|
RIT is moving to semesters in Fall 2013. Our courses—and much more—are being changed.
In particular, the Advanced Certificate in Statistical Quality Certificate will become the Advanced Certificate in Lean Six Sigma Certificate, and the Advanced Certificate in Statistical Methods for Product and Process Improvement will be changed and named the Advanced Certificate in Applied Statistics. The masters in Applied Statistics will be available in semesters. Links for the new information for each program in semesters can be found on each of their pages below.
Introduction
Options for Study
Full-Time and Part-Time Study
BS/MS Programs
Cooperative Education
Online Learning
Admission
Procedure
Transfer and Interdisciplinary Credits
Non-Matriculated Students
Financial Assistance
Advising
Introduction
Statistics is the science of making decisions in the face
of uncertainty. Statistical thinking and methods are used
over a broad spectrum of industrial, research, educational,
business, and government activities. The Kate Gleason College
of Engineering at RIT, through the John D. Hromi Center for
Quality and Applied Statistics, offers a Master of Science
degree in applied statistics that provides state-of-the-art
statistical thinking and methods. The College also offers
two advanced certificates. The advanced certificate in statistical
quality is for students whose primary interest is in the field
of quality. The advanced certificate in statistical methods
for product and process improvement is for students who want
to learn key ways to characterize and optimize processes.
The faculty of the Center
for Quality and Applied Statistics is a distinguished group
that includes winners of the American Society for Quality’s
Shewhart Medal, Grant Award, Brumbaugh Award, and Shewell
Award; a past president of the society; and fellows of ASQ
and the American Statistical Association.
[ Back to top ]
Options for Study
The MS degree, which requires 30 semester credits (equivalent of 10
courses), is available to both part-time and full-time students.
Students working toward their baccalaureate degree in certain
departments at RIT are eligible to apply for a joint BS/MS
program. Cooperative education options are also available.
Many of our students are full-time professionals who want
to learn state-of-the art statistical techniques to enhance
their careers and their value to their companies. Other MS
students are full-time professionals who want to change careers
and become statistical consultants for their companies. MS
students who do not fit the full-time professional category
typically use the degree to gain employment as statisticians.
The MS program is primarily intended for those students who
do not wish to pursue a degree beyond the MS. However, a number
of our former students are either working on, or have attained
a Ph.D. at other universities.
Both advanced certificates are available to part-time students.
Most of our advanced-certificate students are full-time professionals
who want to enhance their careers and make themselves more
valuable employees. Courses are offered both in on-campus
and online-learning formats and consist of a subset of the
courses in the MS program. The online-learning option makes
these certificates especially appealing to students who are
not able to attend classes on the RIT campus. An eligible
student wishing to continue in the MS program may apply all
courses taken in a certificate program toward the MS degree.
All three programs are registered by the New York State Education
Department and are accredited by the Middle States Association
of the Council for Higher Education. (The United States organizes
their accrediting bodies regionally, and the Middle States
is the highest regional accreditation available. So this should
be considered as a national accreditation.)
[ Back to top ]
Full-Time
and Part-Time Options
Full-time students will normally take three courses per semester
and can complete the MS degree in four terms.
Students pursuing the MS on a part-time
basis (one or two courses per term) typically complete
the degree in two to four years. Students pursuing an advanced
certificate on a part-time basis typically complete the requirements
in four semesters of study.
[ Back to top ]
BS/MS Programs
The Center has agreements with RIT’s Departments of
Mathematics and of Industrial and Systems Engineering to allow
students to earn both BS and MS degrees in less time and fewer
courses than would be needed if both programs were pursued
separately. The undergraduate departments handle entry into
these programs.
[ Back to top ]
Cooperative Education
Cooperative education allows qualified graduate students to
attend school on a full-time basis in certain semesters, and
to earn a substantial salary in other semesters, typically
as an employee in a corporation. To qualify for cooperative
education, students must complete at least one semester of
appropriate course work and receive department approval. Reverse
cooperative education is also available, in which full-time
employees get approval to study on a full-time basis, typically
by alternating one or two semesters of work and study.
