{"id":1501,"date":"2019-11-06T15:15:45","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T20:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/?page_id=1501"},"modified":"2026-01-27T09:25:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T14:25:04","slug":"degree-requirements","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/academics\/degree-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Degree Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"font-size: 20pt; color: #cc0000;\">Requirements for the MS Degree in Statistical Practice<\/h5>\n<p><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h5 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Coursework \u2014 Build a Solid Foundation<\/h5><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"> <strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The MSSP program requires the successful completion of eight courses (32 credits), including five core courses and three electives. These courses are designed to provide\u00a0a foundational sequence of statistics courses designed to reinforce and extend your quantitative background while providing essential instruction in statistical theory and analytic methodology.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/academics\/schedule\/\"><strong>View Full Schedule<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Core courses<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h5>GRS MA 675 &amp; 676 \u2013 Statistics Practicum I &amp; II<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>More Information on the Practicum can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/statistics-practicum\/\">here<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h5>GRS MA 677 \u2013 Conceptual Foundations of Statistics<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>This course is designed specifically for graduate students with quantitative backgrounds. The goal of the course is to provide an accelerated introduction to key topics in probability, mathematical statistics, linear modeling, time series, and non-parametric statistics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h5 style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">GRS MA 678 &amp; 679 \u2013 Applied Statistical Modeling \u00a0&amp; \u00a0Applied Statistical Machine Learning<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the first semester, emphasis is placed on classical topics that form the core of the working statistician\u2019s toolbox, while in the second semester, the focus broadens to introduce students to a variety of topics in modern statistical machine learning and data mining.<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<h5 style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Electives<\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 statistics elective at the level of 500 or above<\/li>\n<li>2 course electives from statistics or a complementary discipline at the level of 500 or above<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Elective requirements may be fulfilled through a combination of graduate-level courses in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and\/or courses in other related disciplines. Electives must be approved by a statistics advisor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Full-time students can complete the program in as little as 1 year (2 semesters), though many choose to complete their requirements in 1.5 years (3 semesters). Part-time students typically complete the program in 2 years (4 semesters).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"button-primary\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/grs\/courses\/mathematics-statistics\/\">Course Descriptions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h5 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Practicum \u2014 Put It All Together<\/h5><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><br \/>\n<strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All MSSP students are required to take a <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">two-semester practicum course<\/span><strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, MA675\/676, aimed at developing the communication skills required in doing statistics in practice while integrating those skills with quantitative training received in both this and other statistics courses. These goals will be accomplished throughout, with an emphasis on statistical consulting complemented by a series of modules on speaking, writing, software and programming, and data analysis. All MSSP students must successfully complete a final report\/portfolio that is the end result of the consulting experiences gained through the statistics practicum. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container  bu_collapsible_open\" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h5 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Virtual summer Learning Modules \u2014 Pre-Prepare in the Summer<\/h5><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" ><\/p>\n<p><span>Students admitted to the MSSP program will complete\u00a0 virtual summer learning modules in the summer months prior to beginning their first semester. These modules provide review and an extension of each student\u2019s current mathematical knowledge to ensure that you are well-prepared for the required coursework. Summer learning modules will focus particularly on key topics from probability and linear algebra, as well as reviewing relevant aspects of calculus and basic programming. Summer pre-preparation is an integral component of the MSSP program, and critical for building successful teams throughout the rest of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Requirements for the MS Degree in Statistical Practice &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15596,"featured_media":1857,"parent":2602,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1501"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1501"}],"version-history":[{"count":51,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3377,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1501\/revisions\/3377"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/mssp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}