statistics phd program harvard

Undergraduate Program

Statistics is a relatively young discipline, organized around the rapidly growing body of knowledge about principled methods for data collection and data analysis, the making of rational decisions under uncertainty, and the modeling of randomness in any quantitative inquiries, including the social, natural, and medical sciences. A basic goal of the concentration in Statistics is to help students acquire the conceptual, computational, and mathematical tools for quantifying uncertainty and making sense of complex data arising from many applications – including statistically sound ways of collecting such data. Students are also eligible to apply for an A.B./A.M. degree program.

The Department of Statistics graduate program aims to develop statisticians not only for academia, but also ones who will become leaders in endeavors such as medicine, law, finance, technology, government, and industry. Graduates have an outstanding placement record, having had their choice of careers in academia, banking and financial services, information technology, medical research, economic research and public policy.

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The Miratrix C.A.R.E.S. Lab

Causality, applications, and research in education and statistics.

Harvard Graduate School of Education / Harvard Department of Statistics

Overview of PhD Admission Process for HGSE and for Statistics

Are you interested in joining the CARES lab and working with me (Luke Miratrix)? This document is intended to provide prospective applicants with general – and equitable – information about what I personally look for in a PhD applicant. In particular, below I provide responses to several questions that I often get from prospective doctoral students. [1] This information may also be useful for thinking about applying to (and getting in to) PhD programs more generally. Please note I’m speaking only as an individual faculty member, not on behalf of any program or the University.

I offer these thoughts on the “ hidden curriculum ” of this program in the spirit of leveling the playing field for all potential students. I do not take individual meetings with prospective students; this way, everyone gets the same information. If you have a question that I don’t answer, send me an email ( [email protected] ) that mentions this page and I’ll add the answer here.

First, you should know that individual professors are not in control of the admission process (at Harvard/HGSE). Both the education school and the statistics department have admissions committees that review applications as a pool. The way it works is there is an initial committee that reviews applications, and then the finalists are sent out to individual professors to gauge interest. When that step happens, I would read your application as a faculty member and express interest. 

Q: What background do I need? (for Education programs)

• Background Most of my education students have at least a couple years of post-undergrad work experience. These experiences help students identify problems that need solving and get a sense of what is important in the world of education. Some successful students do come straight from undergrad or via a master’s program, but having had some meaningful exposure to the research process (e.g., through a part-time position, undergraduate/master’s thesis, monitoring and evaluation experience) prior to enrolling is really important.
• Quantitative skills You’ll need to show that you can handle a good amount of quantitative rigor (this will help with the program, and with working with me in particular). If you haven’t taken (and gotten good grades in) advanced math classes like calculus or statistics, and are planning on doing quantitative research, you’ll need to explain this history to the admissions committee, and identify how you will make up for this in your written statement or in the explanations of grades section of your application. 
• Experience with data Hands-on experience analyzing real data to answer real-world questions is common for our PhD admits. Working on “toy data” for problem sets in classes usually isn’t enough. (By “toy data”, I mean easy-to-use data created for students or to demonstrate a method. These data don’t have complications like missing values or hierarchical structure). Ideally, you would have some experience using data to answer a real, relevant, and challenging research question.

Q: What background do I need? (Statistics)

• Background Most of my stat students have at least some research experience as an undergrad with some faculty. These experiences help students identify problems that need solving and also help the admissions department know that you know what you are getting yourself in to.
• Quantitative skills You’ll need to show that you can handle the quantitative rigor of the program. Ideally this means you have taken advanced stat courses, and are getting good grades in some advanced math. I don’t need or look for pure math powerhouses, however.  But to compete in the overall pool, you would need strong research experience or experience with data to offset less math experience.
• Experience with data Hands-on experience analyzing real data to answer real-world questions is really good to have, especially if you are interested in working with me. Alternatively, having worked on a complex simulation or some sort of methods development can help make for a strong application.

Q: How does applying work?

This is too big a question to answer here, but in brief: You will need to prepare an application and solicit some letters of recommendation.  This all happens in the fall.  Applications are read in January and February.  You start hearing back in the spring.  For a lot more about this process, see below.

Q: Where can I get more information about your work and/or the doctoral admissions process?

This website (cares.gse.harvard.edu/) is a good place to learn about my research, my students, and the culture we try to create at the Miratrix CARES lab.

For general information about this process, see the Health Policy Data Science Lab’s page for prospective students at https://healthpolicydatascience.org/prospective-student-info (although much of that material I have stolen for this page and a page overview of being a student as well).

For information on HGSE’s admissions process, I recommend the resources provided by the Admissions Office: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions/apply

For broader information on the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school, I would recommend the book A Field Guide to Grad School by Jessica Calarco.

