Anyone here go from a Masters of Applied Statistics to a PhD program?

[dmacfour]

After finishing my Applied Statistics program last year, I was left interested in going even further with the subject. It was made abundantly clear that the MAS program isn't suitable preparation for a PhD in Statistics, so I imagine that I'm not in much better of a position than an undergrad looking to go straight into a PhD. I'm currently looking for programs or professors that are doing research on applied topics. 

 

Any advice for someone in my position? I've taken Calc I-III, linear algebra, and the probability theory/math stats sequence offered by my applied stats program. I plan on taking more math classes in the meantime (real analysis and its prereqs, at the very least).

 

Thanks!

[bayessays]

Luckily, you're still in great shape assuming you have pretty good grades.  Some people come in with MS Statistics degrees from top schools, but most people are coming out of undergrad.  If you take real analysis, and you've had probability/mathstat in your masters program, you have more than enough to be an attractive applicant to PhD programs.  The master's, even if it was mostly applied, still let you take the theory sequence and gave you more insight into why you want a PhD, which will be attractive to programs.

I'm not sure how high you are aiming in terms of rankings, but if you want to do applied stats, lower-ranked biostatistics programs would probably be ok with you not having analysis and you could just apply now.

[dmacfour]

11 minutes ago, bayessays said:

Luckily, you're still in great shape assuming you have pretty good grades.  Some people come in with MS Statistics degrees from top schools, but most people are coming out of undergrad.  If you take real analysis, and you've had probability/mathstat in your masters program, you have more than enough to be an attractive applicant to PhD programs.  The master's, even if it was mostly applied, still let you take the theory sequence and gave you more insight into why you want a PhD, which will be attractive to programs.

I'm not sure how high you are aiming in terms of rankings, but if you want to do applied stats, lower-ranked biostatistics programs would probably be ok with you not having analysis and you could just apply now.

That's good to hear! My grades are in good shape (~3.7 GPA), and I'm not overly concerned about rank.

 

I am a bit concerned about LORs, though. Outside of the MAS program and math prereqs, I don't know of anyone with a quantitative background that could give me one. My academic and professional career up until 2017 was in the behavioral sciences. 

[bayessays]

Do you have a good relationship with any of your MAS professors, and did you do any research or projects with them? I'd prioritize getting a letter like that if possible.  If you could, for example, get 1 letter from a MAS professor you did any type of project with, a letter from a difficult math or stat theory class, and a letter from a professor you did behavioral science research with, that would be a good combo.  I think a lot of people struggle to get 3 strong letters, but I'd prioritize anyone you did research with and anyone you took theoretical classes with.