The
minor in statistics is intended to prepare students for more advanced
study in statistics at the graduate level, for graduate programs in
other disciplines that rely heavily on statistical analysis, and for
professions in many emerging and exciting interdisciplinary areas. Depending upon the student’s
interests and plans, the minor in statistics should be complemented by
courses from other relevant disciplines. Students interested in a minor
in statistics are encouraged to seek advising from the Department of
Mathematics faculty early in their time at Salem to ensure that the
proper sequence of prerequisites and supplementary courses is pursued.
Even
those not interested in pursuing a minor in statistics may find one or
more of the courses below gives them an advantage when applying to
graduate school, for internships, for summer research programs, or
employment.
The minor in statistics requires 5 courses:
Required Core Courses:
Note
that students who have an appropriate score on the AP Statistics
examination currently receive credit for PSYC 101, so such students who
complete either MATH 070 or 100 in their first year at Salem will be
able to take MATH 242 early in their academic program. However, note that completion of MATH 070 does not prepare a student for MATH 101. Therefore, if you are planning to pursue the minor in statistics, it is best to have completed MATH 100: Calculus I and MATH 101: Calculus II within your first three semesters at Salem.
Also note that, according to policies adopted by Salem College faculty, no more than three courses can be submitted for both a major and a minor. In addition, academic policy stipulates that students who wish to pursue minors in both statistics and mathematics may not submit MATH 122, 132, 140, 142, 162 or 242 for the completion of the minor in mathematics.
Your Unique Goals, Your Unique Future: A Program with Flexibility
A career as an actuary is consistently rated as one of the top careers in the USA, based on salary, opportunity for advancement, and stress-level. For
a student interested in pursuing a career or graduate work in Actuarial
Science, we recommend that she choose the MATH 162: Mathematics of
Finance option for the minor and that she take as many Economics and
Finance courses as possible. MATH 110: Linear algebra is also strongly
recommended for any such student.
The 21st Century has brought us many new fields that blend mathematics, statistics, biology, chemistry, economics, and computer science or computer information systems. There are many exciting careers waiting for students who have a love for any or all of those areas and the number of jobs available in many of these areas is expected to grow substantially over the next 10 years. If you are interested in pursuing graduate work in
Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Econometrics, Epidemiology, Environmental Studies, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Public Policy, Education Advocacy, or any similar interdisciplinary field, we recommend that you choose the MATH 110: Linear
Algebra option for the minor. Some graduate programs in these areas
also require additional courses in mathematics, statistics or computer science; interested students
should consult the requirements for such programs when planning their
academic program at Salem.
If you believe that a career as a statistician is in your future, a major in mathematics with a minor in statistics is the recommended option, though not the only option. You will be better prepared for graduate work in statistics if you have familiarity with linear algebra, real analysis and numerical analysis. So, if you fall into this category, you could pursue a minor in both statistics and mathematics, at the very minimum, to prepare for graduate school or an entry level position as a statistician.
Even
if you are not interested in pursuing the minor in statistics,
selecting some of these courses to complement your undergraduate
programs will be beneficial when you apply for
internships, graduate school, or employment. If you are interested in pursuing graduate
work in Communication, Education, Marketing, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology, we recommend that you take MATH 242:
Nonparametric Statistical Methods, even if you are not pursuing the statistics
minor, as this is a topic that is sometimes required of graduate
students in those areas. Having experience with the topic as an
undergraduate will give you a distinct advantage in graduate
school in many disciplines.
In
addition, MATH 142: Statistical Methods with R will introduce you to statistical computing, which is a marketable skill when
applying for internships, summer research programs, employment and
graduate school. The R environment is recognized world-wide as one of
the most accurate and adaptable statistical computing options available. R is available in the LC lab on campus and on some computers in Gramley Library. You can also download it for free from the R Project--it is platform independent, meaning that work you complete on a UNIX, Linux, PC or Mac will be accessible to anyone using another platform. We currently have an R Resources for Statistical Computing Page and a separate R Resource collection on the Salem College Moodle system--we are updating it all the time.
Your Resources
Students have access to a wealth of resources to support their pursuit of these courses or the entire minor. The Salem College Moodle site, accessible by logging in at MySalem, includes a set of resources for the R programming environment, along with the QUEST Center for quantitative enrichment, science and technology. Some professional organizations and institutes also maintain web sites that have a wealth of information you may find useful. Here is a brief list of some of them:
Of course, our departmental faculty, Professors Debbie Harrell (debbie.harrell@salem.edu), Wade Mattox (wade.mattox@salem.edu) and Paula Grafton Young (paula.young@salem.edu), are always available to support and advise.
