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applied statistics

Instructional content is defined in code 27.0601.

Types of Degrees applied statistics Majors Are Earning

Those studying applied statistics have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	3
Bachelor’s Degree	110
Master’s Degree	446
Doctor’s Degree	13

What applied statistics Majors Need to Know

Programs in applied statistics develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that applied statistics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in applied statistics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a applied statistics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to applied statistics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, applied statistics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by applied statistics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	✓
The MathWorks MATLAB	Analytical or scientific software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for applied statistics graduates include:

• Data Analyst
• Business Consultant
• Reports Analyst
• Business Analyst
• Business Systems Analyst
• Business Process Analyst
• Clinical Data Coordinator
• Psychometric Consultant
• Data Specialist
• Data Engineer
• Statistical Consultant
• Applied Scientist
• Quantitative Methodologist
• Data Modeler
• Data Analytics Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to applied statistics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	56.0%
Master’s degree	22.3%
Doctoral degree	4.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.0%
Some college courses	3.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.5%
Post-doctoral training	2.4%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
First professional degree	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in applied statistics?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 43.4% women and 56.6% men among applied statistics graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	248	43.4%
Men	324	56.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of applied statistics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	298	52.1%
Asian	46	8.0%
Hispanic or Latino	28	4.9%
Black or African American	30	5.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	18	3.1%
Race Unknown	21	3.7%
International Students	130	22.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online applied statistics Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for applied statistics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	9	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Mathematics and Statistics	47,270
Mathematics	25,518
Applied Mathematics	11,002
Statistics	9,603
Mathematics and Statistics, Other	575
MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.