MSc Program

At the MSc level, the Department offers a degree in Statistics and, in collaboration with the School of Population and Public Health, a degree in Statistics with a Biostatistics option.   Students can choose to do a thesis, a final project or an 8-month full-time co-op placement (internship) outside the Department.  The programs have an expected completion time of 2 years.  Upon completion, students will be well-equipped to take on positions as statisticians in government or industry or to continue in a PhD program in statistics. 

In collaboration with the Department of Computer Science, we also offer a 10-month professional MSc degree in Data Science, which is administered separately.  For more information, please see the Master of Data Science web page.

Key Program Benefits

• Competitive funding package
• One-on-one mentorship by world-leading faculty members
• Interact with amazing fellow graduate students
• Access to a renowned coop program providing real-world experience and placement
• Supportive environment: graduate student parental leave, collegial department, universal health care system
• Modern facilities, right in the center of a vibrant campus in a cosmopolitan city 

General MSc Requirements

The total number of required credits is 30, of which 3 credits could be for a project, or 6 credits for a thesis. At least 24 credits must be in courses numbered 500 and above. Students are expected to register for a minimum of 18 credits in their first year, and a minimum of 12 credits in their second year. The Department requires that students maintain an average of at least 75% in order to stay in the program.

In addition to these formal requirements, students are expected to develop proficiency in the use of statistical computing software, with R being particularly important. 

To broaden their knowledge and experience in the discipline, students are expected to take advantage of other opportunities provided by departmental activities, such as the weekly seminars and other presentations.

Requirements for the MSc in Statistics

There are 4 key mandatory sequences of courses; most students would have some of these in their undergraduate program and thus need not re-take them. Other courses are taken for breadth.

• STAT 404: design of experiments/ analysis of variance, not listed explicitly as a program requirement, but it is corequisite for STAT 550
• at least 3 credits from the following applied statistics courses: STAT 527 Analysis of Longitudinal Data, STAT 538 Generalized Linear Models, STAT 541 Multivariate Analysis, STAT 543 Time Series, STAT 545 Data Analysis (not all courses are offered each year)
• STAT 550 Statistical Consulting I (3 credits)
• STAT 551 Statistical Consulting II (3 credits)  Co-op students are not required to take STAT 551.
• STAT 560 Mathematical Statistics I (3 credits)
• STAT 561 Mathematical Statistics II (3 credits)
• advanced probability and stochastic processes: an advanced probability course recommended by the Graduate Program Advisor

Requirements for the MSc in Statistics (Biostatistics concentration)

• STAT 404: design of experiments/ analysis of variance, not listed explicitly as a program requirement, but it is corequisite for STAT 550
• STAT 536 Design and Analysis of Clinical Studies (1-3 credits)
• STAT 538 Generalized Linear Models (1-3 credits)
• STAT 545 Data Analysis (1-3 credits)
• STAT 550 Statistical Consulting I (3 credits)
• STAT 560 Statistical Theory I (3 credits)
• SPPH 502 Epidemiology I (3 credits)
• SPPH 501 Analysis of Longitudinal Data from Epidemiological Studies (3 credits) or STAT 527 Topics in Biostatistics (1-6 credits)
• Experience in collaborating with non-statisticians. The desired route is through sustained involvement with a health research team. The “fall-back” route is successful completion of the second course in statistical consulting, STAT 551, taken in the fall term of the second year of the MSc program.  Students seeking to satisfy this requirement through the desired route (and thus be exempt from STAT 551) must submit evidence of their sustained involvement with a health research team at least one month before the start of the fall term of the 2nd year of their MSc program. Their application would be reviewed by their research supervisor and one other faculty member involved with the Biostatistics Program, who would submit a recommendation to the Graduate Program Director for a final decision.

Project/Thesis

Students in the MSc program who are not in the Co-op option are required to write either a project report (3 credits) or a thesis (6 credits). Most students will write a project report, and only students who are able to demonstrate exceptionally strong research skills will be permitted to register in the thesis option. At the end of the first summer, students will meet with their research supervisor to decide if a project report or a thesis will be completed. The project/thesis is assigned a grade out of 100 by the supervisor, and students are required to make a presentation based on their completed work in a department seminar.

