Master of Science Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics

The Master of Science (M.S.) in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics is a multidisciplinary graduate degree program with a unique focus. The M.S. degree in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics is a 30-semester hour (sh) curriculum designed to provide students with a firm foundation of statistical analysis and modeling commonly used in many fields, including education, science, technology, health care, government, business or social science research. Students in this program will be trained on industry-standard software packages and gain modern analytical skills. The need for skilled data professionals is growing. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, the United States could face a shortage of as many as 190,000 workers with “deep analytical skills” by 2018. This program seeks to combine the course work of statistical decision making and analytic tools to meet the demand for skilled workers in the U.S. and Illinois job markets. With three Fortune 100 companies in the region—John Deere, Caterpillar, and State Farm— the degree program is designed to address strong regional needs and/ or a shortage of graduates in the fields of applied statistics and decision analytics.

Learning Objectives

Building on the recommendations of the American Statistical Association (ASA)’s professional panel of experts, graduates of the M.S. in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics program will be able to:

  1. Apply advanced statistical methodologies; derive and understand basic theory underlying these methodologies; and formulate and model practical problems for solutions using these methodologies
  2. Produce relevant computer output using necessary and sufficient programming skills and standard statistical software (e.g., SAS, R, STATA, etc.) and interpret the results appropriately
  3. Communicate statistical concepts and analytical results clearly and appropriately to others
  4. Identify areas where ethical issues may arise in statistics

Why WIU?

  • Large enough to offer a wide variety of courses, yet small enough to provide individual attention
  • Faculty members who are genuinely interested in students’ intellectual development
  • Advising tailored to students’ personal needs and educational goals
  • Opportunities for interacting with students from other cultures and countries

Faculty Expertise

The faculty members in the WIU Department of Economics and Decision Sciences take an active and sincere interest in student success. Our faculty are also active in research, so students learn state-of-the-art skills and techniques. All faculty teaching graduate courses have PhDs in economics or statistics.

Assistantship Opportunities

We offer a limited number of graduate assistantships, which are awarded on a highly competitive basis. The awards range from two-thirds time (requiring 13 hours of work per week) to full-time (requiring 20 hours of work per week). Both awards carry full tuition waivers for multiple semesters and a summer term, as well as a stipend for two semesters, contingent on maintaining a 3.0 GPA and satisfactory academic progress. Students work for the School of AFED as well as assisting faculty with courses and research.

Assistantship recipients must satisfy all of the admissions prerequisites without any deficiencies. To be eligible for an assistantship, entering graduate students must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 and remain in good academic standing.

Apply: https://form.jotform.com/jllin/afed-assistantship-application