Q: Can you give me an overview of the stat or education PhD Programs at Harvard, assuming I was working with you?

Yes!  Please see here .

Q: What do your students tend to do after graduating?

The best way to tell is to scan our page of alumni .  The short version is: lots of different things!  A good number end up with various professorial posts ranging from more teaching to more research.  Many work in industry or join policy evaluation firms such as Abt. Most continue using their skills gained in their PhD program to do things that interest them. As far as I know, most are quite fulfilled by their post-graduate work.

Q: Are you available to discuss my interests/application prior to my acceptance?

For both practical and principled reasons, I don’t meet (in person or on the phone) with prospective students prior to admission, nor do I read draft personal statements or other materials outside the normal admissions process.  On the practical front, I tend to get numerous inquiries a year, and I just can’t make time to respond substantively to prospective applicants while also giving my current students the time and attention they deserve.  On the principled front, I believe strongly in trying to level the playing field for prospective applicants and am concerned that individualized meetings may lead to further inequities. 

With this being said, if you are admitted to the PhD program, you can rest assured that I will shower you with attention and answer every possible question you may have.  It is in our collective interest to ensure that the relationship is a good fit, and that you can achieve your goals if you come to Harvard!

Q: Does this mean that I shouldn’t contact other HGSE/non-HGSE faculty, either?

No, it definitely does not!  Norms and protocols regarding admissions vary widely both within and across institutions.  At some schools, individual faculty play an important role in selecting students for admission and, as a result, contacting faculty ahead of submitting your application can be an important means of demonstrating interest and ensuring your full application will be read by someone who could advocate for your selection.  It is therefore probably a good idea to reach out by email to other faculty members with whom you are considering working ahead of submitting your application.  These emails do not have to be complicated.  They can include several sentences that clearly, concisely, and politely communicate your background, key research interests, and the alignment of these interests with the prospective faculty member’s research agenda.  It can also be helpful to include your CV and any additional follow-up questions you might have for that person (e.g., whether they are accepting new students, are available to talk further, etc.).  If you don’t receive a response immediately, you can follow up with a polite reminder.   With all this being said, you should not take it personally or as a negative sign if you do not hear back from a prospective faculty mentor.

Q: Are you accepting students to work with you this coming year?

Yes, I am always enthusiastic about taking on new doctoral students!  It is important to understand, however, that unlike in some institutions, individual HGSE faculty do not have the authority to admit individual students.  Rather, we accept candidates as an entire faculty (represented by the admissions committee).  You should therefore think of the audience for your application as being the whole faculty, not just me (and other prospective advisors).  You do need to excite at least one prospective advisor, as we accept students only if there is one (or more) faculty member who is enthusiastic about taking them on.  But at the same time, you also need to excite the faculty as a whole.  Advisors retire, get ill, move institutions, get pulled into new roles, etc.  When we admit you, we commit ourselves to you as a school.

I personally think this last point deserves extra attention: the more a school engenders a community where a student can potentially find mentorship from multiple faculty, the greater the chance that the relationships can be genuine and good fits. If there is only a single advisor that works, and there is a relationship mismatch, then a student can get trapped in a bad (and imbalanced) relationship dynamic. I believe it is better for students to have freedom to change advisors.

In both Harvard Stats and HGSE, I have found that students do have this mobility which means students can obtain the support and training they need to do great work. But this means you should be looking at the school and the faculty as a whole, not just me, when evaluating fit.

Q: Do I have to do statistical methodology work to have you as my advisor?

If you are an education student, you definitely do not need to do methodology work with me. That being said, what I hope will happen is in the course of tackling interesting and engaging applied problems, you and I will find some area where the want to tweak methodology, or borrow methodology from somewhere unusual to answer the applied question you are working on. I particularly love this kind of paper, where a real methodological strength can open doors to inquiry!

Q: Do I have to work only with you as my advisor?  Can I have multiple advisors?

I have a set of specialized skills that put me between education and statistics. This means that in general, I believe my students are better served if they are working with me and other faculty as well. This gives them a broader perspective on their chosen field, and make sure that whatever gaps I have in my own mentoring are filled by mentoring from elsewhere. It's also much more exciting and fun to work with multiple people, I believe. So I strongly encourage my students to build real relationships with other faculty throughout the University as suits their research interests.

Q: What do you look for in a PhD application?

I am happy to provide some details of things that I look for when I read a PhD application, with the caveat that these are my own personal opinions.  Other readers of your application (in particular, the members of the admissions committee, who vary across any given year) may look for other implicit or explicit criteria.  As such, you should take these ideas with a grain of salt.