Students choose their own project/thesis supervisors, but are not necessarily expected to find their own topics. However, students should have some thoughts on areas of interest.

The project/thesis is meant to provide experience in working independently and in completing a project from the initial stage of a set of questions to be considered through to the final report. The development of new statistical techniques is not required, but recent advances in statistical methodology should be incorporated in the project. The thesis should have some innovative aspect to it, such as applying a recently developed technique to a set of data or in a subject area where it has not been routinely used. A project on the other hand can be a survey of the literature in a particular area, or an application of widely available methodology to a data set.

Most MSc projects and theses have an applied orientation and often consist of solving or at least investigating data analysis problems. A theoretical thesis would normally be most suitable for students planning to continue to a PhD program.

Students are advised to delay registration in the project or thesis stream until summer registration. At the end of Winter Term 2, students will meet with their research supervisor to decide if a project report or a thesis will be completed. If you have registered in one of these streams and then wish to transfer you will have to complete a 'change of registration' form. If you transfer past the add/drop deadline you will have a W for 'withdrawn' on your transcript. 

Fast Track (transfer to PhD track after regular MSc admission)

If a “regular MSc” student who shows high research potential can find a willing supervisor during Y1 or Y2 of the MSc, they can be transferred into the PhD track program and are then subject to the fast-track requirements . (In particular, the course requirements, directed studies, research project, and RPE requirements described on the PhD track page.)

A Co-operative Education Option is available for MSc students in Statistics. The option is intended to help prepare interested and qualified students for careers in statistics and involves 8 months of work placement supervised by practicing professionals. Faculty advisers also visit students at their place of work and provide advice on technical reports required of all students in the Program.  MSc students apply for this option after they have been accepted into the Statistics MSc program.

There is NOT a citizenship status requirement.

For further information or to apply for the Statistics Graduate Co-operative option, please contact the Science Co-op office or contact the Departmental Graduate Program Advisor.

Co-op Program

A Co-operative Education Option is available for MSc students in Statistics. The option is intended to help prepare interested and qualified students for careers in statistics and involves 8 months of work placement supervised by practicing professionals. Faculty advisers also visit students at their place of work and provide advice on technical reports required of all students in the Program.  MSc students apply for this option after they have been accepted into the Statistics MSc program.

There is NOT a citizenship status requirement.

For further information or to apply for the Statistics Graduate Co-operative option, please contact the Science Co-op office or contact the Departmental Graduate Program Advisor.

Requirements and Sample Programs

Co-op placements are for the eight month period from May (at the end of the first year in the MSc program) until the end of December. Students must apply by the beginning of October of the first year. However, since course planning is important, students interested in the program should let the Graduate Advisor know at the start of the MSc program. Students holding teaching assistantships must notify the Department of their co-op plans several months before placement (e.g. in September of the first year).

When the work placement is made, the student is assigned a UBC faculty member mentor. The role of the faculty mentor is to visit the co-op student at the work place, if feasible, and to provide feedback on technical reports required of all students in the program. No thesis or project is required of students in the Co-op option. However, students may wish to pursue an interesting problem that has arisen during the co-op placement. With approval of the employing organization and the Department of Statistics, this pursuit could develop into a project or thesis.

The student must satisfy the usual Statistics MSc non-Biostatistics requirements, except that STAT 551 is NOT required.   The Co-operative Work Placement courses (STAT 598 and 599) can NOT be counted towards  academic credits. Students in the Co-op option are required to make a formal departmental seminar presentation of their Co-op work (or part of the work) or a presentation of their Co-op work experience.

The student should have completed most of the following courses either before entering the program or during the first year of the program: an advanced probability course approved by the Graduate Advisor (eg STAT 547C), STAT 560 and 561 (mathematical statistics), and part of the applied statistics sequence. In addition, the student must complete the consulting course STAT 550.  Co-op students are not required to take STAT 551.

Here is a  sample program.  Note that six credits of the STAT 5XX courses can be replaced by STAT 4XX courses and that some STAT 5XX courses can be replaced by courses in another department, with pre-approval of the Graduate Advisor.