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Master in Statistics - Admission
Admission Requirements
Please refer to the UT Graduate School for general admission requirements. In addition to their requirements, applicants to our program must:
- Have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0, with typical GPA's in the 3.3 to 4.0 range (The higher the GPA, the better). Must have completed at least four semesters of mathematics, including: matrix algebra or linear algebra (such as Math 251 at UT) and three semesters of calculus (such as Math 141, Math 142 and Math 241 at UT). Successful candidates also should have at least some computer programming and/or software skills (such as Maple, Matlab etc. or Statistical software such as JMP, NCSS, SAS, SPSS, Minitab, etc.), or be willing to acquire them before being admitted. Matlab is especially helpful and is used extensively the 1st year in ST 563-564. (one book to help is "Computational Statistics Handbook with MATLAB")
- Submit results of the Graduate
Record Examination (GRE)
general portion.
* We strongly prefer GRE. For exceptionally strong students in all areas we may request GMAT scores to replace the GRE scores. However, due to GMAT processing, the scores can take longer to reach us, thus delaying your file from being reviewed by at least two to six weeks.
- Applicants whose native language
is other than English must submit results of the
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
We seek and require the highest skill in spoken,
written, listening, and reading comprehension
English. Applicants with above average scores on
the TOEFL exam will be considered more strongly
for admittance.
Average TOEFL scores of previous applicants:
Mean |
Median |
|
| PBT |
614 |
620 |
| CBT |
248 |
247 |
IBT |
99 |
99 |
Increased competition is placing greater pressures on TOEFL numbers. Higher scoring applicants have a better chance of being admitted.
Additional Strengths and Skills expected from Successful Candidates
- We prefer candidates who are well organized, with great attitudes, work or internship experiences, strong interest in applications, computer skills, and superb attention to details.
- Successful candidates are expected to be strong at least in one aspect (preferably more) such as GPA, letters of recommendation or GRE scores.
- We have students of highly diverse backgrounds and undergraduate degrees, including Engineering, Statistics, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Data Mining, Biochemistry, Business, etc. Diverse backgrounds and work or internship experiences will be highly valued.
- Strong communication skills and team work skills are also highly valued. Such key skills help students in their future career. Typical start salaries of our former students were from $50,000 to $80,000 or higher. A few have started at six figure salaries.
Helpful information
The number of applicants for our Master in Statistics program varies from 50 to 150 each year. Usually we admit 10 to 14 of them. Most admitted candidates are granted financial support as a GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistantship), which includes a tuition waiver.
Students with a background in engineering and the physical sciences are strongly encouraged to apply.
Financial Aid
Supported students are employed as Graduate Assistants in the Department of Statistics, Operations, and Management Science to assist with statistics classes, the College's executive education programs, and funded research programs. Most GA's work 20 hours per week during the academic year and are paid a stipend of >$14,128 plus tuition waivers. Most students earn additional income through an 8-12 week summer internship following Year 1 of the program.
This is the total worth of an
assistantship per semester, and year as of Fall
2008.
All types of Assistantships are offered:
Health Insurance* - $480.00 per semester, or $960.00 for the whole year, including summer, plus
the following:
Stipend |
Tuition |
Total
Worth / Semester |
Total Worth/ year (12mo) |
|
| 10 hour In State |
$6,720.00 |
$2,954.00 |
$5,674.00 |
$16,542.00 |
| 10 hour Out of State |
$6,720.00 |
$8,925.00 |
$11,645.00 |
$34,455.00 |
15 hour In State |
$10,596.33 |
$2,954.00 |
$6,966.11 |
$20,418.33 |
15 hour Out of State |
$10,596.33 |
$8,925.00 |
12,937.11 |
38,331.33 |
| 20 hour In State |
$14,128.44 |
$2,954.00 |
$8,143.48 |
$23,950.44 |
| 20 hour Out of State |
$14,128.44 |
$8,925.00 |
$14,114.48 |
$41,863.44 |
Other opportunities for financial aid exist, including the "Black Graduate Fellowship" program available to Tennessee residents. These fellowships are supported by state funds for purposes of desegregation. For more information, contact Dr. Kay Reed at (865) 974-2475. Or go to the site for Graduate Fellowships and Other Funding Sources.
Afro-American Fellowship:
We highly encourage US Afro-American citizens to apply for the UT Afro-American Fellowship. Typically it requires a minimum GPA of 3.2 with strong letters of recommendation. We encourage applicants to apply as early as possible. Applications received before March 10 will be considered with a priority. For more details, visit Graduate Fellowships and Other Funding Sources
-
Contact U.T.'s Office of Financial Aid for other resources.
-
You may wish to visit our scholarships link.