In general, I look across the materials of an application and try to assess whether we would have a good and productive research relationship.  For me, some signs of a good fit are

• Curiosity : I love those who are trying to understand the world around them. I also highly value those who want to understand how the methods of knowing (research methodology) itself work.  Even if you are planning on doing applied work (trying to answer questions about how society or education functions, I mean), I look for evidence that the means of learning these things is itself of interest to you.
• Excitement : Some people are mission driven (they have found a problem they want to work on and solve), others love the work (the excitement of discovery), and others see it as a path to service (the joy of building tools that can help people achieve their goals). One way or the other, I get excited by people who are taking this on because they are excited by something.
• Capability : I look for evidence that you have the potential to do and excel at quantitative research ranging from thoughtful application of quantitative methods to problems of practice to designing new quantitative methods to help others take on problems of practice. Even if you are a math powerhouse, I want to see evidence of being able to think about the application of methods to practice, and how that can succeed or fail (this is a very different kind of thinking than mathematical theory, and one can be able to do one and not the other in either direction).
• Mathematical comfort and curiosity : I tend to be more successful with students who are wanting to continue to develop their mathematical ability in addition to whatever core research program they are on. This interest can be demonstrated through prior coursework, applied quantitative work (e.g., as a research assistant), and/or explicit statements of interest in your personal essay.
• Independence : Given my role as a statistical methodologist in an education school, I am simultaneously very well positioned and not so well positioned to advise both stat and ed students. The best mentoring I do is with students who also have other mentors, and also have some independence.  For example, in education I am not good at connecting students to specific education research problems, but I am good at helping them work on a problem they have. So independence, here, would be identifying the problem.
• Explanation of how your prior experiences have led you to the point that you are ready for a PhD program . Your personal statement should not rehash your CV in narrative form (e.g., “first I did X, then I did Y, now I want to do Z”), but rather paint a more detailed picture of how your professional and academic experiences have prepared you for this moment in your career.  What did you learn in each of your positions, and how did these experiences lead you to want to address your stated research questions within a doctoral program?
• Good writing . Is your statement organized, clear, and engaging? Does it make efficient use of the short amount of space we give you?  Does it demonstrate that you will be able to write good papers?  Does your writing demonstrate that you can think, and that you have something interesting to say that you can convey cogently to others? 
• Demonstrated research experience (in general) .  A PhD is, first and foremost, a research degree.  Again, the important thing here is not that you are already a fully trained researcher (this is what getting a PhD is for!), but rather that you know what you are getting into, at least a little. For ed students, having several years of full-time research assistant experience prior to enrolling in a doctoral program can give you the perspective to really take advantage of a PhD program.  For stats, this is less important as it is easier to get a sense of “I want to do more of this,” given an undergraduate experience, but I still want to know that you know what this might look like for you.

Overall, I want my education students to be leaning a bit towards being a statistics student, and for my statistics students to be leaning a bit towards being a student in some social science.

I should note that most other professors also look for a few other things (even though I do not tend to).  For a comparison, please read Dana McCoy’s version of this document (this document, in fact, is an edited version of hers): https://seed.gse.harvard.edu/info-prospective-students .  Some things to consider:

• A clear account of a topic, question, or phenomenon that you want to research .
• Compelling motivation for why you believe this problem matter s.
• Evidence that HGSE/I could support you in addressing your identified topic of interest and future goals . 

In your personal statement, you do not need to:

• include statements about how wonderful HGSE is, or about the eminence of a particular faculty member, or what a privilege it would be to study here.  (In fact, please save yourself space and delete all such commentary.)  
• cite a bunch of literature, although you are welcome to if it adds to your argument.
• share personal anecdotes or vignettes that are not directly relevant to the work you want to do.  

Q: How and when will you read my application?

The PhD in Education Doctoral Admissions Committee will forward to me applications that are relevant to my areas of expertise.  You therefore do not need to send me your application separately or do anything special to draw my attention to your work. You should write my name down on the application as a person you are interested in working with, however.  This will ensure that I will review your application in the normal course of the admissions process.

Q: Can you provide me with feedback if my application is unsuccessful?

Unfortunately, providing this sort of feedback is typically not possible.  It is important to understand that the admissions committee and each individual faculty member at HGSE are always enthusiastic about more candidates than we are able to admit. Every year, for both stat and ed students, I end up identifying several students I am extremely excited about and that I think would be wonderful to admit. And usually only a few, if any, of these recommendations are let in. Often final decisions have little to do with personal aptitude, and more to do with whether the prospective candidate is a good match with the overall needs of the school in any given year.

