Frequently Asked Questions

This degree prepares graduates for careers in business, industry, government or academics. To find out more about what statisticians do, see the American Statistical Association's Career Center at https://www.amstat.org/your-career.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for mathematicians specializing in statistics was $95,570 in May 2021 and the number of jobs in this field is projected to grow 33 percent from 2020-2030.

Admission to the MSAS programs is competitive so there is no minimum GRE score or undergraduate GPA that will guarantee admission. We select the most highly qualified applicants from the pool each year.

Funds (scholarships and assistantships/stipends) are available to qualified applicants on a limited and competitive basis. Assistantship duties may include working in a tutoring center or our Center for Business Analytics, assisting faculty members with research or teaching, teaching a section of an introductory course, or administrative duties.

Yes, see this page of graduate admission deadlines.

A total of 33 credits are required for the MS Applied Statistics (MSAS) degree. The degree can be completed in three semesters (Fall, Spring, Fall). The MSAS with a specialization in Business Analytics requires 39 credits and is generally completed in four semesters.

International students may be required to take one or more English as Second Language courses. The need for such course will be determined during the orientation week in August. Please see http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/english-for-speakers-of-other-languages.html for more information.

Graduates praise the professors in the MSAS program for taking an active role in helping them prepare for future careers and use their real world data to provide a foundation for lessons. Graduates have used their degree as a foundation to enter Ph.D. programs at top institutions like the Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan and UCLA. Former graduates have gone on to become faculty members in top universities at Yale University, Columbia University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and West Virginia University. Graduates of the program have also pursued careers in public health and clinical research with organizations such as the Harvard School of Public Health, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Eli Lilly and Company, and the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Other graduates have moved on to careers with banking, manufacturing, insurance, and other private companies. Some well-known companies that our graduates have gone on to work with include Capital One, Morgan Stanley, Honda, Nike, American Greetings, Hallmark, Microsoft, eBay, Amazon, the Walt Disney Company, Delta Airlines, BP, Nationwide Insurance, and Allstate Insurance, as well as many others.

No- if you have already taken the GMAT, you do not need to take the GRE.

No- if you took IELTS, you are not required to take TOEFL.

Yes- the MSAS program at BGSU is categorized as a STEM program. Applied Statistics and Operations research are considered STEM, specifically part of Mathematical and Computer Sciences.

Yes, several students on F-1 visa have had success in obtaining summer employment under Curricular Practical Training (CPT) program. We provide a letter of support for an OPT experience upon graduation to all international students. Our STEM designation allows for applying for a 24-month extension to the OPT program.

NO.  All recommendation letters must be uploaded into your online application by the individuals who are writing the letters.  They will receive an email with a link and instructions.

No- you will need to follow the application procedure and directions laid out by the University in order to ensure proper filing of your application. The University, not the Department, collects your application materials and creates a file for you. Sending your application materials directly to the Department will significantly delay your application process.

Please note the department only evaluates your academic credentials. Any questions regarding the visa, please contact BGSU International Student Services

Many of our students did not earn undergraduate degrees in mathematics or statistics. We have had students start and complete our program with a wide variety of academic backgrounds from English and Law to Finance and Economics. While a mathematical basis is helpful, our faculty work with all students to accommodate their backgrounds, and ensure that our students master the statistics material. Generally, prerequisite courses can be waived, though the student will have to put some effort into learning these concepts.

The ASOR program at BGSU does not offer a Ph.D. program. However, many of our former students have used their degree from our program as a foundation to enter Ph.D. programs at top institutions such as Harvard, Penn, the University of Michigan, UCLA, and many others. Also, the Math & Statistics Department at BGSU does offer a Ph.D. program in statistics. For more information on the Math & Statistics Department at BGSU and their Ph.D. programs, please visit their website: http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/mathematics-and-statistics/graduate-programs/phd-programs.html.

While we strive for all of our students to have assistantships, there are many factors that determine how many students receive assistantships. These factors include the University’s budget, the qualification of applicants, the number of applicants, and open positions. We generally aim to support 12-15 outstanding new students each year with a 10-hour graduate assistantship (GA).

Yes. Students that receive a research assistantship work with faculty members, helping perform research. Students that receive a teaching assistantship assist college faculty in teaching courses, with duties that may include running labs, giving lectures, and grading assignments. Placement into these categories of assistantships depends on the number of applicants, the qualification of applicants, the University budget, and the availability of open positions. In addition, there are graduate assistantships external to the department/college that students can apply for. These are updated on a regular basis in this repository.

The Department will not place students into graduate assistantship positions until before the start of each semester. Graduate assistantship placement is determined based on budgetary allowances, Departmental/College/University needs, and student skills.

The scholarship/assistantship offer specifies that the offered scholarship is for both Fall and Spring semesters so long as the student’s performance remains satisfactory (maintaining 3.0 GPA and full-time student status). If these performance requirements are not met, the scholarship for the next semester may be revoked or diminished.

It is possible but the chance is slim that students will receive an increased scholarship offer after they are sent the initial contract offer. However, outside scholarship funding is encouraged, but the student is responsible for searching and applying for any external funding. Additionally, students who have completed the 1^st year of their ASOR studies and return to BGSU for their 2^nd year with a satisfactory performance usually receive slight increases in their scholarship amount, but this is no guarantee and is dependent on the Schmidthorst College of Business and Department budgets.

For the majority of our students, the scholarship and graduate assistant funding continues, and could increase, going into the 2^nd year. However, this is contingent on the University/Department budget and on the number of total students in the MSAS program. Further, continued scholarship and assistantship funding is also dependent on student performance (maintaining 3.0 GPA and full-time student status).

The Office of Off-Campus Student Services at BGSU provides resources for all students planning to live off-campus. Their website (http://www.bgsu.edu/off-campus-student-services.html) includes information on local rental agencies, finding a place to live, the BGSU shuttle routes, parking services, and an off-campus living guide. The Office of Off-Campus Student Services can be reached by phone at (419)-372-2843.

The Department of Applied Statistics has only one duty in the admissions process, to evaluate students’ academic performance. Applying for an international student visa, helping students find housing arrangements, and any other issue outside of academics is not the responsibility of the Department, and any questions regarding issues outside of academic performance can be directed to the BGSU Graduate College.

Yes! It is possible to start your program in the Spring semester.

Yes. You are encouraged to apply for a Spring assistantship and scholarship. Both opportunities are available for Spring admission.

The deadline varies from year to year, but generally for international students the deadline is around two months before the semester starts.  For domestic students the deadline is around two weeks before the semester starts.

Maybe.  It depends on multiple factors including your school’s accreditation and the type of program you were in, etc.  We advise sending a scanned copy of your transcript and/or diploma in order for us to make an assessment on whether it would be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in the US.  Please note that if you apply to our program, we would still need an official copy of your transcripts.

http://www.bgsu.edu/graduate/admissions.html