All student course programs must be approved by a faculty advisor prior to registering for classes each quarter, as well as any changes throughout the quarter. (This program is offered only under the Comprehensive Examination Plan.)

48 units of course credit subject to advisor approval are needed. Up to 8 of them can be from upper-division Mathematics or related fields, subject to approval. Up to 8 of them can be graduate courses in other departments. Mathematics 295 and 500 generally don't count toward those 48 units, and neither do seminar courses, unless the student's participation is substantial. Full-time students are generally required to register for at least 12 units per quarter.

The M.S. in Statistics is designed to provide recipients with a strong mathematical background and experience in statistical computing with various applications. Out of the 48 units of credit needed, required core courses comprise 28 units, including:

• Mathematics 281A-B-C (Mathematical Statistics)
• Mathematics 282A-B (Applied Statistics)

The students are also required to take 4 units of MATH 297 (Mathematics Graduate Research Internship); although the course can be taken repeatedly for credit, only 4 units can be counted towards fulfilling the M.S. degree requirements. This MATH 297 requirement may be waived if a student has other qualified internship arrangements. The following guidelines should be followed when selecting courses to complete the remaining units:

• For a theoretical emphasis, Mathematics 280A-B-C (Probability Theory) is recommended.
• For an applied orientation, Mathematics 270A-B and 271A-B-C (Numerical Mathematics) are recommended.

Upon special approval of the faculty advisor, the rule above, limiting graduate units from other departments to 8, may be relaxed in making up these 20 non-core units.

Comprehensive Examinations: Two written comprehensive examinations must be passed at the Master's level in related course work (approved by a faculty advisor). Instructors of the relevant courses should be consulted for exam dates as they vary on a yearly basis.

Any Master's student can submit for consideration a written request to transfer into the Ph.D. program when the qualifying exam requirements for the Ph.D. program have been met and a dissertation advisor is found (refer to Ph.D. in Mathematics for complete description of the departmental examinations). Approval by the Qualifying Exam and Appeals Committee (QEAC) is not automatic, however.