Expectations and Guidance for MS Statistics: Applied Statistics (MS-AS) Advisors

The Statistics advisor must be a faculty member with at least a 20%  appointment in the Department of Statistics (that is, a “regular” Statistics faculty member). Faculty affiliates may serve as Domain advisors, but may not serve as Statistics advisors for the purpose of the MS-AS degree. 

The 3-member committee for the MS-AS project must be composed of the Domain advisor, the Statistics advisor, and one additional faculty member. It is recommended that this third committee member be a regular faculty member in, or affiliated with, the Department of Statistics. 

Below are the MS-AS program requirements about the project, copied from The Guide, with some key points underlined:

Assessments and Examinations

• Candidates must complete a project with an emphasis on the integration of statistics and science. A final oral examination is also required upon completion of the coursework and project.

Research or Project

• Each student must complete a project that represents an original contribution to applied statistics as the goal of this named option is to train statisticians who will work in a collaborative research environment. Examples of such contributions may include the creation and evaluation of a useful experimental design, the development and/or comparison of statistical methods, or a novel analysis of some interesting data related to their domain area.  All students will work directly with their Statistics advisor and domain committee member/co-advisor to identify an appropriate project.
• The project results are to be presented in a manuscript with emphasis on the integration of statistics and science that is approved by the student's 3-member committee. This requirement will be formalized by enrolling in at least three credits of "Research'' or "Directed Study" (for example, independent study or research courses numbered 699, 799, or 999 in Statistics or in another department). 

What constitutes an acceptable MS-AS project and examination?

• The content should fit the description in the Guide, copied above.

• For MS-AS students who are also pursuing a PhD, it is acceptable for the MS-AS project to constitute one chapter of their PhD dissertation, so long as the content fits.

• For MS-AS students who are also pursuing a PhD, the oral exam for the MS-AS project may take place along with the PhD oral exam defense. However, a defined portion of the exam must be dedicated to the MS-AS project.

• If the MS-AS oral examination takes place alongside the PhD examination, the MS-AS and PhD committees should coordinate in advance to decide how the two examinations will be conducted.

What are the responsibilities and expectations of the Statistics advisor?

• The Statistics advisor is responsible for ensuring that the MS-AS student project is of sufficient quality and depth to constitute an “original contribution to applied statistics”.

• The 3-member committee is responsible for vetting the quality of this work as an MS-AS manuscript.

• The Statistics advisor, in consultation with the 3-member committee, is responsible for filling out the assessment rubric at the completion of the student’s oral examination, and returning it to the Statistics Graduate Advisor (John Schuppel, john.schuppel@wisc.edu).