[1] Many of these responses have been borrowed directly or adapted from a document written by HGSE Professor Dana McCoy who similarly borrowed and adapted from HGSE Professor Meira Levenson.  Thank you, Dana and Meira!

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Department of Statistics

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Undergraduate

Students concentrating in Statistics acquire the conceptual, computational, and mathematical tools for quantifying uncertainty and making sense of complex data arising from many applications.

Statistics provides quantitative methods for analyzing data, making rational decisions under uncertainty, designing experiments, and modeling randomness and variability in the world. Statistics has a theoretical core surrounded by a vast number of domains of application in fields such as: anthropology, astronomy, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, economics, education, engineering, environmental sciences, epidemiology, finance, government, history, law, linguistics, medicine, physics, psychology, sociology, and many others. A New York Times article pointed out the increasing demand for statisticians in an article with the headline: "For Today's Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics".

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Undergraduate news.

Rachel Li Receives 2023 Department of Statistics Senior Concentrator Prize

This year, concentrator alum Rachel Li received the May 2023 Department of Statistics Senior Concentrator Prize for her superb coursework in the concentration and for an outstanding thesis.  Originally named the Department of Statistics Undergraduate Prize, the award was founded in 2020 and is given annually to the graduating senior concentrator who has the best overall performance and has contributed significantly to the department.  In an interview (edited and excerpted below), Rachel shared her most...

Jason Zhou Receives 2023 Department of Statistics Concurrent Masters Prize

Statistics concentrator and master’s alum Jason Zhou was awarded the inaugural Department of Statistics Concurrent Masters Prize in May 2023 (along with alum Virginia Ma).  This prize is given annually to the graduating concurrent master’s student who has the best overall performance (as indicated by coursework results), has demonstrated achievements in statistics outside of coursework, and has contributed significantly to the department.  To celebrate his award and learn about his thesis...

Dinan Hamdi Elsyad Receives Best Video Presentation at eUSR 2023

The Statistics Department congratulates undergraduate Dinan Hamdi Elsyad (a junior statistics concentrator) on receiving the best video presentation at the  2023 Electronic Undergraduate Statistics Research Conference  for her summer research work with Niels Korsgaard (Harvard), Kate Hu (Harvard), Grayson White (Michigan State), Josh Yamamoto, and George Gaines (research scientist...

Lucy Tu Receives AAAS Mass Media Fellowship from ASA

The Department of Statistics would like to congratulate Harvard undergraduate Lucy Tu, who is studying sociology, neuroscience, and the history of science, on her American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Fellowship from the American Statistical Association.  The purpose of the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship is to support scholars on projects related to increasing public understanding of science and technology.  

Concentrators James Celi Kitch, Kavya Mehul Shah, and Jason Zhou Receive Awards

The Department of Statistics would like to congratulate our two concentrator recipients of the  Sophia Freund Prize , Kavya Mehul Shah ('23 AB) and Jason Zhou ('23 AB/AM), and our two concentrators who have been awarded the  Thomas T....

Rachel Li Receives 2023 Department of Statistics Senior Concentrator Prize at Commencement

The Department has awarded the 2023 Department of Statistics Senior Concentrator Prize to Rachel Li for her superb coursework in the concentration and for an outstanding thesis. Congratulations on your achievement, Rachel!

The Department of Statistics Senior Concentrator Prize (originally named the Department of Statistics Undergraduate Prize) was founded in 2020.  It is given annually to the graduating senior concentrator who has the best overall performance (as indicated by coursework results and thesis) and who has contributed...

Virginia Linqian Ma and Jason Zhou Receive 2023 Department of Statistics Concurrent Masters Prize

We are pleased to announce that Virginia (Ginnie) Linqian Ma, '23 AB in Mathematics and AM in Statistics, and Jason Zhou, '23 AB in Mathematics and AB/AM in Statistics, have received the inaugural 2023 Department of Statistics Concurrent Masters Prize.  This prize will be awarded annually to the graduating student having completed the Concurrent Masters program in Statistics who has the best overall performance (as indicated by coursework results), who has demonstrated achievements in Statistics outside of coursework, and who has contributed significantly to the...

Dr. Kelly McConville is Awarded 2023 Alpha-Iota Prize for Excellence in Teaching

Harvard Statistics Hosts Inaugural Florence Nightingale Outreach Day

On Saturday, October 22 nd , the halls of the Harvard Science Center were buzzing with middle and high school students at Harvard’s inaugural Florence Nightingale Day (FND).  Introduced by the American Statistical Association and the Caucus for Women in Statistics (CWS) in 2018 , FND is part of an...

