Statistical Science

As a statistical science major, you’ll have a home in two colleges: Arts and Sciences (A&S) and the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.

Statistical Science combines modern statistical methodology and computing with data science to solve problems through the science of learning from data and from measuring, controlling, and communicating uncertainty. The major is ideal for students interested in actuarial science, applied and mathematical statistics, data mining and visualization, machine learning, quantitative reasoning, statistical programming, and more.

Sample classes

• STSCI 3080: Probability Models and Inference
• STSCI 3600: Integrated Ethics in Data Science
• STSCI 3740: Data Mining and Machine Learning
• STSCI 4030: Linear Models with Matrices
• STSCI 4520: Statistical Computing
• STSCI 4610: Data Science in Risk Modeling
• STSCI 4850: Data Science Consulting
• STSCI 4980: Sports Analytics

Outcomes

All information below is five years of A&S Statistical Science majors’ undergraduate data at six months post-graduation (Classes 2021-2025). Explore Statistical Science A&S outcomes in greater detail on the Cornell Outcomes Dashboard or by emailing as_careers@cornell.edu.

What can you do with a degree in Statistical Science?

54% of the A&S Classes of 2021- 2025 graduating with a statistical science major were employed full-time six months after graduation, while 44% entered graduate school. 

Graduate school:

The 44% of A&S statistical science majors who elected to continue their studies after graduation pursued various advanced degrees, with  33% choosing a Masters of Professional Studies, 21% a Masters of Engineering, 16% a Master of Science, and 15% a Ph.D. Their graduate field interests included Applied Statistics or Statistics (40%), Computer Science (17%), and other fields.

The top graduate school destination for Class of 2021 - 2025 A&S statistical science majors was Cornell University. Beyond Cornell, some of the other schools these students went to included:

• Carnegie Mellon University
• Columbia University in the City of New York
• Duke University
• Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine
• Harvard University
• London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• National University of Singapore
• North Carolina State University
• Ohio State University
• Rice University
• University of California-Berkeley
• University of California-Santa Barbara
• University of Hong Kong
• University of Oxford
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Rochester
• University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
• Yale University

Employment:

While 44% of their classmates continued their studies, 54% of statistical science Class of 2021 - 2025 graduates in Arts and Sciences secured full-time employment. Of these students, 41% entered financial services, 22% entered consulting/professional services, and  17% entered the tech sector. 

The top ten employers for these students in the Class of 2021 - 2025 were:

1. Goldman Sachs
2. Citigroup
3. Google
4. JPMorgan Chase & Co.
5. Morgan Stanley
6. Deloitte Consulting
7. Red Ventures
8. ZS Associates
9. EY (Ernst & Young)
10. Verisk Analytics