Why choose UM?

There are three good reasons for choosing the University of Michigan to pursue your graduate studies in Statistics. Firstly the department has many eminent faculty members whose cutting edge research interests range from theory to applications. Graduate students in the department benefit from the energetic research environment with the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in Statistics. Secondly, the department is part of a world class university. Many of our students and faculty members work across disciplines with researchers from other fields. So the strengths of the university as a whole are relevant to students in the Department of Statistics. Finally, Ann Arbor is a very pleasant place to live. The cultural and recreational opportunities are comparable to those found in much larger cities but without many of the disadvantages of big city life.

The Department of Statistics was formed in 1969. There are 30 faculty members affiliated with the department many of whom have associations with other departments on campus. We offer a full program of graduate courses - 35 courses at the graduate level were offered in the academic year starting in 1999. Coursework in the department is designed to give students both the fundamental knowledge and cutting-edge tools for a career in statistics. The department was ranked among the top ten in Statistics by US News and World Report in 1999. Many of the faculty have received prestigious honors from national and international statistical organizations. The research interests of the faculty span a broad range. Several faculty members work on fundamental research in statistics and probability while others work on applications to other disciplines usually together with researchers from those areas. The department has a strong interest in the application of statistics to engineering and the social sciences and in the use of high-speed computing to solve problems in bioinformatics, internet modeling and animation. The department has a modern network of computer workstations and servers for the research and learning needs of its faculty and students. Graduate students are part of the intellectual environment in the department and participate in research through seminars, thesis advising and research assistantships. Our students also gain valuable teaching experience as graduate student instructors.

The Department of Statistics has strong ties with other groups at the University.

Engineering

Professor Nair has a joint appointment in the College of Engineering and involve students in research projects involving the application of statistics to solve problems in Engineering often having interaction with the local automotive industry.

 

Social Sciences

Professor Murphy has a joint appointment in the Institute of Social Research who along with Professors Gonzalez from Psychology, Raudenbush from Education, and Xie from Sociology provide opportunities for statistics graduate students to get involved in methodological work in the social sciences.

 

Life Sciences

The Department has a developing interest in the Life Sciences currently undergoing expansion at Michigan. Professors Michailidis and Shedden are collaborating with other researchers and industry on statistical applications in Bioinformatics involving graduate students.

 

General

Professor Rothman is also director of the Center for Statistical Computation and Research where many of our students have gained valuable practical experience providing statistical services to researchers on campus and in local industry.

In addition almost all our faculty have collaborative relationships with other researchers on campus that often involve our graduate students. Our department is strengthened by the presence of other groups of statisticians on campus in the Department of Biostatistics, Industrial and Operations Engineering, the Business School and other groups. The university has an excellent library and computing facilities.

Of course, all work and no play is no good for anyone. Fortunately, Ann Arbor is a nice place to live. There's a lot going on with something for everyone's taste be it opera or football. Many people agree from different perspectives: In May 1999, "Outside Magazine" named Ann Arbor one of ten "North American Dream Towns" stating, "No matter what moves you, these are the places to move to", while in October 1997, Ann Arbor finished 10th in the Ladies Home Journal poll of best cities for women. In March 1997, Reader's Digest rated Ann Arbor the nation's 15th best city for raising a family. Poll factors included crime rate, quality of schools, clean air and water, youth activities and health care. In July 1996, readers of the 20-something magazine Swing voted Ann Arbor the nation's third best place to live.