Asteria Chilambo and Jing Shang Receive Best Video Presentation at eUSR Conference

Department of Statistics Launches 2022 Newsletter

Profile of Alumna Michele Zemplenyi, Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy

After graduating from Harvard with an A.B. in Statistics in 2013, alumna Michele Zemplenyi had a plethora of career options to consider. Dr. Zemplenyi was not only a statistics concentrator but also completed premed requirements and a thesis in conjunction with the Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department. Choice is great, but it can also be intimidating (as our senior concentrators probably know!).

Fortunately, Michele shared with us how she carved out a career path, starting with statistics in undergrad to a PhD in biostats to a current Fellow position in the Federal...

Professors Janson and Kakade Introduce Undergraduate Reinforcement Learning Course

It’s the start of the fall semester and time to map out a course schedule, but what will work best for you? You love math, so maybe you should stock up on quantitative courses; on the other hand, it might be a good idea to get some course requirements out of the way. You’re a night owl, but maybe you should take those morning classes so that you can play badminton later in the day. While the new course...

Professor Kelly McConville Reimagines Harvard’s Stat 100 Course

“The exciting challenge of revamping Stat 100, which is our most general audience intro stats class, was an opportunity that I couldn't say no to,” reflects Professor Kelly McConville, a Senior Lecturer in the Harvard Statistics Department, on her decision to join the Department.  A survey statistician with interests in machine learning and statistics and data science education, Professor McConville arrived in January 2022 from Reed College, where she was an Associate Professor of...

Professor Kelly McConville's Undergraduate Research Group Conducts US Forest Service Projects

Professor Kelly McConville and her summer undergraduate research group are collaborating on survey statistics projects for the US Forest Service.  More specifically, they are working on several different projects, including an exploration of zero-inflation models for estimating forest parameters over small regions, the creation of a watersheds estimation dashboard to inform new precision targets for forest inventory, small area estimates, and the construction of a tool to share carbon accounting estimates and their standard errors.  During their busy day of research, they...

Undergraduate Thesis Prize Profile: Yash Nair

“Every weekend I go down to the river and try to learn the first trick that everyone does.  When you see it, it doesn’t look impressive but it’s very scary.  I need all the knee pads and elbow pads before I am comfortable doing it.”

Graduating stats concentrator Yash Nair is not afraid to tackle new challenges, whether it’s landing that first skateboarding trick or officially becoming a stats concentrator only a few months ago (it helped that he took many relevant classes along the way!).  Yash capped off his undergraduate experience by receiving the...

Undergraduate Program Information

Concentration Requirements

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Secondary Field Requirements 

Students primarily focusing on another discipline benefit from a solid grasp of Statistics, as well.

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Concentration requirements are fulfilled via any of the four tracks. Explore them here.  

Frequently Asked Questions

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Using Your Statistics Degree

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Harvard Gazette , April 1, 2010

Recent alumni are applying their knowledge in a very wide variety of companies and graduate programs, including tech companies such as Google and IBM, investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, hedge funds such as D.E. Shaw and AlphaSimplex, medical schools, and Statistics PhD programs.  

Opportunities at Harvard

Primo (business), bliss (social sciences), harvard undergraduate research through prise (physical and life sciences), harvard school of public health summer program in quantitative sciences (for minority, first-generation or low income college students), department resources, statistics courses tree, senior theses guidelines, need assistance.

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PhD Programs

• Accounting & Management
• Business Economics
• Health Policy (Management)
• Organizational Behavior
• Technology & Operations Management

Students in our PhD programs are encouraged from day one to think of this experience as their first job in business academia—a training ground for a challenging and rewarding career generating rigorous, relevant research that influences practice.

Our doctoral students work with faculty and access resources throughout HBS and Harvard University. The PhD program curriculum requires coursework at HBS and other Harvard discipline departments, and with HBS and Harvard faculty on advisory committees. Faculty throughout Harvard guide the programs through their participation on advisory committees.

How do I know which program is right for me?

There are many paths, but we are one HBS. Our PhD students draw on diverse personal and professional backgrounds to pursue an ever-expanding range of research topics. Explore more here about each program’s requirements & curriculum, read student profiles for each discipline as well as student research , and placement information.

The PhD in Business Administration grounds students in the disciplinary theories and research methods that form the foundation of an academic career. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program has five areas of study: Accounting and Management , Management , Marketing , Strategy , and Technology and Operations Management . All areas of study involve roughly two years of coursework culminating in a field exam. The remaining years of the program are spent conducting independent research, working on co-authored publications, and writing the dissertation. Students join these programs from a wide range of backgrounds, from consulting to engineering. Many applicants possess liberal arts degrees, as there is not a requirement to possess a business degree before joining the program

The PhD in Business Economics provides students the opportunity to study in both Harvard’s world-class Economics Department and Harvard Business School. Throughout the program, coursework includes exploration of microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, probability and statistics, and econometrics. While some students join the Business Economics program directly from undergraduate or masters programs, others have worked in economic consulting firms or as research assistants at universities or intergovernmental organizations.

