5 Courses
The Course Catalog is the primary location to find out about what courses exist at the University. The Schedule of Classes is the primary location ot find out what courses will be taught in upcoming semesters.
5.1 Numbering
At Iowa State, the course numbering system uses the following convention
| Level | Audience |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Undergraduate Freshman (1st Year) |
| 2000 | Undergraduate Sophomore (2nd Year) |
| 3000 | Undergraduate Junior (3rd Year) |
| 4000 | Undergraduate Senior (4th Year) |
| —– | ———————————- |
| 5000 | Graduate Masters |
| 6000 | Graduate PhD |
| —– | ———————————- |
For international students, you may be required to take an English course with a number below 5000. This is expected and you should take the assigned course as soon as possible.
Some 4000-level courses are cross-listed as 5000-level courses, e.g. STAT 4780/5780. Thus some courses will have both undergraduate students and graduate students.
Some courses will be cross-listed with another department, e.g. STAT/MATH 5540. In these cases, you should enroll in the STAT version of the course.
The Statistics Department is currently undergoing a massive course renumbering. This page on the department website provides updates on current and previous course numbers. Please refer to this page if you cannot find course numbers.
5.2 Course Load
The expectation for the number of credits a graduate student enrolls in is less than that for an undergraduate. The Graduate College stipulates that for graduate students on a half-time appointment (20 hrs/week), the maximum number of credits during a semester is 12. When on an assistantship there is a requirement to have at least 1 credit, but otherwise all students on an assistantship are considered full-time.
Early in your graduate career, you should expect to enroll in 9 credits of statistics courses during a semester. In some semesters you may also enroll in additional courses, e.g. MATH 4140, GRST 5400, ENGL 1010, etc. Later in your career while you are primarily working on research, you should aim for 3 credits of statistics courses per semester.
5.3 Prerequisites
Many graduate courses have prerequisites. Prerequisites for introductory (graduate) courses are not enforced by the registration system. For non-introductory courses that have prerequisites at ISU the prerequisites are enforced. Thus, if you are trying to register for a course with an ISU prerequisite that you have not taken, you will need to obtain an override (add link to instructions on how to do this).
Unfortunately, the prerequisites have recently been removed from the many graduate courses in the Course Catalog. Nonetheless, you should take prerequisites seriously and only enroll in courses where you satisfy the prerequisites. If you are in doubt about the prerequisites, please ask the GSSS.
5.4 Required
Required courses in Statistics Graduate Programs are listed under the corresponding degrees.
5.5 Electives
The Department of Statistics offers many elective courses at both the 5000- and 6000-level. Graduate students in the MS program should focus on 5000-level courses while graduate students in the PhD program should consider both 5000-level and 6000-level courses.
5.5.1 Restrictions
Some 5000-level courses cannot be used for graduate credit in the Statistics MS and PhD degree programs. These courses include the statement:
Graduation Restriction: May not be used for graduate credit in the Statistics MS and PhD degree programs.
As a graduate student in the MS and PhD degree programs, you should not enroll in these courses.
5.5.2 Special Topics
Courses using the 5900 and 6900 are special topics courses. When these courses are taught, faculty will send out emails to graduate students describing the content for that course in the upcoming semester.
5.5.3 Research
When completing research, it is typical that the student will enroll in STAT 5990 (Creative Component) or STAT 6990 (Research). These courses have a section number associated with a faculty and the faculty member’s approval is required (add link to instructions on how to do this). It is typical to enroll in 1-3 credits per semester for these courses once research with a faculty member has been initiated.