patient512

I was accepted by them

@DanielWarlock Would you be able to provide some insight on this? If one intends to pursue a PhD does it make sense to attend this program? Also how does it compare to UW and Duke MS in Statistics in the same context? Thank you!

Although I can't speak to their academic placements, I am not sure why they are looked down upon here - other than their bad communication with applicants. UCLA is one of the leading institutions for AI and machine learning research (see this link). They have quite a few labs that emphasize the value of statistical inference, e.g. Center for VCLA, StarAI Lab, and the Statistical Machine Learning Lab just to name a few - and students in their stats department often work in these labs due to their interdisciplinary nature.

Got an admit from Harvard MS DS today. Does anyone know anything about how this program compares to other programs like Stanford MS Statistics and UChicago MS Statistics? I intend to pursue a PhD eventually, and there is a thesis option which is exciting, however, it seems like most alumni tend to go to industry after - whereas many of those from the latter have gone to PhD programs.

No, the UT Austin Statistics PhD program

Waitlisted at UT. I would be eternally grateful if anyone who was accepted and has a better offer would decline. Thank you!

I have a friend who recently graduated from this program. He told me that it's very difficult to find research opportunities with professors (both in and out of the stats department), because they prioritize working with PhD/Masters students in their respective departments. He said that most of the cohort is interested in entering industry after, but those who would like to apply to PhD programs tend to either do independent research, or assist PhD students. In both cases, however, this doesn't allow for one to form a working relationship with an advisor - which one may want to leverage during applications. With that being said, he and few other alumni have gone on to top PhD programs at Stanford and other great institutions, albeit not for stats.

For those who are interested in continuing on to a PhD in statistics, would it be reasonable to rank the masters programs according to the USNWR Statistics ranking and omit the programs that do not offer research opportunities? I say this because I assume a one-year coursework/professional masters will not prepare one well for a PhD, nor add much substance to an applicant's profile. By this reasoning the ranking would be roughly: 1. University of Chicago 2. University of Washington 3. Duke University etc...

Wait there is more hope! According to the person I contacted: "The PhD Admission Committee is still reviewing applications, but hope to have decisions by mid-February"

I emailed the UW stat department today and they said that they haven't made any decisions for the MS program yet. So there is still some hope for those who are looking forward to those decisions. Good luck everyone!

I have seen that many statistics masters programs are not funded, and therefore seen as "cash cows". Does this put domestic students at a disadvantage in the application process? (assuming their fees are less than their international counterparts) Many alumni/student listings on department websites seem to corroborate this, as the vast majority of matriculated masters students are international.