This guide is the fifteenth effort by graduate students in Statistics and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley to provide current, relevant information to their peers about life in these programs. We believe that graduate students benefit from candid information about the opportunities and hurdles that await them here. We have tried to verify all information gathered in previous editions. Nevertheless, it is possible that you will find some information incomplete or incorrect.
This guide has been designed for useful reference from the time you apply to graduate school in statistics or biostatistics at the University of California, Berkeley, until you finish your graduate degree here. Here we summarize where you can find information that will be most useful to you. The numbers indicate the section referenced. In addition, within the text, we have highlighted paperwork obligations and deadlines for quick reference; heed the Paperwork tag!
Jerzy Neyman came to the Department of Mathematics at Berkeley from University College, London, in 1938. He founded the Statistical Laboratory, which combined research with an extensive instructional program in Probability and Statistics. This program offered M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Statistics. In 1955 the Statistical Laboratory became the Department of Statistics with the following faculty: E. Barankin, David Blackwell, Evelyn Fix, J.L. Hodges, Charles H. Kraft, W. Kruskal, Lucien Le Cam, Erich Lehmann, Michel Loève, Jerzy Neyman (chair), Henry Scheffé and Elizabeth L. Scott.
From 1955 until 1981 the Statistical Laboratory functioned as a research unit under the direction of Jerzy Neyman. The Laboratory supported research in statistical theory and applications to such fields as astronomy, biology, communications theory, problems of health, and weather modification.
In 1981 Leo Breiman was appointed Director of the Statistical Laboratory. Under his direction the Departmental computer facilities greatly improved and expanded, and in 1986 the Statistical Computing Facility (SCF) was founded as a separate unit (see section 5.2). These days, the Statistical Laboratory concentrates on consulting (see section 5.1).
The Department of Statistics offers higher degrees which emphasize theoretical or applied areas in probability and statistics. The Group in Biostatistics, which includes faculty from Public Health and Statistics, offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in biostatistics. This program is appropriate for people with strong interests in both statistics and the biological sciences.
Like Biostatistics, the Department of Demography brings together several disciplines. More information can be obtained by contacting the Group office on 2232 Piedmont Avenue.
The programs in statistics and biostatistics bring together students from diverse academic backgrounds and from all six populated continents. In spring 1995 there were roughly 50 active graduate students in the statistics program; there were an additional 25 or so students in the biostatistics program.
Many thanks to all the staff, faculty, and students of the Department of Statistics and the Group in Biostatistics who participated in various phases of producing this guide. This edition was reformatted by Chad Heilig, edited by Bill Forrest, and funded by the Graduate Assembly of the University of California at Berkeley.
For the fifteenth edition, we received additional help from James Blakly, Deborah Nolan, Roger Purves, Bonnie Hutchings, and Sara Wong.
This guide now lives on the sgsa account on the network of
SUN work stations.
It was typeset on a Sun SPARCstation using the 
document
preparation system, and printed on one of the department laser printers.
The cover color of the fifteenth edition is green.
Please inform us if you have any questions or comments about this guide
or if you would like to help edit future editions.
You can e-mail suggestions or corrections to chadster@stat.
If you want more information, write or phone the organizations listed below. The area code is 510; keep in mind that office hours are in Pacific Time. To all addresses add University of California, Berkeley CA 94720, USA.
The University of California, Berkeley, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in any of its policies, procedures or practices; nor does the university discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. This nondiscrimination policy covers admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, university programs and activities, including but not limited to, academic admissions, financial aid, educational services, and student employment.