Entering the Program

Please send me more information about the statistics program!
Click here to obtain more information about our distance program.

What degrees can I earn? Are there other programs?
You may take courses at any time without seeking a specific degree. The highest degree we offer at distance is the Master of Science (MS), consisting of thirty-four credits of advanced statistical theory, probability, methods, and data analysis, including linear and generalized linear models, time series, stochastic processes, sampling, design, biostatistics, spatial and environmental statistics, Bayesian methods, computing, and other topics. This normally takes at least 3 to 5 years to complete, depending on the number of courses taken per semester and whether courses are taken during the summer semesters.

If you would like a plan adapted for a shorter time frame, consider one of our certificate programs. The Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods provides graduate-level training in the theory and methods of statistics. It is intended for those wishing to quickly complete the most important core components of the longer MS degree program.

Alternatively, the Certificate in Applied Statistics provides comprehensive training in applied statistics and data analysis using modern software. It is intended for professionals or graduate students in diverse fields seeking a short-term program to strengthen their statistical skills. This program includes an introduction to probability and statistical theory, a two-course sequence on applied statistics, and additional training in multivariate analysis, spatial analysis or environmental statistics. This program is suitable for students whose mathematical skills are not as well-developed as would be required for our other programs.

Each of our certificate programs can be completed in 2-4 terms. That's as little as 9 months!

What background do I need to succeed in the MS program?
You should have a strong math background, including 3 semesters of college calculus, 1 semester of advanced calculus (introductory real analysis), and 1 semester of linear algebra. Computing experience is helpful but no particular language is required. You do not need a strong statistics background. If you have any questions about your math background, you should contact Dr. Jana Anderson.

What background do I need to succeed in the certificate programs?
For the Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods the background needed is the same as for the MS program. For the Certificate in Applied Statistics you will need to have taken college algebra. For any questions regarding your math background, or if you have already taken a 300-level or higher introductory statistics course, contact Dr. Jana Anderson.

Do I need to formally apply for admission to earn a certificate?
No. You may sign up for courses as a non-degree seeking student. Once you finish the four courses needed for the certificate, you contact Continuing Education and request that they issue the certificate.

Is the distance MS the same as the on-campus MS degree?
Yes. The diploma you will receive is no different than the one issued to our on-campus students. There is no reference to online or distance courses.

What are the specific program entrance requirements?
There are no entrance requirements for any program except the MS degree. However, you should contact Dr. Jana Anderson to inquire about the right class to match your needs and background.

Applying for admission to the graduate program is a necessary step for pursuing the MS degree. An overall GPA of 3.0 is required for admission. There are no specific course requirements, other than the necessary math background indicated above. You can take some initial classes in one semester while completing the application process, if necessary. We strongly encourage students to take STAT 520, the first course in the MS program, before applying for admission. We find that students who have taken this course before applying for admission have a better feel for what our program is about, and whether it will suit their needs.

How much does it cost?
The current cost for tuition is $520 per credit hour, plus fees. Contact the Division of Continuing Education for up-to-date costs. In addition to tuition, Colorado State University will assess a non-refundable $20 technology fee to help support increasing technological needs, improvements and advancements at the University. The fee will be assessed each term to any student taking academic credit courses through Colorado State University. The University will bill this fee separately. Students are responsible for the costs of any textbooks and computer software. Textbook and software information is given with the Course Descriptions.

What do I need to send the Statistics Dept. to apply for graduate admission?
This step is only necessary if you are pursuing the MS degree. You will need to complete an application form and send a $50 processing fee, a statement of goals and objectives, three letters of reference, two copies of official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. We strongly recommend completing STAT 520 before formally applying to the program. You can find additional information regarding the MS application process at Applying for Admission.

Who processes applications and whom do I contact?
If you simply want to take a statistics course, then you do not need to submit an application. You can register as a non-degree seeking student online at http://www.learn.colostate.edu/. However, you should contact Dr. Jana Anderson to inquire about the right class to match your needs and background.

If you are applying to our MS program and have any questions about your application, please contact Ms. Charlene Spencer at stats_ddp@mail.colostate.edu. She will help guide you through the application process. Once all documents are on file, your application is reviewed by the Graduate Screening Committee and processed based on their recommendation.  The final degree diploma is no different than the one issued to our on campus students.  There is no reference to online or distance classes.

Can I take classes while waiting for my application to be processed?
Yes, students with pending applications may register for classes prior to admission. Upon admission to the MS degree program, retroactive credit towards the degree will be given for successful completion (a grade of B or better) of such courses. However, you must complete at least 21 credits after being formally admitted to the graduate program.

