Statistics Major and Minor Requirements

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Statistics

Major and minor offered under the auspices of the mathematics, computer science and statistics department. Visit the mathematics, computer science, and statistics department webpage at Math, Computer Science, and Statistics Department | St. Lawrence University

Here is a worksheet for a stand-alone statistics major . There are some restrictions on combinations of majors and minors within the department. More information can be found here.

Major Requirements

The requirements for a major in statistics are 11 units, consisting of nine foundational courses and two electives. Majors must also have a senior-year experience which may be counted as electives.

Foundational Courses 

  • STAT 113. Applied Statistics
  • STAT 213. Applied Regression Analysis
  • STAT 234. Foundations of Data Science
  • STAT 325. Probability
  • STAT 326. Mathematical Statistics
  • MATH 135. Calculus I
  • MATH 136. Calculus II
  • MATH 205. Multivariate Calculus
  • MATH 217. Linear Algebra

Elective Courses

  • Two courses at the 200-level or above, required
  • One course at the 300-level or above, required

* At least two of the electives must be from STAT.  MATH 280, MATH 305, and CS 219 may count as electives.

Senior Year Experience (SYE)

Students must fulfill a Senior-Year Experience (SYE) requirement either in statistics as one of the 11 units in the major or by completing an SYE outside the major. More information can be found here.

Minor Requirements

Five units are required for this minor of which at least three must be in Statistics (i.e., have a STAT prefix). The remaining two units can be either from Statistics or from among the options listed below. Additionally, one of the two non-STAT units may be an independent study/honors project without a STAT prefix that involves substantial statistical analysis.

  • BIOL 303.  Biostatistics
  • CHEM 342. Thermodynamics and Kinetics
  • ECON 200. Quantitative Methods in Economics
  • GEOL 233. Geographic Information Systems
  • PSYC 205. Research Methods in Psychology
  • SOC 301. Quantitative Methods

Major/Minor Restrictions

By their very nature, the disciplines of Mathematics and Statistics are closely connected, and several of the courses offered within the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics department can be used towards a major or minor in both. However, to ensure that the students that wish to double major (or major and minor) in the two fields have sufficient depth of knowledge within each field, there are some limitations on the number of courses that can count towards both.

Notes

  • Students considering graduate work in statistics are strongly encouraged to take MATH 217, MATH 305, and CS 140 in addition to majoring or minoring in statistics.
  • Students planning to participate in an off-campus program should seek early advice from the department on the best way to plan their major program

Honors

Honors work in statistics provides the student with an opportunity for more independent and creative work in pure or applied statistics. A minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major is required to receive honors in statistics. In addition, each student applying for honors must complete a departmentally approved honors project. This work is completed as a senior year experience project. Interested students should consult the department chair.

Advanced Placement

Students who enter St. Lawrence with a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Statistics test will receive credit for STAT 113 and are encouraged to start with STAT 213 or STAT 226.