Application materials for the Graduate School
The following application materials need to be mailed (unless otherwise stated) to:
Graduate and International Admissions
201 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0230 USA
Phone: (865) 974-3251
Fax: (865) 974-6541
Email: graduateadmissions@utk.edu
- Graduate Application
Form
The Graduate Application Form is available for online filing and submitting (we strongly prefer the online submission), see: http://admissions.utk.edu/graduate/apply.shtml. The form is also available for download to print out.
- $35.00 non-refundable application fee
with money order
If an applicant applies online, the application fee can be paid with a credit/debit card, or check of a US bank. After you fill out the online Graduate Application Form, the payment window should appear automatically.
Note: Office of Graduate Admissions does not accept check by mail. - Official Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, plus you must assure a final transcript after graduating.
- Official documents (in ENGLISH) certificating that undergraduate (and all
graduate) degrees are
actually awarded.
Note: This is a crucial requirement for admission consideration and the documents should be received by the deadline for us to have any chance of an admission. - GRE or GMAT* score (Institutional code: 1843)
Note: Request Educational Testing Service to send the score directly to the University of Tennessee.
We strongly prefer GRE - TOEFL score (Institutional code: 1843)
Only required for applicants whose native language is other than English. Request Educational Testing Service to send the score directly to the University of Tennessee.
* Due to GMAT processing, the scores can take longer to reach us, thus delaying your file from being reviewed. We strongly encourage GRE instead.
More information can be obtained from http://admissions.utk.edu/graduate/apply.shtml.
Application Materials for the Department
The following application materials need to be submitted directly to the Department of Statistics, Operations, and Management Science:
Department of Statistics, Operations,
and Management Science
916 Volunteer Blvd.
331 Stokely Management Center
Knoxville, TN 37996-0532
- Departmental Applicant Information Form
The form is available in both interactive PDF and printable PDF.
-
Four Letters
of Recommendation
The form is available in both interactive PDF and printable PDF.
Deadlines
Important: Students are generally advised to start in the Fall semester due to our course sequences. Students are seldom admitted in other semesters.
There are no formal admission deadlines (International applicants please consult the special information for international applicants and the admission deadlines of the Graduate School), but financial aid deadlines and availability may be of importance. We strongly suggest applicants to apply before July 15 for the next year's Fall semester enrollment.
International Applicants
-
Language requirements
Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), taken within the past two years, or have received a degree from an accredited U.S. institution in the last two years from the date of entry. Successful candidates are expected to have tremendous English speaking, listening, comprehension and writing skills. Note this well before applying.
* A minimum score of 550 for paper-based test or 213 for computer-based test or 80 for Internet-based test (iBT) is required for admission consideration.
* We strongly prefer iBT, if available. Also, the minimum MUST be 20 in each section, otherwise it is an automatic denial of admission due to university standards. There can be no exceptions to this.
-
Application deadlines
Due to immigration policies, the deadlines below have to be strictly followed by international applicants. Applications received after the deadlines will not be considered.
Semester |
Application Deadline |
Application Completion Deadline |
| Fall | February 1 (prefer January 10) |
May 15 (prefer April 10) |
Spring |
Not Allowed |
Not Allowed |
Summer |
Not Allowed |
Not Allowed |
Note: The Graduate Application Form and Application fee must be received by Application Deadline, other documents can be received by Application Completion Deadline.
International students already enrolled at UT can apply to transfer from their programs to our program with somewhat flexibility in time, but not as flexible as US students due to immigration requirements. Thus, we encourage these students to apply as early as possible.
The University will not enroll any student who has not been approved initially or for transfer by the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) to attend UT. An international student may not enroll as a provisional or non-degree student.
To hire international students, we must have a copy of their:
I-20
Passport
Visa
I-94
Social Security Card (or letter from the Social
Security Administration stating that they have
applied for one)
**We must also have the ORIGINAL work authorization
form, which comes from Center for
International Education.
Check List
Application Materials for the Graduate School
- Graduate Application Form (or online application)
- $35.00 Application Fee
- Official Transcripts of all colleges or universities attended
- Official documents for degree certificating (in ENGLISH)
- GRE or GMAT scores (GRE strongly preferred)
- TOEFL score, only required for applicants whose native language is other than English.
Application Materials for the Department
- Departmental Applicant Information Form
- Four Letters of Recommendation
Downloadable Forms
- Graduate Application Form (PDF)
- Departmental Applicant Information Form (interactive PDF, printable PDF)
- Letter of Recommendation (interactive PDF, printable PDF)
Contact
For additional information, please contact:
Dr. Frank Guess
Graduate Program Recruiting
Email: fguess@utk.edu
Tel: 865-974-1637
Fax: 865-974-2490
OR
Rebecca Walker
Administrative Assistant
Email: beckywalker@utk.edu
Tel: 865-974-2556
Fax: 865-974-2490