How many credits can I take prior to admission?
Our MS program requires 34 credits. Since you must complete at least 21 credits after being formally admitted to the graduate program, you may complete as many as 13 credits prior to admission.

Choosing Programs, Classes and Schedules

What are my degree options?
As described above, we offer the Master of Science (MS), the Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods and the Certificate in Applied Statistics. If you would like to take a course without seeking a specific degree, you are welcome to register for any of the courses that we offer, provided you have the necessary prerequisites. Prerequisites for all courses are listed on the Course Descriptions page. You should contact Dr. Jana Anderson if you have any doubts about prerequisites.

What courses are being offered now/next?
Check the Schedule of Courses page.

What course should I take next?
See the Earning the M.S Degree or the Admitted MS Students Information page.

If I'm not pursuing the MS degree or a certificate, what is the best course to enhance my statistical training?
See the Non-Degree page or contact Dr. Jana Anderson.

How much time should I expect to devote to a class?
The CSU general catalog says "students should expect that each credit hour will require approximately three hours of effort per week". Since our classes are at the graduate level, some courses might require more. On-campus graduate students generally take about 7-10 credits of core coursework which, along with seminars, TA duties, etc. fills up their 40-60 hour work week.

How long will it take me to earn my certificate?
A certificate requires four courses. If you are able to take two classes per term, you could finish as quickly as two terms. That's only 9 months! If you take only one class per term, it would take 16-21 months depending on whether you chose to work during summer term. There are 3 terms per academic year: fall, spring, and summer.

Will I be provided with a physical certificate and/or have a notation on my transcript once all course requirements are completed?
You will receive a physical certificate signed by the Statistics Department Chair, Dr. Jay Breidt. The courses you have completed are recorded on an official transcript, identical to the transcripts issued to on-campus students. The transcript will not have a notation about the certificate issued.

How long will it take me to earn my MS degree?
We prefer to see you finish as quickly as you can, but our overriding concern is to ensure that you successfully complete the degree even if it requires a slower pace. Experience has shown that it can be very difficult to take more than a single MS-level course at once if you have a job, a family, or other important commitments. Therefore we recommend taking only one course at a time. On-campus students--devoting 40-60 hours/week to their studies--typically finish the MS degree in 2-3 years. Thus, you can estimate how much longer it might take your part-time effort. At the pace of one course in autumn, one in spring, and zero in summer, you would need five years to complete the MS degree.

How can I speed progress towards my degree?
To speed your pace, we recommend taking a course during the summer semester. A more challenging approach would be to take several courses simultaneously in a semester. See here for policies about taking multiple courses during a semester. When taking courses in the summer, please keep in mind that our summer semester is only 12 weeks long, compared to our 16-week fall and spring semesters. For this reason, courses run about 33% faster in the summer.

How and when should I pursue the MS research and project/thesis (STAT 699)?
During your studies, you should keep your eye open for professors and topic areas which appeal to you. Although STAT 699 is not typically taken until the final semester, you should have already obtained an advisor at that point, and ideally a topic. You enlist an advisor through direct conversation (i.e. phone/email) with that professor. Many students take several semesters to complete the project or thesis to their satisfaction, so it does not hurt to start early by identifying interesting topics as they arise in your classes and perhaps during a free summer after the 3rd or 4th year by starting to find an advisor or even beginning preliminary work under his/her guidance. Students defend their project/thesis on campus at the end of the program. Video conferencing may be an option for those who cannot travel to CSU for their defense.

What if my priorities change while pursuing the MS degree?
Then you should consider our Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods. The classes you have already taken for the MS are likely to qualify you for this certificate, thus providing you with a symbol of your accomplishments that you can proudly cite to employers.

Distance Study Logistics

How does a distance class work?
Lectures are either downloaded from a website or mailed to you on VCD's or DVD's.  Students are expected to view a specified number of lectures per week, although they are able to view the lectures at any time that suits their schedule. Handouts and homework assignments are available through the course web page.  The professor or a course coordinator is available for questions, discussion and help via phone, fax or email.  You are welcome to visit campus at any time.  You complete the course by the end of the registered semester by watching the lecture videos, completing all coursework, and taking the exams.  Written work is sent to us by e-mail or fax. Regular postal delivery is accepted, but not encouraged, as it slows the progress of administering the course.  Your graded assignments are returned to you as a pdf file attachment to an e-mail. Exams are typically proctored by a representative at a university or college testing center or a representative of your company. Your educational experience in the class is intended to be identical to on-campus students: everyone does the same work and must meet the same expectations. Your grades, transcript and degree are indistinguishable from those of on-campus students.

