Overview
Statistics have proved to be an important research tool in nearly all of the physical, biological, and social sciences. The rising stature of statisticians is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data. In field after field, computing and the Web are creating new realms of data to explore. It is the size of the data sets on the Web that opens new worlds of discovery, and the digital data surge only promises to accelerate.
See also: For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics — New York Times, August 2009
MATH 1710
The introductory statistics course MATH 1710 - Statistical Theory and Application in the Real World - discusses techniques for analyzing data occurring in the real world and the mathematical and philosophical justification for these techniques. The course, which is somewhat comparable to the AP statistics curriculum but naturally operates on a higher level, is offered in the fall and spring semester and is open to freshmen. It can be applied to the Arts & Sciences distribution requirements, the CALS quantitative literacy requirement, and the mathematics requirement for biological sciences majors.
What Sets MATH 1710 Apart from Other Introductory Statistics Courses
- Solid coverage of many basic techniques without emphasizing a particular discipline.
- Somewhat greater emphasis on probability and the logic behind basic techniques.
- Extensive use of the statistical software JMP.
Advanced Placement
Excluding Engineering and Hotel students, those with a score of 4 or 5 on the CEEB Statistics exam or a score of A or B on the GCE "A" Level exam will receive credit for one semester of statistics and placement out of AEM 2100, BTRY 3010, BTRY 6010, ILRST/STSCI 2100, ILRST 6100, MATH 1710, PAM 2100, PSYCH 2500, SOC 3010, STSCI 2150, STSCI 2200.
Students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will find credit and placement information on the CALS website. Biological Sciences majors see the biological sciences page for AP, IB, and GCE credit for credit and placement information.
Transfer Credit
The Mathematics Department will award transfer credit for an introductory statistics course only if it is a satisfactory equivalent to MATH 1710 offered by a mathematics or statistics department. (See Transferring Credit from another institution for instructions.) If the course is offered by a social science department (such as psychology or sociology), it must be approved by the corresponding social science department at Cornell.
More Advanced Courses in Statistics and Probability
Students who have had some calculus and are more interested in the mathematical background of statistics, including probability, may take the following without loss of AP credit:
- MATH 4710 - Basic Probability
- MATH 4720 - Statistics
- MATH 4740 - Stochastic Processes
- BTRY 3080 - Probability Models and Inference
- BTRY 4090 - Theory of Statistics
- ECON 3130 - Statistics and Probability