Contact the Anthropology Department for enrollment information.
Rationale
A goal of the PhD concentration in statistics is to provide students with applied quantitative and statistical skills in anthropology, and also provide tools for carrying out quantitative research. The track is largely built around a curriculum developed by the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS; course code: CS&SS). Students who complete the Statistics Concentration will have advanced training in statistics for social science research relevant to their own research needs. Taking a coherent set of CSSS courses will expose students to the cutting edge of statistics and the social sciences.
Certification Requirements
Coherent Set of Four Courses in Social Statistics
Students will take a set of four courses in social statistics (chosen primarily from the list below). The student will then submit a list of the courses to the Statistics Concentration Committee for approval. These courses must be more advanced than any
required for a Ph.D. degree in Anthropology. These courses should be selected to form a coherent concentration in social statistics.
The advanced courses offered by CSSS will automatically qualify for the concentration. For example, CSSS currently offers courses in generalized linear models, hierarchical models, Bayesian methods, event history analysis, simulation methods, and analysis
of network data. In addition, relevant courses in Statistics, Biostatistics, Anthropology, Economics, and Sociology may be considered so long as they help form a coherent set of social statistics courses. Students are encouraged to seek advice from the
committee in developing their concentration.
Students pursuing approval of a course plan that includes a course not offered by CSSS and not included on the list of approved courses must provide the committee with recent syllabus and a rationale for including the course in their plan.
List of approved courses:
- BIOA 526: Models and Methods for Biocultural Anthropology
- CS&SS 526: Structural Equation Models for Social Sciencess
- CS&SS 529: Sample Survey Techniques
- CS&SS 536: Analysis of Categorical and Count Data
- CS&SS 544: Event History Analysis
- CS&SS 560: Hierarchical Modeling in the Social Sciences
- CS&SS 564: Bayesian Statistics for the Social Sciences
- CS&SS 566: Causal Modeling
- CS&SS 567: Statistical Analysis of Networks
- CS&SS 568: Statistical Analysis of Game-Theoretic Data
- CS&SS 589: Multivariate Data Analysis for the Social Sciences
The Statistics Concentration Committee will be responsible for periodically updating the list of approved courses.
Minimum Grade Point-Average
Students must obtain a minimum grade point average of 3.3 for their four approved courses.
Evaluation by the Statistics Concentration Committee
When a student has completed all four courses, the student will submit to the committee a packet including grades received and any written papers completed for the courses. The committee will evaluate the performance in the course. In most cases this
will be a pass (if the student has met the 3.3 grade point average, and the courses taken form a coherent set). The committee can also give evaluations consistent with certifying the concentration, such as a pass with distinction. Finally, the committee
can use its discretion to deal with grading in different departments that may use different standards.
The Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences will provide a document certifying that the student completed the Concentration in Statistics.
