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The Department offers a broad training program comprised of the main
areas of statistical theory (with emphasis on foundations, Bayes
theory, decision theory, nonparametric statistics), probability theory,
stochastic processes, asymptotics, information
theory, machine learning,
data analysis, statistical computing, and
graphical methods.
With this background, graduates of the program have found excellent
positions in universities, industry, and government. See the list
of Ph.D. alumni
for examples.
Admissions
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The Ph.D. program admits only a small number of new students each year.
In 2012, we made eight initial offers of admission from a pool of seventy applicants, with an entering class of four.
All applications for this program should be submitted directly to the Yale
Graduate
School Office of Admissions through the online application page.
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Application requirements and guidelines
- GRE scores for
the General Test and for the Subject Test (usually in Mathematics, sometimes in the area of the
undergraduate major) should accompany an application.
All applicants
should have a strong mathematical background, including advanced
calculus, linear algebra, elementary probability theory, and at least
one course providing an introduction to mathematical statistics. An
undergraduate major may be in statistics, mathematics, computer
science, or in a subject in which significant statistical problems may
arise.
For those whose native language is not English, the Test of
English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores are required.
A strong command of English is essential for success at Yale.
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The offer of admission typically includes full tuition ($35,000 in 2012) and a
generous stipend ($27,300 for students entering the program in 2012) for five
years. Students usually apply for a dissertation
fellowship, which replaces all teaching responsibilities, in the fifth year.
Consult the Graduate School's financial assistance page for details.
For incoming students whose TOEFL scores fall below the level required to
satisfy the Graduate School's Oral English Proficiency Standard, the Graduate
School provides a stipend for support during a three week
Immersive
English Program, held late in summer on the Yale campus.
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Tuition and Living Costs
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Course of Study
All graduate students must consult at the start of each semester with
the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS),
whose signature is needed before course selections beome official.
Twelve courses, chosen in consultation with the DGS, are required before students can be admitted to candidacy after
the second year.
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We strongly recommend that students take
- Stat 551 (Stochastic Processes)
- Stat 600 (Advanced Probability)
- Stat 610 (Statistical Inference)
- Stat 612 (Linear Models)
- Stat 625 (Case Studies)
- Stat 661 (Data Analysis)
which are taught every year.
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We require that students take Stat 626 (Practical work).
Students usually choose the remaining courses from a list of special topics that are offered on an irregular schedule,
determined by a combination of student demand and faculty interests.
See the course lists
for typical offerings. Courses in other departments
can also be taken with permission from the DGS; this includes select
courses with undergraduate numbers such as MATH 301 and 320, for example.
- There is no foreign language requirement.
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Qualifying Examinations
The course work prepares students for the Ph.D. qualifying examination,
which consists of three parts:
- Practical Exam: a written report on an analysis
of a data set. Held during a five day period in December, following the end of classes.
- Theory Exam: a written paper on theoretical statistics. A one-day exam (9:00 am -- 4:00 pm) held in May of the first year. Students who do not pass the exam
have the option of a retake in May of the following year.
- Oral Exam: held shortly after completion of the Theory Exam.
All parts of the qualifying examination must be
competed before beginning the third year.
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The theory qualifying exam is usually based on a combination of
advanced undergraduate material (as covered in Stat 241, 242, and 251/551)
and
graduate material at the level of Stat 600, 610, and 612.
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For the practical qualifying exam, students are expected to be
comfortable with R, and have had experience at working with real data.
Most students gain that experience from a combination of Stat 661, 625
and participation in the statistical consulting clinic (Stat 627).
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A typical theory exam.
[Look at http://www.stat.yale.edu/dept-private/Exams/ for copies of other old exams.Yale login required].
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The SPEAK test
From the web page at http://www.yale.edu/eli/fall/speaktestinfo.html:
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The SPEAK test is required for all international Ph.D. students who are non-native speakers of English. Students must score a 50 before being offered a TA position at Yale. Students who achieve less than 50 are considered for grading positions only.
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For further details consult that web site.
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Teaching requirements
From the Graduate School's
Programs and Policies [page 537]:
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Because the Graduate School considers teaching experience to be an integral part
of graduate education, doctoral students receive financial aid packages that
include teaching fellowships. In many programs there are specific years when
students are expected to teach. For example, most humanities and social science
students will teach in their third and fourth years. In the natural sciences,
the timing of teaching is earlier or is flexible across several years. When
requested by the student for compelling academic reasons, these patterns may be
adjusted with the permission of an associate dean and the director of graduate
studies contingent on the student's satisfactory academic progress and on
sufficient course enrollment.
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Students are required to serve as a teaching fellows for four semesters.
Usually that translates to appointment as a TF4 in each semester of the third and fourth years.
See
Programs and Policies [page 537]
for a description of the duties of teaching fellows at each level.
In cases where there is mutual agreement between the student and the DGS, one semester of the teaching requirement can be fulfilled during the second year. The 4 TF units can then be split across two courses. The Department encourages students to consider this option, both for the experience of seeing coursework from the teaching side and as a gentle way to revise basic concepts for the theory qualifying exam (if taken at the end of the second year)
The Graduate Teaching Center
offers further ways for students to improve their teaching skills. For those seeking an academic career, the ability to teach well is essential.
- See
http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/academics/program.html
for more details about the Teaching Fellow Program and the teaching requirement.
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Summer support
The stipend provides twelve months of support each year.
During the first two
years of the program, some students choose to forego the summer portion of the stipend
in order to accept a summer internship.
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Conference support
The Department is fortunate to have a fund endowed by
James Attwood, Jr., which supports graduate student participation in conferences and other academic activities.
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Prospectus and Dissertation
Dissertation research in collaboration with one member of the faculty
is begun during the third year. A second faculty member is added to the thesis committee
during or before the preparation of the dissertation prospectus, a short document that
outlines plans for the research and demonstrates familiarity with relevant literature.
A preliminary version of the prospectus
should be submitted no later than the first week of March in the third
year. The prospectus must be accepted by the department before the end
of the third year.
Upon successful completion of the qualifying
examination and the prospectus (as well as meeting the Graduate School
Honors requirements), the student is admitted to candidacy. Most
students complete the dissertation in the fifth year.
See our
Alumni page for a sampling of recent Dissertation topics.
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Dissertation fellowships
From the Graduate School's
Programs and Policies [page 536]:
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The Graduate School offers University Dissertation Fellowships as part of its
five-year financial aid package to eligible advanced graduate students in the
humanities and social sciences once they have advanced to doctoral candidacy.
These awards are made when a student's adviser and director of graduate studies
certify that the student will be engaged full-time in research and writing, is
making satisfactory progress toward the degree, and has a reasonable schedule
for the timely completion of the dissertation. The University Dissertation
Fellowship is usually taken in consecutive terms (beginning in either the fall
or spring term) and must be completed by the end of the sixth year of study.
With the permission of the Graduate School, it may be interrupted in certain
circumstances when recommended by the department. It may never be held
concurrently with a teaching fellowship of any kind. Students who accept a
teaching position in the fall or spring of the year of final eligibility will
forfeit that term's dissertation fellowship amount. Prize dissertation
fellowships awarded by the Graduate School, such as the Whiting and Leylan
fellowships, replace the University Dissertation Fellowship. Students receiving
external funding for dissertation research or writing may be eligible for a
combined award and should consult the External Fellowships and Combined Award
policy. Application materials and additional information can be obtained online
at www.yale.edu/graduateschool/funding or from the appropriate associate dean.
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Further information
Consult the Graduate School's Programs and Policies
for general information about Ph.D. study at Yale.
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Parts in red are still sub
ject to Graduate School approval