Why Pursue a PhD in Applied Statistics
This doctoral program is diverse in terms of professional experience, academic experience, cultural influences, and international experiences. Commitment to research and a passion for teaching are two of the qualities that distinguish both our doctoral faculty and our graduates. Students work closely with faculty members in small classes, seminars, research projects, and other assignments, aimed toward developing the analytical skills competencies to conduct independent quality research.
The PhD in Applied Statistics draws on the extensive health-related expertise of faculty from the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio to complement the Alvarez College of Business faculty. Statistical methods are used in the social, physical, and biomedical sciences and in business to process information to assist decision making. In this age of advanced technology, there is an increased demand for individuals with the expertise in designing experiments and analyzing large complex data sets via the latest advances in computing. Statisticians are in very high demand in the fields of biostatistics and bioinformatics, business analytics and economics, engineering and industry, large data set processing and mining, and social and behavioral sciences.
Research Opportunities
Research is carried out while students are taking formal coursework and during the summers. As research assistants, students are involved with faculty in joint research activities and pursue their own research objectives under faculty supervision. These activities should lead to authoring or co-authoring papers presented at academic meetings and possibly submitted for publication by the time the student is ready for dissertation research. (To compete successfully in the job market, students should give high priority to presenting papers at meetings and publications while in the program.)
Admission & Application Requirements
Applications are submitted through the UTSA Graduate Application. Please upload all required documents (listed below) on your UTSA Graduate Application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure completion and submission of the application, a nonrefundable application fee, and all required supporting documents are on file with UTSA by the appropriate application deadline.
| Applied Statistics (PhD) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Admission is only available for the Fall semester | ||
| Required Degree | Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States or have proof of equivalent training at a foreign institution. | |
| Minimum GPA | 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) Departments may consider GPA of last 60 semester credit hours | |
| Coursework | 18 credit hours in an area related to this graduate degree and at least 12 hours must be at the upper-division level. | |
| Transcripts* | Required from all institutions attended; international transcripts must be recorded/translated to English | |
| Credential Evaluation | Required if you have earned university-level credit from foreign institutions. Submit an evaluation of your transcripts from Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) directly from the graduate admission application platform | |
| GRE | Required scores not older than five years. | |
| TOEFL/IELTS Score | 550 TOEFL Paper / 79 TOEFL Internet / 6.5 IELTS scores for International applicants (exempt countries). | |
| Purpose Statement | Required | |
| Resume | Required | |
| Letters of Recommendation | 3 demonstrating your academic and personal attributes for success in this program (you will request these through the Graduate Admissions Application; let your recommenders know of your deadline to ensure submissions are on time) | |
| *Unofficial transcripts will be taken into consideration for admissions; however, if admitted into the program, you must submit official transcripts to the University. | ||
Admission Deadlines
Applicants are encouraged to have their admission file completed as early as possible. All applications, required documents and letters of recommendation, if applicable, must be submitted by 5:00 PM U.S. Central Time on the day of the deadline. Deadlines are subject to change.
| Applied Statistics (PhD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Completed applications will be reviewed for admission on a rolling basis. Decisions generally will be made and sent to applicants within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving the application. | |||
| Fall | Spring | Summer | |
| International | February 1 | Not Available | Not Available |
| Domestic | February 1 | Not Available | Not Available |
Funding Opportunities
Full-time students admitted to the PhD program are usually awarded fellowships that include a waiver of tuition, a stipend to help cover living expenses, and some health care benefits. The stipend is likely to vary but could be in an amount up to $25,000 annually. These stipends carry with them the expectation that the student will work 20 hours a week in either a research or teaching assistantship.
Career Options
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. The possible careers below is data pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls information from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program.
While in a doctoral program, a student may earn a master’s degree provided the following conditions are satisfied:
- A student must be admitted to candidacy.
- A student is eligible to receive a master’s degree upon completion of University-wide requirements and any additional degree requirements specific to the program.
- The Doctoral Studies Committee, Department Chair, and the Graduate Associate Dean of the College must recommend students for the degree.
- The student must apply for graduation by the published deadline the semester prior to awarding the doctoral degree.
- All required coursework in the doctoral program at the time of admission to candidacy must have been taken within the previous six years.
- If the master’s degree requires a thesis, the degree cannot be awarded on the basis of the doctoral qualifying examination.
- Students will not be approved for an additional master’s degree in the same field in which an individual has previously received a master’s degree.
This program will admit full-time as well as part-time students. Full-time students will normally be expected to enroll for nine hours each long semester, and three hours in the summer semester while part time students are expected to enroll for a minimum of three credit hours each semester. Most courses will be offered during the evening. PhD full-time students normally serve as either a teaching assistant or research assistant throughout the program. These experiences are an important part of the training and overall doctoral experience.
