天普大學

The Statistical Science Department offers the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Statistical Science and Data Analytics. The recent Best Jobs list compiled by Career Cast (a Local and National Job search company) ranks Data Scientist as No. 1 and Statistician as No. 2. in their list of the best jobs with high demand. As we survey representatives from different companies, the consistent message we receive is that the cost of hiring and the demand for talent are skyrocketing. The demand is driven by the proliferation of computing technology, software and statistical tools for capturing and interpreting the substantial volume of data now available at the enterprise, government and personal levels.

The educational objective of the program is to provide graduates with a rigorous and broad-based curriculum providing: Rigorous quantitative foundation; Alignment and coordination with the established quantitative disciplines at Fox and at Temple University; Exposure to programming and modern languages such as C, SAS, etc., including preparation for future SAS certification exams, after obtaining the Basics SAS certificate during the program; Effective communication skills.

The major areas of employment mentioned in the report are: decision-making in business, healthcare, policy, as well as in social media, and commercial areas. In these areas, there are large bodies of data accumulated over the internet, in need of being explored, understood, and analyzed. Statisticians will also be increasingly needed in the pharmaceutical industry. Biostatisticians will be needed to conduct the research and clinical trials necessary for companies to obtain approval for their products from the Food and Drug Administration. Another area of employment for statisticians is the government, where policy analysis is needed more and more. There is also growth projected for future graduates in statistics in research and development in the physical, engineering, and life sciences, where statisticians' skills in designing tests and assessing results are highly useful.

Reputable national organizations, like the American Statistical Association (ASA), endorse the value of undergraduate programs in statistics as a reflection of the increasing importance of the discipline. Statistics programs should be flexible enough to prepare bachelor's graduates to either be functioning statisticians in a service-oriented economy or go on to graduate school. The ASA guidelines for curriculum development address required changes in curriculum and suggest pedagogy in response to the strong upward demand for statisticians. Institutions need to ensure students entering the work force or heading to graduate school have the appropriate capacity to "think with data" and to pose and answer statistical questions.