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2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Statistics

Requirements for a Major in Statistics

Without Actuarial Sciences Emphasis

Students must complete the following requirements as outlined.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete the general university degree requirements as identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog.

Statistics Requirements

Requires 29 credits as outlined.

Core Courses

Requires 23 credits, including the following:

Elective Courses

Requires six credits, including any two courses from the following:

B.S. and B.A. Degree Requirements

Requires 14 credits as outlined.

B.S. Degree Requirements

Completion of MTH 201, MTH 202, AND MTH 204, and one of CIS 160, CIS 161, CIS 162 satisfies the B.S. degree requirements for statistics majors.

B.A. Degree Requirements

Completion of these courses, plus the foreign language requirement for a B.A., satisfies the B.A. degree requirements for statistics majors.

The following courses are required of all students majoring in statistics:

AND one of the following:

Application Cognate Courses

Requires a minimum of six credits.

Each major in statistics must select an area of application consisting of at least six credits from a list of GVSU courses (called Application Cognate courses) that are accepted by the statistics department as applying statistical methodology. Statistics courses on this list will not be one of the required or elective statistics courses listed previously.

Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their advisor as soon as their major in statistics is declared, both to plan their course schedule over the rest of their time at GVSU and to develop specific plans for their application cognate courses.

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Statistics

Without Actuarial Sciences Emphasis

The following two sample statistics schedules assume the student is in contact with an advisor for the appropriate general education requirements and has a strong mathematical background. Students who do not begin their mathematical sequence with MTH 201 will need to make appropriate changes. Suggested order of coursework one assumes students take MTH 201 in the fall of their first year; suggested order of coursework two assumes students take MTH 201 in the fall of their second year.

Students majoring in statistics who plan to do graduate work are strongly encouraged to take MTH 203 - Calculus III in the fall of their second year and MTH 204 - Linear Algebra I in the winter of their second year.

Option One

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Choose two of the following:

Year Four

Option Two

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

AND two of the following:

Year Four

Requirements for a Major in Statistics

With Actuarial Sciences Emphasis

Requirements for the major with the actuarial sciences emphasis are more specific than the major without the emphasis. Students must complete the following:

Degree Requirements

Students must meet the general university degree requirements as identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog.

Statistics Requirements

Requires 29 credits as outlined.

Core Courses

Requires 23 credits, including:

Elective Courses

Requires six credits, including:

B.S. and B.A. Degree Requirements

Requires 14 credits as outlined.

B.S. Degree Requirements

Completion of MTH 201, MTH 202, MTH 204, and one of CIS 160, CIS 162 or satisfies the B.S. degree requirements for statistics majors.

B.A. Degree Requirements

Completion of these courses plus the foreign language requirement for a B.A. satisfies the B.A. degree requirements for statistics majors.

The following courses are required of all students majoring in statistics:

Application Cognates Courses

Depending on whether a student takes the ECO 210 and ECO 211 sequence or , 15 to 18 hours of cognate credits are required, including:

Suggested Order of Coursework for a Major in Statistics

With Actuarial Sciences Emphasis

The following two sample statistics schedules assume the student is in contact with an advisor for the appropriate general education requirements and has a strong mathematical background. Students who do not begin their mathematical sequence with MTH 201 will need to make appropriate changes. Suggested order of coursework one assumes students take MTH 201 in the fall of their first year; suggested order of coursework two assumes students take MTH 201 in the fall of their second year.

Students majoring in statistics who plan to do graduate work are strongly encouraged to complete the three-semester calculus sequence by taking MTH 203 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry III in the fall of their second year before taking MTH 204 - Linear Algebra I in the winter of their second year.

Business courses in the application cognates have prerequisites that mandate some sequence in completing the courses. ACC 212 is required for FIN 320 and FIN 320 is required for FIN 321. The ECO courses require MTH 110, MTH 122, or MTH 201.

Option One

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

Option Two

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Year Four

Statistics Program Description

Click here for program description.


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