The PhD program in Health Policy (Management) is rooted in data-driven research on the managerial, operational, and strategic issues facing a wide range of organizations. Coursework includes the study of microeconomic theory, management, research methods, and statistics. The backgrounds of students in this program are quite varied, with some coming from public health or the healthcare industry, while others arrive at the program with a background in disciplinary research

The PhD program in Organizational Behavior offers two tracks: either a micro or macro approach. In the micro track, students focus on the study of interpersonal relationships within organizations and the effects that groups have on individuals. Students in the macro track use sociological methods to examine organizations, groups, and markets as a whole, including topics such as the influence of individuals on organizational change, or the relationship between social missions and financial objectives. Jointly administered by HBS and GSAS, the program includes core disciplinary training in sociology or psychology, as well as additional coursework in organizational behavior.

Accounting & Management  

Business economics  , health policy (management)  , management  , marketing  , organizational behavior  , strategy  , technology & operations management  .

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Phd program overview.

The PhD program prepares students for research careers in probability and statistics in academia and industry. Students admitted to the PhD program earn the MA and MPhil along the way. The first year of the program is spent on foundational courses in theoretical statistics, applied statistics, and probability. In the following years, students take advanced topics courses. Research toward the dissertation typically begins in the second year. Students also have opportunities to take part in a wide variety of projects involving applied probability or applications of statistics.

Students are expected to register continuously until they distribute and successfully defend their dissertation. Our core required and elective curricula in Statistics, Probability, and Machine Learning aim to provide our doctoral students with advanced learning that is both broad and focused. We expect our students to make Satisfactory Academic Progress in their advanced learning and research training by meeting the following program milestones through courseworks, independent research, and dissertation research:

By the end of year 1: passing the qualifying exams;

By the end of year 2: fulfilling all course requirements for the MA degree and finding a dissertation advisor;

By the end of year 3: passing the oral exam (dissertation prospectus) and fulfilling all requirements for the MPhil degree

By the end of year 5: distributing and defending the dissertation.

We believe in the Professional Development value of active participation in intellectual exchange and pedagogical practices for future statistical faculty and researchers. Students are required to serve as teaching assistants and present research during their training. In addition, each student is expected to attend seminars regularly and participate in Statistical Practicum activities before graduation.

We provide in the following sections a comprehensive collection of the PhD program requirements and milestones. Also included are policies that outline how these requirements will be enforced with ample flexibility. Questions on these requirements should be directed to ADAA Cindy Meekins at [email protected] and the DGS, Professor John Cunningham at [email protected] .

