and the semester-long partner projects, students gain direct and intensive experience doing the kinds of work they can expect to encounter after graduation. The MSSP approach is holistic, addressing the entire process – from asking the right questions in an initial client meeting to providing advice and hands-on help to delivering reproducible analyses, presentations, reports, and online interactive applications. MSSP students graduate with a professional portfolio of work, showcasing a broad range of consulting and collaborative experience.

The learning outcomes for the MS in Statistical Practice (MSSP) program are threefold:

• Build a solid foundation.
• Gain practitioner insight.
• Learn through guided practice

Networking with Boston

Choosing Boston University means choosing Boston, and everything the city has to offer. In recent years, Boston has been ranked the #1 city in the US for Life Sciences and #7 in Tech by CBRE Group, and #4 most powerful financial center in the nation by Business Insider. Through our Industry Partner Projects, Stats@Work Speaker series, Career Advising Sessions, and Internship for credit options, our curriculum, and relationship to the Boston data science industry help students find incredible employment opportunities, both during their studies and after, either in Boston and around the globe.

Industry Partners

Students work in teams of 12-15 under the guidance of MSSP faculty members in semester-long projects with partners from businesses and organizations around the city across a variety of industries. These projects expose our students to situations where data science practice affects ongoing operations and complex goals. Some have emphasized analytics, others have focused on the development of specialized tools such as purpose-built web pages for data analytics, and all have required students to confront challenging data acquisition, cleaning, and organization issues. Regardless of the emphasis, the experience gained on these projects helps to distinguish our graduates as they enter the workforce.

Internships

While the program is designed to allow completion in as little as two semesters, many of our students choose to complete their coursework over three semesters, allowing for the option to pursue an internship during the summer semester. The training provided through the MSSP program affords our students the ability to work in a variety of fields including:

• High Technology
• Economics/Finance
• Marketing
• Biomedicine
• Online Media
• Consulting
• Government / NPO
• Insurance