8  Progress

Continued membership in the Statistics MS or PhD program and financial support are contingent upon Satisfactory Academic Progress towards the degree.

Satisfactory Academic Progress requires you to

and complete a series of requirements in a timely manner. These requirements include

At the end of every academic year each student will document their own progress by preparing a brief annual report of their coursework, research work in progress, exams, POS meetings, future goals, timeline for degree completion, professional activities, and provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae.

Modifications to these requirements requires approval of the DOGE.

8.1 Maintain a 3.0 Cumulative GPA

Under Chapter 5 - Courses, Credits, and Grading in the Graduate Handbook, see the Probation and Academic Standing section.

8.2 Pass English Proficiency Test

Modified from the Graduate College English Requirements page:

All admitted graduate students who are nonnative speakers of English are required to complete the Graduate College English Requirement. Students are required to take the [English Placement Test] (EPT) at the beginning of their first semester and encouraged to complete the necessary ENGL 990 or ENGL 1010 courses during the first year with the Graduate College.

8.3 Successfully Complete Courses

The timelines provided for each degree provide the semesters when courses are expected to be taken. The minimum grade acceptable for a course on the Academic Plan is a C. Thus, Successfully Complete Courses means to enroll and complete the courses in the timelines given and receive a minimum of a C.

8.4 Pass Qualifying Exams

The PhD Written Qualifying Exam covers content in first-year required courses: STAT 5000, 5100, 5420, 5430, and 5790. The exam is given in May and in August. Students are expected to take the exam in May of their first year and, if they did not pass or do not take the May exam, will have their final attempt in August of the same year. Delaying the exam is only permitted due to extenuating circumstances and requires written approval by the department.

The exam is given as a two-part exam over 4 hours on each of two consecutive days. The first part of the exam generally covers Methods questions related to STAT 5000 and 5100 while the second part covers Theory questions related to STAT 5420 and 5430. Content from STAT 5790 may be incorporated into either or both parts of the exam.

Students are provided standard distribution tables, e.g. z-tables, t-tables, and chi-square tables, as well as calculators. English dictionaries may be used, but must be turned in 2 days prior to the exam.

8.5 Find a Major Professor

The Major Professor will serve as the principal student advisor for all matters related to research, academics, assistantships, and overall programmatic progress. The major professor will also serve as the primary mentor and evaluator of student performance and will be assisted by the Academic Plan Committee.

To find a Major Professor, students are encouraged to study faculty research interests by visiting faculty webpages
and reading their recent publications. For faculty whose research interests align with your own, students are encouraged to request a meeting to discuss the possibility of the faculty become a Major Professor. Students are encouraged to talk with many faculty. Before a Major Professor has been determined, the student can seek advice from the DOGE.

Positive working relationships with faculty, particularly Major Professors, are vital to graduate student success. The Student & Major Professor Checklist provides a number of discussion topics for graduate students and their Major Professor.

MS Students should have an agreed upon Major Professor early in the first semester of their second year. PhD Students should have an agreed upon Major Professor shortly after successful completion of the written qualifying examination.

8.6 Create an Academic Plan Committee

The Academic Plan Committee (APC) is composed of faculty who direct course selection, supervise progress towards degree, and evaluate the Final Oral Exam. The Major Professor serves as the chair of the APC. In Statistics, the APC for an MS student is typically 3 faculty members. The APC should be developed shortly after a Major Professor has been agreed upon.

8.7 Develop an Academic Plan

The Academic Plan (AP) provides a course timeline for successful completion of your degree. You should develop your AP with your Major Professor to ensure you meet all university, department, and APC requirements. The AP should be developed shortly after the APC is established.

8.8 Pass a Preliminary Exam

The Oral Preliminary Exam is a Graduate College PhD requirement that varies dramatically among departments at the university and among APCs within the department. Since the Department of Statistics has a written qualifying exam, the oral preliminary exam is typically a presentation of research results as well as a roadmap for future research. This research will form the foundation of the PhD Dissertation. While you should work with your Major Professor to determine when this exam takes place, the department generally recommends that this exam occur about a year after research is initiated.

8.9 Write a Creative Component or Dissertation

The primary product of an MS is the Creative Component (CC) while the primary product of a PhD is the Dissertation. The CC is typically a 30-50 page manuscript describing the research undertaken by an MS student. The Dissertation is typically a 100-200 page manuscript with multiple chapters describing the research undertaken by a PhD student.

8.10 Pass a Final Exam

For an MS, once you have written the CC, you will schedule a 2-hour time-slot to present your CC and respond to questions and comments from the committee. If the committee feels you have reasonably responded to their questions, they will pass you on your final exam.

For a PhD, once you have written the Dissertation, you will schedule a 50-minute public seminar followed by a 2-hour defense of your Dissertation. If the committee feels you have reasonably responded to their questions, they will pass you on your final exam.

8.11 Submit your CC or Dissertation

Once you have passed your final exam, the final step will be to submit your CC or Dissertation.