The Intercollegiate Graduate Statistics Program (IGSP) is a formal University of Tennessee, Knoxville, academic program established to enable students to earn either a minor or an MS in statistics simultaneously with a master’s or doctoral degree in another department. Approved course work taken to meet doctoral requirements in the student’s home department may also be credited toward the MS in statistics. Similarly, approved course work in statistics taken to meet the requirements for a master’s or doctoral degree in another department may also count toward the minor in statistics. The program is open to graduate students in all departments, which have an approved minor, and/or MS joint major curriculum offered through the program. The program is administered by an executive committee, consisting of college representatives from all colleges with approved programs, with advisory input from the program faculty.
| Degree Program |
Hours in Approved IGSP Courses |
| Master’s in home department, minor in statistics |
9 |
| Master’s in home department, MS in statistics* |
24 |
| Doctorate in home department, minor in statistics |
15 |
| Doctorate in home department, MS in statistics* |
24 |
* The MS in statistics requires 33 hours.
Course options consist of courses in statistics, offered either by the Department of Statistics, Operations and Management Science or by other departments, which have been reviewed and approved by the IGSP Executive Committee. Students taking an MS with a major in statistics must pass the two-part comprehensive examination covering statistical theory and methods. Students taking a minor in statistics in conjunction with a doctorate in another field must pass a written comprehensive examination in statistics, constructed and evaluated by the student’s examination committee. No formal comprehensive examination is required of students earning a statistics minor along with a master’s in another field beyond questions the home department wishes to include as part of the comprehensive examination for the master’s degree.
The student’s home department must have approved a program of courses with the executive committee. That program will specify the sequences of statistics courses, chosen from the IGSP approved list, which are considered appropriate by the home department. Students who wish to participate in this program should contact their college representative or the Chair of IGSP in the Department of Statistics, Operations and Management Science.
The student’s graduate committee must include a member of the IGSP faculty. For students seeking doctoral degrees or the Master of Science with a major in statistics, the committee member must be a faculty member in the Department of Statistics, Operations and Management Science.
The student’s Admission to Candidacy form must contain all courses required for the chosen degree program set off in a group and labeled, “Statistics courses required for the minor or MS in statistics.” Should the student decide not to apply for admission to the program until after completion of some of the courses, the student’s major professor should file a program change with the cooperating departments and assist the student in obtaining a Department of Statistics, Operations and Management Science faculty member to serve on the student’s graduate committee.
Successful completion of the statistics MS or minor is recognized by appropriate documentation on the student’s transcript. Students who do not complete the requirements of the minor or MS will still receive academic credit for the statistics courses they have successfully completed.