Who will proctor my exams?
Proctors may be: college or university testing center representatives, military educators, pastors or ministers, continuing education officers, librarians, certified schoolteachers, school principals or supervisors.  Persons who are fellow students, subordinates of the student, coworkers/colleagues, peers, friends or related to the student in any way are not eligible to serve as proctors.

Do I have to take the exam at a specific time? What if I have to work?
There is typically a specified interval of time (over several days) within which you may take the exam.  If evenings or weekends work for both you and your proctor, that is fine.

What if I don't understand a concept? Can I get help?
Each course is assigned a professor or a course coordinator. This is the person you turn to for help with the course. Most students prefer to ask questions by e-mail or using RamCT, our course delivery software. However, students are also able to call in with their questions if that is their preference.

What is the difference between live-taped and pre-taped format classes?
If the lecture videos for your course are recorded from an on-campus classroom in the same semester you are viewing them, the class is live-taped format. If the lecture videos for your course were recorded in a classroom in a previous semester, the class is pre-taped format. This distinction is relevant for course scheduling but does not affect your educational experience or transcript.

What are the advantages of each class format?
The advantage of live-taped format courses is that you have an on-campus cadre of classmates and that your professor has a larger number of students to whom s/he is teaching the material at that time. The advantages to the pre-taped format are that they can (a) be taken during summer semester, (b) be completed (to some extent) in a compressed time for faster progress towards the degree, (c) be offered during semesters when live-taped versions would not otherwise be available, and (d) potentially provide access to courses which are not otherwise offered to distance students.

My lecture video is late/broken/mission or of poor quality.
Please call or email our distance office (970-491-5268); also inform your professor or course coordinator if this might delay your progress.

Program Policies

How far behind the pace of the in-class students can I lag?
This is left to the determination of the individual instructor, though all classes must be finished by the end of the registered semester. You should consider it a matter of courtesy to avoid delays as much as possible. When the professor must revisit old homework assignments and exams long after s/he has finished them in class, it requires an enormous amount of extra work. Both live and pre-taped format classes must be finished by the end of the registered semester.

Can I take more than one course simultaneously? But what if Financial Aid requires a minimum of 5 credits?
Experience has shown that it is very difficult to take more than a single course if you have a job, a family, or other important commitments. Therefore we strongly discourage doubling up, particularly when taking STAT 520, STAT 530, or STAT 640. The exception is that students usually take STAT 501 (a one-credit course) with another course whenever it is convenient for them. Additionally, STAT 586 (also a one-credit course) is often taken simultaneously with another course (usually STAT 640). Some students find that they need to take more than one course to qualify for financial aid. However, your employer may find it more profitable to cover the tuition and have you remain a productive worker.

I want to take a CSU statistics class that's not ordinarily a distance offering and credit it towards my degree.
There are two hurdles here. The first is getting the course videotaped. Courses not listed on the Distance Course Descriptions webpage are not offered via distance except possibly by student petition. You need about 4 volunteers who agree to register for the course in order to enable us to offer it; contact Dr. Jana Anderson for details. Second, you need to ensure that the course will count towards your degree. The process for ensuring this is as follows. An admitted distance student requesting credit towards the degree should write a letter to the Graduate Committee of our department detailing the request. You should list the course you want to take and the course you plan for it to replace in our degree requirements. This is best done by providing the full list of course you have/intend to take, showing where the proposed course fits in. This request should be made before taking the course.

I want to credit my CSU classes towards a different degree.
Any class you take for one of our certificates that is also listed as a requirement for the MS may be counted for both. Any class you take for the MS that is also listed as a requirement for a certificate may also be counted for both. One way this may be helpful is if your priorities change while studying for the MS degree. Then you might apply the courses you have already taken for the MS towards our Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods. If you decide to continue on later towards the MS, these courses would also count towards that degree. Thus, the Certificate in Statistical Theory and Methods provides a convenient intermediate step for MS students who wish to postpone further studies while still reaching an important milestone that they can proudly cite to employers.

I want to receive credit towards the degree for a class from another department or university.
Such changes are approved by the Graduate Committee on a case-specific basis. An admitted distance student may write them with the full details of the request. This should include a description (with textbook title & authors) of the course for which credit is desired and the name of the course you plan for it to replace in our degree requirements. This is best done by providing the full list of course you have taken/intend to take, showing where the proposed course fits in. The proposed course should closely match one in our program.

