Graduate Admissions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):- Do you offer Part-Time, Distance and Evening Programs?
- Can I transfer from another institution?
- How do I reactivate my application?
- Is it possible to apply to two departments?
- Does Statistics admit applicants for the Spring semester?
- Can I study towards a graduate degree in Statistics part time?
- Is there a separate application for fellowships?
- What are the minimum admission requirements?
- What are the average GRE scores obtained by those who were admitted to your program?
- What is the Department's code to have official GRE scores sent?
- Is the Math Subject test required?
- Can the TOEFL be waived?
- Can I submit test scores before I apply?
- Does the Department of Statistics require that I calculate and list my grade-point average (GPA) on the application?
- Does the Department require applicants to contact faculty before submitting an application?
- Does the Department require applicants to list faculty in the department whose research is of interest to them?
- Where do I send the application fee?
- How many students are admitted each year?
- When will applicants be notified regarding the admission decisions?
- What is the cost of graduate study at UC Berkeley?
- Can I apply if I already have a M.A. or Ph.D. degree?
- Is it possible to apply to both the M.A. and Ph.D. programs?
- Will my application be considered for the M.A. program if I'm not admitted for the Ph.D.?
- What are some recent graduates doing now?
Q1: Do you offer Part-Time, Distance and Evening Programs?
We do not offer any part-time, evening or distance learning degree programs. All our degree programs are full-time. [back to top]
Q2: Can I transfer from another institution?
We do not have a separate application procedure for applicants who wish to transfer to our program from another graduate program at another institution. Applicants should follow our normal application directions. [back to top]
Q3: How do I reactivate my application?
We keep all admissions materials for two years. Therefore, if you applied to our program for admission in the past two years, we should have your file. You are not obligated to send us these materials again.
If you applied for admission more than two years ago, you must submit a new application, pay the application fee, and provide all required materials. [back to top]
Q4: Is it possible to apply to two departments?
The University does not allow applicants to apply to two departments simultaneously unless there is an established concurrent degree program between the two departments or schools (http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/programs/concurrent.shtml). Statistics does not have a concurrent degree program. [back to top]
Q5: Does Statistics admit applicants for the Spring semester?
No, we only admit students for the Fall semester. [back to top]
Q6: Can I study towards a graduate degree in Statistics part time?
The Department does not allow part-time graduate study. All students are required to maintain a full-time load of 12 units. There are no evening or weekend courses. However, the UC Berkeley Extension offers evening and weekend classes in locations throughout California. [back to top]
Q7: Is there a separate application for fellowships?
No, there is only one application for admission and fellowships. [back to top]
Q8: What are the minimum admission requirements?
- Background in mathematics, statistics, or a quantitative field
- General GRE scores
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts from each school at which you have completed college-level work. Transcripts not in English should be accompanied by translations from the university that issued them.
- Descriptive list of upper division math courses: Please include department, course number and course title; Instructor; Grade: School; Test used and subject matter covered
- Applicants from countries in which English is not the official language are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum score: computer based: 230; paper based: 570; internet based (iBT): 68. [back to top]
Q9: What are the average GRE scores obtained by those who were admitted to your program?
Many students admitted into our program score in the 750-800 range (old test) in the Quantitative section and above 500-550 in the Verbal section. Again, this is an average and the admissions committee looks at a student's WHOLE application not just their GRE scores. [back to top]
Q10: What is the Department's code to have official GRE scores sent?
To ensure that your official GRE scores are forwarded to the Department of Statistics you must give ETS the department code (0705) when requesting official score reports to be sent to UC Berkeley (institution code - 4833). [back to top]
Q11: Is the Math Subject test required?
We do not require the Math subject test but if the scores are available you may submit it as part of your application. [back to top]
Q12: Can the TOEFL be waived?
If you have completed at least one year of full-time academic course work with grades of B or better in residence at a recognized U.S. institution, you do not need to take a standardized test. Instead, you must upload an official transcript from the recognized U.S. institution. The following courses will not fulfill this requirement: 1) courses in English as a second language 2) courses conducted in a language other than English 3) courses that will be completed after the application is submitted, and 4) courses of nonacademic nature. For more information follow this link. [back to top]
Q13: Can I submit test scores before I apply?
You can self-report your scores in the online application. Once we receive your official scores, they will be matched to your application. [back to top]
Q14: Does the Department of Statistics require that I calculate and list my grade-point average (GPA) on the application?
Yes. For applicants who received their undergraduate degree at an American university or college we use all coursework towards the degree after the first two years in our GPA calculation (Advanced GPA). If you attended a university that does not use the 4.0 system, please do not try and convert your grades to our system--just leave that section blank. [back to top]
Q15: Does the Department require applicants to contact faculty before submitting an application?
No, this is not required. [back to top]
Q16: Does the Department require applicants to list faculty in the department whose research is of interest to them?
No, we do not require this of our applicants. [back to top]
Q17: Where do I send the application fee?
Please follow the Graduate Division instructions. Applicants must pay the fee online by credit card when they submit their application. Please do not mail your fee payment to the Statistics Department. This will delay crediting the payment to your application. [back to top]
Q18: How many students are admitted each year?
Statistics receives between 150-200 applications for admission to the PhD program each year and 75-100 for the MA program. We typically recommend for admission between 14-20 PhD students to achieve an incoming class of 8-10 PhD students. For the MA program, we usually recommend for admission 4-8 students per year. [back to top]
Q19: When will applicants be notified regarding the admission decisions?
All applicants will be notified via email by the end of March. [back to top]
Q20: What is the cost of graduate study at UC Berkeley?
For more information about the costs of attending Berkeley please see the Graduate Division website for prospective students.
http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/cost_fees.shtml [back to top]
Q21: Can I apply if I already have a MA or Ph.D. degree?
For more information, please see the Graduate Division website for their policy on the Duplication of Degrees.
http://grad.berkeley.edu/policies/guides/f4-3-duplication-of-graduate-degrees/ [back to top]
Q22: Is it possible to apply to both the M.A. and Ph.D. program?
No, applicants may only apply to one program. [back to top]
Q23: Will my application be considered for the M.A. program if I'm not admitted to the Ph.D.?
No, unfortunately, you must decide to which program you would like to be considered for. [back to top]
PhD:
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Statistics, University of Pennsylvania ; Assistant Professor, Dept. of Statistics and Operations Research, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Postdoctoral Fellow, INRIA, France; Quantitative Analyst, Google, Inc; Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge, UK; Assistant Professor, Dept. of Statistics, Indiana University, Bloomington; Statistician, Genentech, Inc.; Postdoctoral Researcher, Microsoft Research; NSF Postdoc, Dept. of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University; Research Scientist, SenseNetworks
MA:
Actuarial Consultant, Tillinghast; UC Berkeley, Statistics PhD program; Analyst, Google; University of Washington, Statistics PhD program; Trader, Wells Fargo; Math teacher, private high school; Actuarial Intern, Hewitt Consulting
Check these sites for employment opportunities:
American Statistical Association (AMA) job site
Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) job site