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News Release
Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director
tadp@sdbor.edu
Janelle Toman, Director of Information & Institutional Research
janellet@sdbor.edu
T: 605.773.3455
F: 605.773.5320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, December 13, 2007
SDSU Approved for Graduate Degree and Minor in Statistics
MADISON, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents has approved a new master’s degree in statistics and a minor in statistics, both to be offered at South Dakota State University. The programs will be available to students starting in the fall of 2008.
“Scientific research, business, and finance rely heavily on an understanding of advanced statistical analysis techniques,” said SDSU President David L. Chicoine. “Science and technology-based economic growth demands a strong graduate program in statistics to provide the advanced statistical support those sectors require,” Chicoine said.
Graduates from the M.S. degree program will be prepared for positions such as portfolio analyst, risk analyst, statistician, actuary, bioscience analyst, and agricultural statistician. The program will also prepare students for doctoral-level work, including the Ph.D. degree in computational science and statistics jointly offered by SDSU and The University of South Dakota. SDSU officials estimate enrollment in the master’s program will grow to 15 students by 2012.
The new minor in statistics at SDSU is a 17 credit-hour program that can be added to a bachelor degree by students interested in specializing in quantitative work in a data-based field, such as business or scientific/engineering research and development.
No new state resources were requested by SDSU to develop or implement the new M.S. degree and minor in statistics.
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