Bachelor of Science (Honours) with Major in Statistics
Professors in the department prepare students in this four-year direct Honours programme for the workplace by teaching them how to collect, analyse and present data. Students learn how to extract information from surveys, databases and carefully designed experiments, in order to obtain understanding of the underlying phenomenon, or to decide on a suitable course of action. They learn programming, problem solving and data visualization skills, and they become sensitive to the applications at hand.
Download the NUS CHS Statistics programme brochure here.
NUS will adopt three new academic terminologies from 1 August 2023 – “Module” will be renamed “Course”, “Modular Credit (MC)” will be renamed “Unit”, and ‘Cumulative Average Point (CAP)” will be renamed “Grade Point Average (GPA)”. For more information, please click here (undergraduate) or here (graduate).
Updated on 24 June 2024
Specialisations
Students have the option to pursue specialisations in data science or/and finance and business statistics. Data science focuses on computing concepts and skills to manage the collection, storage and analysis of voluminous data while finance and business statistics focuses on the application of statistics to the areas of investment and financial analysis, insurance, marketing research and management. You fulfill the specialisation requirements by reading five additional elective courses from a prescribed list on top of the statistics major.
Career Choices
The world is becoming more quantitative and data-focused. Many professions, organisations and businesses depend on numerical measurements to make decisions in the face of uncertainty. Therefore, statistics graduates may look forward to being employed as statisticians in government agencies, the medical and pharmaceutical industries, manufacturing and engineering companies, banking and financial institutions, research and development, and educational institutions. Furthermore, there are many jobs that do not bear the word “statistician” but will significantly rely on the knowledge and skills acquired from studying statistics. These include business, risk and financial analysts, quality assurance or pharmaceutical engineers, marketing professionals, banking and telecommunication executives, actuaries, and data scientists, amongst others. The more entrepreneurial graduates have also set up their own business ventures.
Statistics graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in teaching may refer to www.moe.gov.sg/careers/teach/how-to-apply/teaching-schemes/degree-holders for more information about teaching in primary schools or in secondary schools/junior colleges (JCs). NUS Statistics graduates are able to teach mathematics in secondary schools/JCs. It should be noted that the Ministry of Education (MOE) generally requires applicants to have two teaching subjects for secondary schools/JCs.
Statistics Major vs Data Science & Analytics Major
A frequently asked question is how the major in Statistics differs from the major in Data science and Analytics (DSA). The DSA major is jointly offered by the Statistics department and the Mathematics department in NUS, with support from the School of Computing. There are more compulsory mathematics and computing courses in the DSA program. In contrast there are fewer compulsory mathematics and computing courses in the Statistics major. Statistics majors can still read these mathematics and computing courses by choosing them as electives. In addition the needed mathematics and computing background for specific statistical applications are also taught within the statistics courses.
Admission to the Statistics major programme
To be admitted to read a Major in Statistics, you will need to apply for admission to the Faculty of Science. After you are successfully admitted, you would be able to declare Statistics as your major.
To be able to read the first-year core course (ST1131), you will need a good H2 pass or equivalent in Mathematics/Further Mathematics. If you do not have the background, you are to read the bridging course, MA1301 or MA1301X, first.
Programme Requirements and Sample Study Plan
The requirements and sample study plan of the programme can be found here.