BS in Statistics
Degree Program Description
Statistics is a modern science concerned with making decisions and inferences from empirical data subject to random variability and error. It deals with designing experiments, sample surveys, summarizing numerical information, building and analyzing statistical models, prediction and choosing between alternate actions. Statistics can tell us how much safer it is to fly than drive, the odds of winning the lottery, our life expectancy and who is likely to win the next election. The BS in Statistics allows students to pursue either a traditional track or an applied track. Students who are interested in graduate study are strongly encouraged to follow the traditional track. All students are encouraged to supplement their work in statistics with courses from areas such as economics, biology, accounting, finance, marketing, management, psychology, sociology, engineering, agriculture and atmospheric science. Students pursuing the BS degree may elect to take an alternative to a foreign language. Because of its importance as a scientific method, the demand for trained statisticians has grown in education, medicine, government, business and industry as well as in the biological, social and physical sciences. Students are trained to meet this demand and develop careers in teaching and research.
Major Program Requirements
Students must complete the university general education requirements, university graduation requirements, and Department Degree Requirements in addition to the degree requirements below.
| Mathematics courses | ||
| Traditional track | ||
| MATH 1500 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | 5 |
| MATH 1700 | Calculus II | 5 |
| MATH 2300 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MATH 4140 | Matrix Theory | 3 |
| Applied track | ||
| MATH 1500 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | 5-6 |
| or MATH 1300 & MATH 1400 | Finite Mathematics and Calculus for Social and Life Sciences I | |
| 6 additional credits in statistics courses (beyond those used to fulfill the statistics requirements of the degree) or approved statistically-oriented courses; must be numbered 4000 or above | ||
| Statistics courses | ||
| Traditional Track | ||
| STAT 4970W | Junior/Senior Seminar - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| STAT 4710 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 4750 | Introduction to Probability Theory | |
| 15 additional credits offered by the department, at least 12 of which must be numbered 3000 or above and may not include STAT 4050: Connecting Statistics to Middle and Secondary Schools or more than 3 credits of STAT 4999: Departmental Honors in Statistics | ||
| Applied Track | ||
| STAT 4970W | Junior/Senior Seminar - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| STAT 4710 | Introduction to Mathematical Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 4760 | Statistical Inference | |
| or STAT 3500 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics II | |
| 21 additional credits offered by the department, at least 18 of which must be numbered 3000 or above and may not include STAT 4050: Connecting Statistics to Middle and Secondary Schools or more than 3 credits of STAT 4999: Departmental Honors in Statistics | ||
| Computing courses | ||
| Both tracks | ||
| INFOTC 1040 | Introduction to Problem Solving and Programming | 3 |
| AND 3 additional credits in computer science or other approved computing courses (STAT 4110: Statistical Software and Data Analysis may be used as part of this requirement if it is not counted in statistics group above.) | ||
| Professional writing courses | ||
| ENGLSH 2030 | Professional Writing | 3-4 |
| or COMMUN 1200 | Public Speaking | |
| or CMP_SC 2050 | Algorithm Design and Programming II | |
Foreign Language Option for Students Pursuing a BS Degree
Students pursuing the BS degree may elect to take an alternative to a foreign language. Such students must complete no fewer than 12 upper-class credits that are not from the parent department, are not normally required of departmental majors and do not appear elsewhere in the graduation plan. This program must be carefully planned to form a coherent unit and must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies.
The following are examples of foreign language alternatives:
- mathematical sciences
- biological sciences
- behavioral sciences
- physical sciences
- business
- engineering
- economics
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1160+ | 5 | MATH 1500 | 5 |
| ENGLSH 1000+ | 3 | INFOTC 1040 | 3 |
| Hum/Fine Arts Elective+ | 3 | Soc/Behav Science Elec+ | 3 |
| American History of Government+ | 3 | Bio/Phys Science lab+ | 5 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 17 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 1700 | 5 | MATH 2300 | 3 |
| STAT 2500 | 3 | STAT 3500 | 3 |
| ENGLSH 2030 | 3 | Hum/Fine Arts Elective+ | 3 |
| Hum/Fine Arts Elective+ | 3 | WI Elective+ | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 17 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| MATH 4140 | 3 | STAT 4510 | 3 |
| STAT 4110 | 3 | STAT 4710 | 3 |
| Elective | 6 | Soc/Behav Science Elective* | 3 |
| Second Language Substitute* | 3 | Second Language Substitute* | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| STAT 4750 | 3 | STAT 4760 | 3 |
| STAT 4520 | 3 | STAT 4970W | 3 |
| Electives | 3 | Electives | 4 |
| Second Language Substitute* | 6 | ||
| 15 | 10 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
- *
Course used as area in lieu of second language
- +
Course meets University General Education and/or campus requirements
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.