Accelerated Master's Degree Program

The AMDP option will award a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics for highly motivated students working towards their Bachelor’s degree in their senior year, plus one more year of graduate study in Statistics.

The Applied Statistics MS program emphasizes statistical theory, modeling, computing and data analysis with a modern curriculum and provides rigorous training in these areas with emphasis on foundation, methods, and computation. Most graduates work in industry (e.g., information technology and financial sectors), and some continue to pursue their Ph.D. degrees in statistics, biostatistics, computer science, economics, and other fields, upon graduation from the program.

Application Requirements

Students must be enrolled at the University of Michigan for a bachelor’s degree with a strong quantitative background with a UGPA > 3.2. Majors in Statistics and in Data Science at the University of Michigan will prepare the students well for the AMDP option.

We require applicants to complete the following courses by the end of their junior year: (DATASCI 101 - Introduction to Data Science or STATS 250/280 - Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis), DATASCI 306 - Introduction to Statistical Computing, and [(STATS 425 - Introduction to Probability and STATS 426 - Introduction to Theoretical Statistics) or STATS 412 - Introduction to Probability & Statistics], or equivalents of these courses.

Applicants must show sufficient proficiency in computer programming. This may be satisfied by courses taken, such as EECS 182 or EECS 183 - Elementary Programming Concepts, or a letter of support from a former employer or advisor.

We strongly recommend that students get approval from their current primary faculty advisor before applying. The GRE is not required.

Application Process

• Students typically apply in the 2nd semester of their junior year.

• Applicants must complete a LSA application form.

• Complete applications are due March 15.

• As part of the application process, prospective students must provide:

1) At least one letter of support from a course instructor

2) An academic statement of purpose, explaining the reason for interest in the Applied Statistics Master's Program

3) A plan for the course of study to complete their undergraduate and Master’s degrees

4) A current undergraduate transcript

• Statistics MS Admissions Committee will review the applications.

Rackham Year Admission

• Students do not enroll in the Rackham Graduate School until their fifth year of study, and must have completed or be within 6 credit hours of completing the undergraduate degree by the end of their senior year. Students normally apply to graduate with their undergraduate degree at the end of the semester in which their degree requirements are met.
• During the student's senior year, they will have to submit an AMDP Rackham Year application to Rackham Graduate School. Students will need to complete this step to be formally enrolled in the Rackham Graduate School, and enter their Rackham year of study. Deadline: December 15.
• During their fifth year of study, students must enroll in and complete two full terms (with 9 or more credits each term) as a Rackham Graduate student for the Master’s degree. AMDP students must pay Rackham fees for all classes taken during the two terms when they are classified as graduate students.

Curriculum

A student must complete the following courses by the end of their senior year:

• STATS 413: Applied Regression Analysis
• STATS 415: Introduction to Data Mining and Statistical Learning

Note these courses may be counted for the student’s Bachelor’s degree, but they will not be counted for the Master’s degree.

Course requirements include at least 10 courses for a total of 30 credit hours for the Master's degree.

Students must take each of the following core courses:

• STATS 503: Statistical Learning II: Multivariate Analysis
• STATS 504: Practice and Communication in Applied Statistics
• STATS 510: Probability and Distribution Theory
• STATS 511: Introduction to Statistical Theory

Note that STATS 500 Statistical Learning I: Regression is no longer listed as a required core course (but rather as an elective).

Further, students must take at least six (3 credit) elective courses:

• DATASCI 406: Advanced Statistical Computing
• STATS 414: Topics in Statistics
• STATS 430: Applied Probability
• DATASCI 451: Bayesian Data Analysis
• STATS 500: Statistical Learning I: Regression
• STATS 501: Applied Statistics II
• STATS 505: Econometric Analysis I
• STATS 506: Computational Methods and Tools in Statistics
• STATS 507 Data Science and Analytics using Python
• STATS 509: Statistical Models and Methods for Financial Data
• STATS 526: Discrete State Stochastic Processes
• STATS 531: Modeling and Analysis of Time Series Data
• STATS 535: Reliability
• STATS 545: High Throughput Molecular Genomic and Epigenomic Data Analysis
• STATS 547: Mathematics of Data
• STATS 551: Topics in Bayesian Modeling and Computation
• STATS 560: Introduction to Nonparametric Statistics
• STATS 570: Design of Experiments
• STATS 580: Methods and Theory of Sample Design
• BIOSTAT 615: Statistical Computing
• BIOSTAT 675: Survival Analysis
• BIOSTAT 682: Applied Bayesian Inference
• BIOSTAT 695: Analysis of Categorical Data
• BIOSTAT 696: Spatial Statistics
• Any approved STATS 600-level or above courses

Cognate Courses

Students may take up to 6 credits (equivalently, two courses) from departments other than Statistics or Biostatistics to fulfill the elective coursework requirement, with prior approval from their advisor.

Additional Degree Information

As an AMDP student, some of the requirements for a Master’s degree in Applied Statistics can be satisfied while completing the requirements for their Bachelor’s degree.

• Students in the AMDP will begin graduate-level coursework in their fourth year of study.
• Students do not enroll in the Rackham Graduate School until their fifth year of study, and must have completed or be within 6 credit hours of completing the undergraduate degree by the end of their senior year. Students normally apply for their undergraduate degree at the end of the semester in which their degree requirements are met.
• A maximum of 15 credit hours may be taken outside of the Rackham registration and counted towards the Master’s degree. Of those 15 credits:         
  • A maximum of 9 credits used for the undergraduate degree may be double-counted to meet the Master’s degree requirements, provided that these credits were not used to meet the requirements for the undergraduate major and that the student received a “B” or better in each of the courses.      
  • A max of 6 credits can be transferred to Rackham.                         
• During their fifth year of study, students must enroll in and complete two full terms (with 9 or more credits each term) as a Rackham Graduate student for the Master’s degree. AMDP students must pay Rackham fees for all classes taken during the two terms when they are classified as graduate students.
• Students must maintain satisfactory progress towards their degrees, and maintain a GPA of 3.0 (“B”) or better.

Sample Timeline

• Year 3, term 2: Meet with an advisor and submit AMDP application (deadline: March 15 / notification of acceptance: May 1)
• Year 4, terms 1 and 2: Meet with Statistics MS Advisors to discuss course options. Enroll as an advanced undergraduate and begin MS program courses while continuing undergraduate major courses. Submit AMDP Rackham Year application (deadline: December 15). Completion of undergraduate BS degree. 
• Year 5, terms 1 and 2: Meet with Statistics MS Advisors to discuss course options. Enroll as a Rackham Graduate Student to complete MS program courses.

Beginning of May: Conferral of graduate (M.S.) degree.

Advising, Mentoring and Student Community

All AMDP students will be advised by the Statistics Master’s Advisors, and they will be fully incorporated into the student community and have equal access to the facilities and resources of the department. The Advisors will develop materials and activities specifically for AMDP students and meet with them individually either before or at the beginning of the fall semester of every school year to discuss the study plan.  AMDP students will take at least two core courses (STATS 510 and STATS 511) in their senior year, together with all first-year regular Master’s students. These common courses will facilitate interaction between AMDP and other students in the same cohort and help build a strong and inclusive student community.