Statistics is the science that helps give meaning to otherwise meaningless and irrelevant data. Explore this article to know what it takes to build a successful career in statistics.

Statistics Courses

Picture this – You are in front of a big, black board with a lot of numbers. You just cannot make sense of the numerical data you see in front of you mainly because you just don’t know how to. This is where statistics comes into play by gracing meaningless data with structure and cohesiveness. Statistics is a formal mathematical science that is concerned with the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of rather meaningless data. Statistics doesn’t stop at performing these useful functions. It also extends its usefulness by providing tools for prediction and forecasting based on data. The science of statistics can be applied to a wide variety of subjects ranging from the natural sciences to the arts. In fact, there is no discipline that has not made use of statistics. Companies, governments, educational institutions and other such bodies are known to incessantly use statistics to advantage. It is the popularity that statistics enjoys and the advantage it poses that has made it such a sought after a career option. Although a conventional option, a career in statistics can be extremely rewarding in terms of money and gratification earned. It also is a career path that can be treaded on only by those individuals who are seriously interested in the subject. No experimenting with a career in statistics. You either love it or you don’t. Read on to know what it takes to be eligible for a course in statistics, career prospects and the institutes offering courses in the same.
 
Courses In Statistics 

Eligibility
As far as courses in statistics go, an individual can opt for a Bachelors program, Masters program and even a doctoral degree in the same. To be eligible for a Bachelors program in statistics, an individual will have to do be done with a 10+2 or an equivalent from a recognized Board. Here it is not necessary that the individual be a graduate in science or commerce. It just is required of the individual to be done with his/her high school studies. In order to be eligible for a Masters program in statistics an individual will have to be a graduate. To be eligible for a doctoral degree in statistics, an individual will have to be a graduate and a Masters in the same.  

Details Of The Course 
Courses in statistics will vary from university to university and will also depend on the degree taken up by the student. Undergraduate courses will introduce students to the subject, Masters Programs will dive deeper into topics and doctoral degrees will go the whole nine yards to churn out the ‘ultimate statistician’. Generally speaking, courses in statistics will comprise an introduction to the subject, introduction to data management, field study and the various statistical methods. Courses will focus on probability and distribution, nonparametric statistics, biological statistics, methods of statistical computing, statistics for engineering applications, theoretical statistics, experimental designs and methods of regression analysis. Statistics courses will also dwell on calculus for statistics, econometrics research, time series analysis and sample survey methods.
 
 
Career Prospects
Although a career in a statistics ‘from a distance’ may seem like an extremely mundane option, for the student genuinely interested in the subject nothing can be more exciting. Statistics is a subject that deals with numbers and figures and every organization worth its salt in one way or the other will have to deal with the same. This only underlines the need for statisticians in government bodies, business houses, multinational corporations, importers, exporters, data survey agencies, the armed forces of a country, etc. A statistician with a relevant degree or diploma, thorough knowledge on the subject and the right experience will find it relatively easy to land a plum job in an organization of repute. For this however, the statistician will have to work his/her way to the top.
 
Some Of The Institutes Offering Courses In Statistics
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
  • University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
  • Albers School of Business and Economics, United States of America
  • Parvathaneni Brahmayya Siddhartha College of Arts & Science, Vijayawada
  • Punjab University, India
  • Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, India
  • Christ College, Bangalore, India
  • Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India
  • Globe University and Minnesota School of Business, United States of America


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