The SMU Department of Statistical Science was founded in 1961 by Paul Minton. The first Master’s degree was awarded in 1963 and first Ph.D. in 1968. A Ph.D. program in Biostatistics, offered in collaboration with University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, was established in 2014, and students receive their training from faculty in both institutions. Besides the Ph.D. programs, the Department offers a Master’s in Applied Statistics and Data Analytics (MASDA) and a rapidly growing undergraduate major. We currently have approximately 70 graduate and 100 undergraduate students in our programs.
The faculty of the Department of Statistical Science consists of researchers with a wide range of interests, including Bayesian methods, order statistics, measurement error, causal modeling, and numerical methods. The application areas are likewise diverse, ranging from genetics and public health to fisheries, reliability and sports. Faculty and student research is funded by federal agencies (e.g., NSF, NIH, NOAA), but also by local industry and government. SMU’s location in the 6th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. provides opportunities for research collaboration and employment with leading finance, healthcare, social welfare, and public policy organizations.
Department Head
Daniel Heitjan
Affiliate Liaison Contact
Daniel Heitjan