Since the distance student course plan has already been pared down to the bare essentials, the Committee may be reluctant to grant approval. Two general guidelines are that the Graduate Committee (a) approves only courses that are taught at the same level as our MS program courses and (b) cannot give approval for courses which were used for credit towards the earning of any other degree at any other university. One of the most important Graduate School requirements is that a minimum of 24 credits must be earned at Colorado State, 21 of which must be earned after admission to the Graduate School. Our degree requires about 34 credits, so there is some leeway for crediting past coursework in well-justified cases.

DVD / VCD

DVD / VCD
DVD's and VCD's, or "Video Compact Discs", contain higher quality video and sound than that of VHS tapes. These video files can be viewed on computers, and some file formats can be viewed on standalone DVD players.

Courses are offered in either of the two formats:

"Live" Recording
Lectures are recorded daily in the classroom. Lectures are typically uploaded to the Internet by 5:00pm on the day of the lecture for the student to be able to download and view. Time to upload lectures depends on the time of day at which the course is recorded.

Pre-recorded
Classroom recordings from past semesters are shipped to the student at the beginning of the term or downloaded from a web page. Most courses that are shipped are broken down into three shipments. Lecture VCDs or DVDs must be returned to our distance office at the end of the term.

Availability
DVD and VCD courses are available to students in the United States, Canada, and U.S. Military addresses (APO/FPO). If you live outside of these areas, please contact our distance office to determine whether we are able to ship courses to your area. Shipments to APO/FPO addresses are sent by U.S. mail; all other shipments are sent via UPS.

What do I need to watch a DVD?
A DVD-ROM drive for your computer. The best media player to use will depend on your system. Some suggestions are MPlayer, Media Player Classic, VLC and Windows Media Player. You may also need a free downloadable codec installed on your computer. Please contact our distance office for assistance in this regard.

What do I need to watch a VCD?

• Most standalone DVD Players (check your DVD player's visual display or user manual if you are uncertain if it is compatible with VCD). If you are purchasing a new standalone DVD player, you may want to bring a course VCD along with you to check.
• Standalone VCD Players
• All computers with CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs and appropriate MPEG-1 video software (ex. Windows Media Player, Subhash VCDPlayer, QuickVCD Player)
• Playstation 1, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast with the VCD-addon.

Educational Resources, Books, and Software

What books and/or software are required for my upcoming course?
To find out which books and/or software are required for your course, you may check the listings on our Distance Course Descriptions site.

How do I order my books?
The CSU Bookstore sells both new and used textbooks for our distance courses; however, you may order your books from whatever source you wish. Other sellers might include a university bookstore near you, or several online retailers.

Where can I get general computing software?
RamTech is the on-campus software provider. It is worth checking their price because CSU subsidizes a number of 'site licenses' for commonly used software, which may reduce or eliminate the price. However, in some cases, you may be better off visiting a retailer near you, such as Office Depot or Best Buy, or visiting a retail software website.

Where can I get the R statistical package, and how much does it cost?
R is available by free download. This page includes information on obtaining a free download of R for your computer.

Where can I get the SAS statistical package, and how much does it cost?
RamTech has a campus site license price that's under $70. That's a great deal. You must reside in the US to use this option. There are other options available for students outside the US. Please check with the distance office for information on this.

What helpful services can the library offer?
Lots. Visit the CSU library link to see. The online catalogue is called SAGE. One nice service is that they can fax you copies of journal articles. The library also has a special distance student service page.

The Department of Statistics

Who are the faculty? See a list of us and our research interests here.

Who are the distance and on-campus students?
Here is a list of on-campus graduate students. You will 'meet' other distance students in your classes via RamCT (Blackboard).

Other

What jobs await me if I earn a MS in statistics?

There is a large and increasing demand for workers with the MS degree in our field. "Statistician" is consistently ranked as one of the top five careers based on quality/interest of job, pay and benefits, low stress levels, etc. With an MS in statistics, you can work in business, industry, or government. Statisticians are needed in all areas of industry, e.g., for quality control, market research, and product development. Businesses in the high-tech, medical, and pharmaceutical sectors are some of the most prolific employers of statisticians, especially for product research and development. Potential government employers might include the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, US Forest Service, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Census Bureau, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, to name a few.

Some valuable information on job opportunities in statistics is given at the ASA (American Statistical Association) website , in Careers in Statistics:ASA . The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook also provides such information.

One prominent place to look for job ads is the ASA magazine "Amstat News". A portion of their published ads are shown here on the web. Please also see this page of our department website for more information about careers in statistics.

For a recent article from The New York Times on the growing interest in the field of statistics, click "here".