[ Back to top ]
Online
Learning
RIT has distinguished itself as one of the premiere online
learning programs in the nation. Since 1979, when RIT offered
its first distance learning course, the Institute has been
a leader in the use of electronic forms of communication for
course interaction. Our online-learning courses have the same
objectives, rigorous workload, tuition and academic credit
as our on-campus courses. Both the MS degree and the advanced
certificates are available through online learning. There
is no distinction made between taking courses on campus or
through online learning. In particular, programs earned partly
or entirely through online learning are registered by the
New York State Education Department and are accredited by
the Middle States Association of the Council for Higher Education.
Every online-learning course offered by the center meets
the rigorous standards required by RIT. Each course typically
features either CDs or streaming video. Courses also include
live chat sessions or asynchronous discussion groups, using
an electronic medium that allows students and the instructor
to interact.
Because online-learning courses are designed for the motivated
professional who is not able to attend on-campus classes,
we recommend enrollment of online learners to those over 25
years of age with at least 3 years of professional employment.
[ Back to top ]
Admission
Admission to the MS degree program will be granted to qualified
holders of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college
or university who have an acceptable GPA and mathematics credits,
including acceptable grades in a two-semester (or three-quarter)
sequence of university-level calculus, and acceptable probability
and statistics college credits. An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 is strongly recommended.
Applicants who fail to meet these requirements may possibly
be admitted on a contingency basis - they will be required
to complete these prerequisites prior to matriculation in
the graduate program.
Admission to the certificate program in Lean Six Sigma
requires a baccalaureate degree with a
probability and statistics requirement but not calculus. Admission
to the certificate program in Apllied Statisticsrequires a baccalaureate degree with
a probability and statistics requirement
and one course in calculus.
Entrance exams are not required. However, international students
whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score
of at least 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based). Courses
are offered on an open-enrollment basis.
[ Back to top ]
Procedure
To be considered for admission it is necessary to file an
application, submit transcripts of all previous undergraduate
and graduate work, obtain two letters of recommendation, and
pay an application fee. (RIT graduates do not have to pay
this fee.) Forms and instructions, including quarterly offerings
and registration forms, may be obtained by writing to: Director
of Admissions Rochester Institute of Technology Bausch &
Lomb Center 60 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623-5604.
You can also apply online at the Online
Application webpage .
[ Back to top ]
Transfer and
Interdisciplinary Credits
Credit for courses of graduate stature from other universities
in statistics, mathematics, computer programming, operations
research, and other quantitative fields related to statistics
may be accepted toward fulfillment of degree requirements
at the discretion of the department with due regard to the
candidate’s objectives. A maximum of nine graduate credits
can be accepted toward the MS degree, while three credits
may be accepted toward the certificate. A course used toward
fulfillment of another degree can only be credited if it corresponds
to one of the core courses described below. Transfer credits
for the certificate must be from a course covering the same
subject matter as the course being waived.
To ensure credit toward the degree, the candidate should
write the department indicating courses for which he or she
would like transfer credit. Prior approval of such courses
is required. While these matters would be discussed with the
candidate’s adviser at various times during the advisement
process, it is essential that all agreements be documented
in writing. A letter to the department will ensure appropriate
recognition of any work completed externally toward the degree.
[ Back to top ]
Non-Matriculated
Students
While we recommend that a formal application be made before
beginning coursework, it is not necessary to be formally admitted
or matriculated into the MS program in order to register for
course offerings. If a student decides to register for a course
before applying, we strongly recommend that the student first
contact the department chair for proper course selection.
In any event, students who desire to enter the MS program
will be allowed to apply only four courses taken prior to
matriculation into the program. This is done to encourage
proper selection of courses and to allow for adequate administrative
time for transcript review. Under no circumstances will grades
earned in these courses be used to admit students who otherwise
would not have been admitted into the MS program. Students
who desire to enter the advanced certificate program will
be allowed to apply only two courses taken prior to matriculation
into the program.
[ Back to top ]
Financial
Assistance
The department awards financial assistance on a competitive basis to qualified
applicants. Assistance in the MS program is offered in several forms, including
scholarships and graduate assistantships. Awards are generally given to full-time
students, with some exceptions for qualified part-time students. For information
on other sources of financial assistance, applicants should review RIT’s
Graduate Bulletin.
[ Back to top ]
Advising
In consultation with a faculty adviser, a total program structured
to achieve individual professional objectives is worked out
with each student.Students are encouraged to contact their
adviser on a regular basis to review their progress toward
meeting program requirements. Non-matriculated students who
wish to be advised should contact the department
chair.
[ Back to top ]
|
