Program Overview

Statistics is a discipline concerned with understanding patterns and relationships in data in the presence of variation and uncertainty.

How do we discover the “truth” or signal hidden in the noise?

The Department offers several pathways for studying statistics. Many students take a single paper in statistics, others include statistics in their degree as either a major or minor subject. We encourage all students majoring in statistics to also take papers in another field of interest to them, be it arts, science or commerce. Having knowledge of an area of application is extremely useful, and data are virtually everywhere!

In the statistics programme you learn:

Anywhere data are collected, analysed or interpreted, you find people with statistical training. Because the world is becoming more and more data-focused, the demand for graduates has outstripped supply. Statisticians use computational skills, statistical knowledge, quantitative abilities and communications skills to help make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Examples include evaluating the environmental effects of air, water, and soil pollutants, and designing and analysing studies to determine whether new drugs and medical procedures are safe and effective. By working in statistics, you can combine your interest with almost any other field in science, technology, or business. In New Zealand, statisticians are employed in Crown Research Institutes, Government Departments such as Inland Revenue, ACC, and Conservation, and companies such as Fonterra, Meridian Energy, and Spark.