Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)

University of British Columbia

Canada, Vancouver

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Home/Canada/Vancouver /University of British Columbia/Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)

University of British Columbia

Canada , Vancouver

Key Facts

Program Level

PhD (Philosophy Doctorate)

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Vancouver

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 6 year(s)

Tuition Fee

CAD 9,884 / per year

Next Intake September-2026

Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD)

About

Established in 1983, the Department of Statistics at UBC is internationally renowned for its excellence in research and the high calibre of its faculty members. Our programs offers students different options for pursuing their interests and professional goals. Students completing our PhD program will be well-prepared for a job in industry, government or academia. During their program our students develop important professional skills that include: effective communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences, creativity and originality, and grant writing skills, among others. They also acquire a broad knowledge of modern statistical methods, including computing and data management.

NEW PhD Track Admission Stream!. More information can be found here https://www.stat.ubc.ca/phd-track.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement: 100

Reading

Writing

Speaking

Listening

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement: 7.5

Reading

6.5

Writing

6.5

Speaking

6.5

Listening

6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Course Requirements

Successful PhD applicants typically have an MSc in Statistics or an MSc or PhD in Mathematics with strong evidence of interest in statistics. A student with only a Bachelors degree cannot usually be admitted to our PhD program, but rather must first enter the MSc program, either first completing the MSc or applying for transfer to the PhD after one year. If you have only had a few courses in statistics, your application to the PhD program will not be successful. For admission to the PhD program, the Admissions committee requires the following, in addition to the requirements for admission to the MSc program. a course in advanced statistical inference courses in rigorous mathematics at least 3 of the following courses at the graduate level: stochastic processes, advanced probability, mathematical statistics, linear models The above requirements are in addition to the minimum admission requirements of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Please note that meeting our admission requirements does not guarantee admission. The following background will strengthen the application. courses in real analysis, and possibly measure theory, advanced probability (limit theorems, sigma fields); a broad range of courses in statistical methods (e.g., some topics among statistical computing, Bayesian statistics, generalized linear models, time series, multivariate statistics); undergraduate or graduate computer science courses; research or work experience relevant to statistics; solid programming experience (e.g., C, C++, Fortran, Python, R, SAS, Matlab).

Document Requirements

We require a 2 page (maximum) statement of interest/research proposal, as well as a CV.

Career

Career Outcomes

31 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 29 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)

Sample Employers in Higher Education

University of British Columbia (3)
Simon Fraser University (3)
Northern Illinois University (2)
University of Dhaka
Grant MacEwan University
University of Toronto
University of Saskatchewan
York University
Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal
West Virginia University

Sample Employers Outside Higher Education

Google (3)
Scotiabank
TransUnion
eBay
Genentech
AstraZeneca
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Eli Lilly and Company
Ghement Statistical Consulting Company Ltd.

Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education

Senior Statistician (2)
Statistician
Senior Research Scientist
Data Scientist
Senior Consultant
Senior Statistical Scientist
Principal
Director Risk
Staff Data Scientist
Quantitative Analyst

PhD Career Outcome Survey

You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.

Disclaimer

These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.

Career Options

Our students are prepared for a successful career in industry, academia or the public sector. Former students looking for a job after graduation have been promptly offered employment in many different industries, universities and government agencies. Please view a list of alumni and their first positions after graduation on our website.