The Statistics major develops the skills and insights required to draw inferences and conclusions from many types of data. A key challenge facing managers is the interpretation of the vast amount of data generated in the world of business today. Modern computing systems now produce large volumes of information whereas previously one could often only rely upon intuition and guesses. Yet this information does not directly answer important business questions. What combination of features is most desirable for consumers? What will sales be next month? How did we do last month? Data analysis and statistics offer a systematic approach that can help provide answers to these questions.
Courses offered by the Statistics Department develop the skills and insights required to make effective use of statistical methods. The courses provide the knowledge needed to select and apply techniques and to communicate statistical results. Interpretation in realistic applications offers guiding examples, and theory is used to motivate and compare alternative schemes.
Regardless of topic, all of these courses provide useful skills that augment the substantive managerial abilities of students. Courses also provide exposure to computer software that implements key techniques.