Applications for Admission

• Our students receive very solid training in all aspects of modern statistics. See Graduate Student Handbook for more information.
• Our students receive Fellowship and full financial support for the entire duration of their PhD. See more details here .
• Our students receive job offers from top academic and non-academic institutions .
• Our students can work with world-class faculty members from Statistics Department or the Data Science Institute .
• Our students have access to high-speed computer clusters for their ambitious, computationally demanding research.
• Our students benefit from a wide range of seminars, workshops, and Boot Camps organized by our department and the data science institute .
• Suggested Prerequisites: A student admitted to the PhD program normally has a background in linear algebra and real analysis, and has taken a few courses in statistics, probability, and programming. Students who are quantitatively trained or have substantial background/experience in other scientific disciplines are also encouraged to apply for admission.
• GRE requirement: Waived for Fall 2024.
• Language requirement: The English Proficiency Test requirement (TOEFL) is a Provost's requirement that cannot be waived.
• The Columbia GSAS minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS. To see if this requirement can be waived for you, please check the frequently asked questions below.
• Deadline: Jan 8, 2024 .
• Application process: Please apply by completing the Application for Admission to the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences .
• Timeline: P.hD students begin the program in September only.  Admissions decisions are made in mid-March of each year for the Fall semester.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the application deadline? What is the deadline for financial aid? Our application deadline is January 5, 2024 .
• Can I meet with you in person or talk to you on the phone? Unfortunately given the high number of applications we receive, we are unable to meet or speak with our applicants.
• What are the required application materials? Specific admission requirements for our programs can be found here .
• Due to financial hardship, I cannot pay the application fee, can I still apply to your program? Yes. Many of our prospective students are eligible for fee waivers. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a variety of application fee waivers . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact  gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
• How many students do you admit each year? It varies year to year. We finalize our numbers between December - early February.
• What is the distribution of students currently enrolled in your program? (their background, GPA, standard tests, etc)? Unfortunately, we are unable to share this information.
• How many accepted students receive financial aid? All students in the PhD program receive, for up to five years, a funding package consisting of tuition, fees, and a stipend. These fellowships are awarded in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success; they are contingent upon the student remaining in good academic standing. Summer support, while not guaranteed, is generally provided. Teaching and research experience are considered important aspects of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship. PhD students are given funds to purchase a laptop PC, and additional computing resources are supplied for research projects as necessary. The Department also subsidizes travel expenses for up to two scientific meetings and/or conferences per year for those students selected to present. Additional matching funds from the Graduate School Arts and Sciences are available to students who have passed the oral qualifying exam.
• Can I contact the department with specific scores and get feedback on my competitiveness for the program? We receive more than 450 applications a year and there are many students in our applicant pool who are qualified for our program. However, we can only admit a few top students. Before seeing the entire applicant pool, we cannot comment on admission probabilities.
• What is the minimum GPA for admissions? While we don’t have a GPA threshold, we will carefully review applicants’ transcripts and grades obtained in individual courses.
• Is there a minimum GRE requirement? No. The general GRE exam is waived for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. 
• Can I upload a copy of my GRE score to the application? Yes, but make sure you arrange for ETS to send the official score to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
• Is the GRE math subject exam required? No, we do not require the GRE math subject exam.
• What is the minimum TOEFL or IELTS  requirement? The Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences minimum requirements for TOEFL and IELTS are: 100 (IBT), 600 (PBT) TOEFL, or 7.5 IELTS
•  I took the TOEFL and IELTS more than two years ago; is my score valid? Scores more than two years old are not accepted. Applicants are strongly urged to make arrangements to take these examinations early in the fall and before completing their application.
• I am an international student and earned a master’s degree from a US university. Can I obtain a TOEFL or IELTS waiver? You may only request a waiver of the English proficiency requirement from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences by submitting the English Proficiency Waiver Request form and if you meet any of the criteria described here . If you have further questions regarding the waiver please contact  gsas-admissions@ columbia.edu .
• My transcript is not in English. What should I do? You have to submit a notarized translated copy along with the original transcript.

Can I apply to more than one PhD program? You may not submit more than one PhD application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. However, you may elect to have your application reviewed by a second program or department within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences if you are not offered admission by your first-choice program. Please see the application instructions for a more detailed explanation of this policy and the various restrictions that apply to a second choice. You may apply concurrently to a program housed at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and to programs housed at other divisions of the University. However, since the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences does not share application materials with other divisions, you must complete the application requirements for each school.

How do I apply to a dual- or joint-degree program? The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences refers to these programs as dual-degree programs. Applicants must complete the application requirements for both schools. Application materials are not shared between schools. Students can only apply to an established dual-degree program and may not create their own.

With the sole exception of approved dual-degree programs , students may not pursue a degree in more than one Columbia program concurrently, and may not be registered in more than one degree program at any institution in the same semester. Enrollment in another degree program at Columbia or elsewhere while enrolled in a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences master's or doctoral program is strictly prohibited by the Graduate School. Violation of this policy will lead to the rescission of an offer of admission, or termination for a current student.

When will I receive a decision on my application? Notification of decisions for all PhD applicants generally takes place by the end of March.

Notification of MA decisions varies by department and application deadlines. Some MA decisions are sent out in early spring; others may be released as late as mid-August.

Can I apply to both MA Statistics and PhD statistics simultaneously?  For any given entry term, applicants may elect to apply to up to two programs—either one PhD program and one MA program, or two MA programs—by submitting a single (combined) application to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  Applicants who attempt to submit more than one Graduate School of Arts and Sciences application for the same entry term will be required to withdraw one of the applications.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences permits applicants to be reviewed by a second program if they do not receive an offer of admission from their first-choice program, with the following restrictions:

