Statistics is the science that studies data -- its collection, analysis and interpretation. Almost all modern professions, from economists to engineers and from social scientists to medical scientists, rely on statistics. Statistical methods are used for studying relationships, predicting results, testing hypotheses, and a variety of other purposes.

The program is designed to provide students with a fundamental understanding of probability and mathematical statistics, a complementary knowledge of basic methods for data collection and inference, and practical computing skills to carry out statistical analyses of problems in many different areas of application.

Although there are hundreds of undergraduate statistics majors around the country, SDSU's major is the only undergraduate major in statistics in the greater San Diego area.

Career Opportunities

There is a significant demand for statisticians at various levels of the private and public sectors. Employment by the private sector includes such diverse fields as biotechnology, environmental science, insurance, quality control and assurance, product research and development, marketing, opinion polling, and finance.

The federal government employs statistics graduates in such agencies as the National Institutes of Health, the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense.