Degree Requirements
Ph.D. in Statistics

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have completed the course requirements (or their equivalents) for the master's degree in statistics and at least one semester or two quarters of advanced calculus at a level equivalent to Mathematics 125AB and a quarter of linear algebra at a level equivalent to Mathematics 167. While students may be admitted to the program with a less complete background, they would be expected to achieve this level during the first year of graduate work. For more information, please see our Admissions Section.

Program of Study

This is a Plan A program with defense exam. A Ph.D. student will select an area of specialization and will choose a major professor and dissertation advisor in that area, usually in the second or third year of study. The student's program of study will be developed by the student jointly with the Graduate Adviser.

Required Core Courses:

• Statistical Computing: Statistics 141 (4 units)
• Mathematical Statistics: Statistics 231A-231B-231C (4/4/4 units)
• Applied Statistics: Statistics 232A-232B-232C (4/4/4 units)
• Probability Theory: Statistics 235A-235B (4/4 units)
• Seminar in Statistics: Statistics 290 (1 unit, each quarter, taken until advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D., graded S/U)
• Methods in Teaching Statistics: Statistics 390 (2 units, once, at the first offering of the course during residence, graded S/U)
• Methods in Statistical Consulting: Statistics 401 (3 units, twice during program, graded S/U)
• An additional 8 units of elective graduate level courses in Statistics or Mathematics at the graduate level.

These courses and the program of study must be approved by the Graduate Adviser.

Breadth Courses:

Six (6) units of breadth courses, at the upper-division or graduate level, are to be selected primarily from the following list of courses outside of Statistics. Selection of similar courses is possible, subject to approval by the Graduate Adviser. Please see the Graduate Program Guidelines for course possibilities.

Written Examinations

The written Basic Examination is required of every graduate student. Graduate students must pass the Basic Exam on material covered in the courses Statistics 131A-131B-131C, 106 and 108. Every student is required to take this examination at the end of the first year. The exam can be repeated once if necessary. Such a second attempt must be at the end of the second year. This exam will be given once a year, the week after the end of Spring Quarter finals. Failure to pass the exam at the second attempt terminates the student’s stay in the Statistics graduate program.

There is the possibility of a waiver of the Basic Exam requirement for students intending a “fast track” program (see below).

The Written Ph.D. Exam is required of every graduate student. Students are required to take the Written Ph.D. Exam as soon as they complete the core sequences 231ABC and 232ABC. This requirement may not be waived. Incoming students are also allowed to take the exam. Taking the exam then counts as their first attempt; in case of failure to pass, such students are left with only one additional attempt at the exam. Such a second attempt must be in the year immediately following the failure to pass. Failure to pass the exam at the second attempt terminates the student’s stay in the Statistics Ph.D. program.

Waiver: Ph.D. students may be considered for a waiver of the Basic Exam by the Educational Policy Committee of the Graduate Program in Statistics. If the waiver is granted, the student must take the Written Ph.D. Exam (the Preliminary Ph.D. Exam) the following September. For students with a waiver of the Basic Exam, passing the Written Ph.D. Exam the following September also satisfies the requirement of passing the Basic Exam. Failing to pass the Written Ph.D. Exam also means failure to pass the Basic Exam. Consequently the student then has one and only one attempt left for each of the two written exams. In such a case, students will be required to take the Basic Exam the following June. Failure to pass the Basic Exam terminates the student's stay in the Statistics graduate program because exercising the option of taking the Written Ph.D. Exam in lieu of the Basic Exam is deemed as having used one of the two times that students are allowed to take the Written Ph.D. Exam.

Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination is an oral exam. The exam will be attempted as soon as the Ph.D. Written Examination has been passed and all required coursework for the Ph.D. degree in Statistics has been completed. In accordance with university rules, students are requested to take their qualifying examination before the end of the third year to remain eligible for academic appointments such as Teaching Assistantship. The preparation for the exam will be done by working closely with a faculty mentor (independent study). The Ph.D. Qualifying Examination covers a special research topic assigned by an examining committee consisting of five faculty members. The examining committee will be appointed by Graduate Council at the recommendation of the graduate adviser who consults with the student prior to making the recommendation. The major professor is not eligible to serve as chair of the examining committee. Graduate Studies guidelines for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations apply. These can be obtained from the Graduate Studies Website.

A student who passes the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam is promoted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Title and abstract of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam presentation will be distributed to all faculty and students of the Graduate Program in Statistics, who are invited to attend the presentation.

Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation is the main part of this program. A topic will be selected by the student, under the advice and guidance of a major professor (thesis adviser) and a dissertation committee chaired by the major professor. Students are encouraged to begin some research activity as early as possible during the second year of their graduate studies. The dissertation must contain an original contribution of publishable quality to the knowledge of statistics that may expand the theory or methodology of statistics, or expand or modify statistical methods to solve a critical problem in applied disciplines. Acceptance of the dissertation by three designated members of the dissertation committee follows Graduate Studies guidelines (Plan A with defense). The dissertation must be completed and filed prior to taking the final examination. The final examination must be passed within four years after promotion to candidacy, unless a special exception is granted.

Final Examination

Defense of the dissertation before the dissertation committee will constitute the final examination for the Ph.D. degree. This examination is public. Pass or no pass is determined by a vote of the dissertation committee. Title and abstract of the Ph.D. Defense presentation will be distributed to all faculty and students of the Graduate Program in Statistics, who are invited to attend the presentation.

Sample Programs

Every full-time student at UC Davis is required to take 12 units of coursework per quarter. Financial support, if granted, is contingent on normal progress towards the degree goal. In addition to the coursework as outlined below, students will take Statistics 290 and generally will take additional electives later on, in consultation with their major professor. Appropriate modifications to these schedules will be made for part time students.

Sample A

The following would be a typical program for a well-prepared student seeking a Ph.D. degree who opts for the fast track.

Sample B

The following would be a typical program for a student seeking a Ph.D. degree who is coming in without a solid year-long sequence in probability and mathematical statistics at the upper-division level (with a text such as Hogg and Craig, Introduction to Mathematical Statistics, for example) or without theoretical background at the level of Mathematics 127AB or Mathematics 167.

You can download a pdf of the complete Graduate Program in Statistics Guidelines here.