• This option is only available for fall-term applicants.
• Applicants will be able to view and opt for a second choice (if applicable) after selecting their first choice. Applicants should not submit a second application. (Note: Selecting a second choice will not affect the consideration of your application by your first choice.)
• Applicants must upload a separate Statement of Purpose and submit any additional supporting materials required by the second program. Transcripts, letters, and test scores should only be submitted once.
• An application will be forwarded to the second-choice program only after the first-choice program has completed its review and rendered its decision. An application file will not be reviewed concurrently by both programs.
• Programs may stop considering second-choice applications at any time during the season; Graduate School of Arts and Sciences cannot guarantee that your application will receive a second review.
• What is the mailing address for your PhD admission office? Students are encouraged to apply online . Please note: Materials should not be mailed to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences unless specifically requested by the Office of Admissions. Unofficial transcripts and other supplemental application materials should be uploaded through the online application system. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Office of Admissions Columbia University  107 Low Library, MC 4303 535 West 116th Street  New York, NY 10027
• How many years does it take to pursue a PhD degree in your program? Our students usually graduate in 4‐6 years.
• Can the PhD be pursued part-time? No, all of our students are full-time students. We do not offer a part-time option.
• One of the requirements is to have knowledge of linear algebra (through the level of MATH V2020 at Columbia) and advanced calculus (through the level of MATH V1201). I studied these topics; how do I know if I meet the knowledge content requirement? We interview our top candidates and based on the information on your transcripts and your grades, if we are not sure about what you covered in your courses we will ask you during the interview.
• Can I contact faculty members to learn more about their research and hopefully gain their support? Yes, you are more than welcome to contact faculty members and discuss your research interests with them. However, please note that all the applications are processed by a central admission committee, and individual faculty members cannot and will not guarantee admission to our program.
• How do I find out which professors are taking on new students to mentor this year?  Applications are evaluated through a central admissions committee. Openings in individual faculty groups are not considered during the admissions process. Therefore, we suggest contacting the faculty members you would like to work with and asking if they are planning to take on new students.

For more information please contact us at [email protected] .

For more information please contact us at  [email protected]

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Karan and Jiang Awarded Soros Fellowship for New Americans

Funds will support graduate studies in quantum science, applied physics

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PhD students Aayush Karan and Abigail Jiang of the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences have been awarded the prestigious 2024 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans . The merit-based graduate school program, founded 26 years ago, celebrates the achievements and potential of immigrants and children of immigrants across the United States.

Selected from a pool of 2,323 applicants, Jiang and Karan are among the 30 individuals to receive this honor this year. Each will receive up to $90,000 in funding to support their graduate studies, recognizing their potential to make meaningful contributions to their fields.

"As we welcome these impressive new fellows to our community, I am filled with pride and hope for the bright futures they will have professionally and as they give back to our country,” said Mrs. Daisy Soros, co-founder of the program. “Their stories demonstrate the strength and vitality inherent in the immigrant identity—they aren’t afraid to take risks and think big. Congratulations to the new fellows.”

Aayush Karan, a PhD student in quantum science and engineering, graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 2023, concentrating in computer science, physics, and mathematics, with a secondary concentration in economics. Born to Indian parents who conducted research in cancer biology, Karan's passion for pure mathematics, nurtured from high school, led him to publish research in low-dimensional topology, earning him recognition as a Regeneron Science Talent Search finalist and a Davidson fellow. At Harvard, Karan's research extends his mathematical background to scientific applications, including designing folding algorithms for RNA sequences and compilers for optimization problems on near-term quantum devices.

“I'm honored and humbled to join the PD Soros Fellows community,” he says. “The fellowship will give me the academic flexibility to explore the full breadth of my research in generative machine learning and the potential for physics-based hardware to accelerate the resource-intensive components of its computation stack.”

Pursuing a PhD in applied physics, Abigail Jiang’s research focuses on synthesizing novel materials to explore fundamental phenomena in quantum physics and new applications in energy and sustainability. Born to Chinese engineers who earned graduate degrees in the United States, Jiang's multicultural upbringing shaped their unique perspective. Despite initial resistance to studying engineering like their parents, Jiang discovered a love for the physical sciences. A graduate of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), they hold a dual bachelor of science in materials science and history. Beyond their academic pursuits, Jiang is known for their advocacy work, co-founding Caltech's Asian American Pacific Islander student organization and spearheading a STEM research program for first-generation, low-income high school students.

“I am so grateful and thrilled to join the 2024 PD Soros Fellows,” they say. “Applying to this fellowship was a rare professional opportunity to reflect on how my experiences as a child of immigrants continue to shape my academic aspirations, so being selected as a fellow feels personally meaningful beyond just educational achievements. The funds will support my interdisciplinary research efforts at the intersection of condensed matter physics and materials chemistry, co-advised by professors Julia Mundy and Jarad Mason.”

The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans has provided over $80 million in funding since its inception, supporting a range of fields from medicine and the arts to law and business. This year, the program continues its tradition of investing in the future of the United States by supporting the studies of promising individuals like Karan and Jiang. Congratulations to the two winners from the Harvard Griffin GSAS community!

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