Applied Statistics is a versatile degree that can lead to jobs and careers in many different areas. Visit the department website, watch the videos below, or scroll down and select an option under Related Career Fields to see more information about potential careers you can pursue.
Applied Statistics
Related Career Fields
Select a career field below to see some of the various areas it encompasses, types of employers, and some sample occupations.
Government
Career Areas
- Design surveys and methodology
- Implement experiments/Conduct field work
- Collect, process, and analyze data
- Interpret results
- Clinical trial analysis
- Reliability and quality control
- Operations research
- Census, education, ecology and environment, forestry, government regulation, law, national defense, public health, population, and risk assessment
- Research
Types of Employers
- Bureau of Economic Analysis
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Census Bureau
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Army Research Office
- Office of Naval Research
- Office of Energy Research
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Justice
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Food and Drug Administration
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- National Security Agency
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- State and local government
General Information
- Plan to earn a master’s or doctoral degree to qualify for most “statistician” jobs.
- Develop a strong background in computers.
- Hone writing and presentation skills.
- Complete an internship with a government organization.
- Learn about the government hiring process and plan to apply early.
- Research special hiring authorizations to be hired and promoted more quickly.
Health and Medicine
Career Areas
- Biomedical research
- Biostatistics/Biometrics
- Biopharmaceutical statistics
- Pharmacology
- Clinical trials
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
- Public health
- Animal health
- Health economics
- Market research
- Technical writing
Types of Employers
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Biotechnology firms
- Hospitals
- National laboratories
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Food and Drug Administration
- National Institutes of Health
- National Center for Health Statistics
- World Health Organization
- Research universities
- Animal health industry
- Scientific journals
- Consulting firms
General Information
- Supplement curriculum with courses such as biology, chemistry, ecology, and other natural sciences.
- Possibly plan to earn a master’s or doctoral degree in statistics, public health, epidemiology, related field.
- Seek experience with a statistical software package and learn programming language skills.
- Learn to work well on interdisciplinary teams.
- Complete a relevant internship to gain experience and to test interest in field.
- Develop strong written and verbal communication skills for writing technical reports and presenting findings.
Industry
Career Areas
- Quality control
- Reliability
- Product testing
- Product development and improvement
- Management of assets and liabilities
- Risk assessment
- Financial planning
- Market research
- Operations research
- Purchasing
- Management
- Engineering applications
- Agricultural, environmental, biological, chemical research
- Computer science
- Statistical computing
- Data processing services
- Technical writing
- Science journalism
- Sports statistics
Employers
- Research centers and laboratories
- Pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms
- Environmental clean-up firms
- Chemical companies
- Software developers
- Computer companies
- Internet companies
- Engineering firms
- Manufacturers
- Logistics firms
- Transportation companies
- Communications industry
- Utility companies
- Financial institutions
- Insurance companies
- Consumer marking firms
- Statistics agencies
- Data collection services
- Consulting firms
- Nonprofit organizations
General Information
- Conduct informational interviews with professionals in a variety of settings to help determine career goals.
- Take a well-rounded selection of courses depending upon areas of interest, (e.g. business or science).
- Plan to earn a master’s or doctoral degree for higher level positions.
- Gain relevant experience through internships.
- Develop a strong background in computers as they are used extensively for statistical applications.
- Learn to work well both independently and on interdisciplinary teams.
- Develop the ability to communicate statistical aspects of business decisions to a wide array of people.
Operations Management
Career Areas
- Business strategy
- Facilities layout
- Inventory control
- Personnel scheduling
- Line supervision
- Manufacturing management
- Production planning
- Quality assurance
- Purchasing/Buying
- Traffic management
- Inventory management
Employers
- Manufacturers
- Industrial organizations
- Service organizations
- Logistics firms
- Airlines and other transportation companies
General Information
- Develop strong analytical skills and a logical approach to problem solving.
- Take additional courses in management.
- Acquire skills in budgeting and cost management.
- Learn to manage multiple situations and problems.
- Develop the ability to communicate effectively with different types of people in various functional areas.
- Earn an MBA to reach higher levels of operations management.
Banking and Finance
Career Areas
- Corporate and consumer credit analysis
- Commercial lending
- Trust management
- Capital services and mergers and acquisitions
- Mortgage loans
- Originations and packaging
- Branch management
- Operations
- Cash management
- Credit scoring and risk management
- Private banking
- Financial analysis
- Investment banking
Employers
- Commercial banks
- Credit unions
- Savings and loan associations
- Savings banks
- Mortgage banks
- Captive finance companies
- Federal Reserve
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
- Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS)
- Brokerage firms
General Information
- Build a solid background in business: marketing, finance, and accounting.
- Gain experience through part-time, summer or internship positions in a financial service firm.
- Develop strong interpersonal and communication skills in order to work well with a diverse clientele.
- Plan to earn an MBA to enter investment banking.
- Research professional certifications that may be valuable in this field.
Insurance
Career Areas
- Actuary science
- Risk management/Assessment
- Loss management/Control
- Underwriting
Employers
- Insurance carriers
- Insurance agents and brokers
- Professional, scientific, and technical consulting firms
- Government agencies
General Information
- Take additional courses in mathematics and finance.
- Complete an internship with an insurance agency to gain relevant experience.
- Talk to professionals in the industry to learn more about claims, underwriting, and risk management.
- Develop strong communication skills, as many positions require interaction with others and the ability to explain information clearly and concisely.
- Learn how to use statistical analysis software and various computer programming languages.
Education
Career Areas
- Teaching
- Research
Employers
- Colleges and universities
General Information
- Plan to earn a doctoral degree.
- Maintain a high undergraduate GPA and secure strong recommendations from faculty.
- Volunteer to assist a faculty member with his or her research or find a part-time job as a research assistant.
Join Organizations
Being active in both student and professional organizations can help boost your career. You'll have the opportunity to network with and learn from peers, mentors, and professionals. Working within these groups helps build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. You'll gain hands-on experience, showing employers your proactive attitude and commitment to growth, making you a stronger job candidate.
Student Organizations
Check out the organizations listed below, search Laker Life, or talk with a Career Coach to find others.
Search for Employers
General Guidelines and Strategies
- Statistics can be used in a wide variety of fields within science, technology, business, medicine, and social sciences.
- Gain knowledge or take courses in a specific field of interest, such as medicine or finance, to pair with skills in statistics, math, and computers.
- Most statistician and upper level research jobs in either government or industry will require at least a master’s degree.
- An undergraduate degree in statistics can be used in a variety of business settings if combined with relevant experience and skills.
- Choose concentrations or minors that will enhance a degree in statistics.
- Take courses in forecasting and applied time series which are particularly sought after by employers.
- Some positions in business, such as sales and management, are open to any major. Seek experiences and build skills that will help you prepare for these jobs.
- Strong communication skills are critical in the field of statistics in order to communicate statistical information clearly to people who do not have technical backgrounds. Writing and presentation skills are also frequently used.
- Statistics can be a good preparation for graduate degrees in other fields such as law, business, or public health.
- Join the American Statistical Association and use its website as a resource to research career opportunities.
- Seek experience with a statistical software package and learn programming language skills.
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