2013-15 Graduate Catalog PDFDepartment of Management Science and Statistics
- Master of Business Administration - Management Science Concentration
- Master of Science in Applied Statistics
- Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Statistics
Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Management Science and Statistics is to offer both undergraduate and graduate educational programs that are of high quality and meet the changing needs of the global community; to provide a supportive learning environment for students; to foster the success of our students in their professional careers; and to create an academic environment that stresses excellence in teaching, intellectual contributions, and service. The Department contributes to the field of knowledge through research and education in the quantitative sciences. Theory and analysis are applied to a variety of interdisciplinary problems to discover new approaches for meeting the challenges of decision making in a global arena of expanding technology and information.
Department Information
The disciplines of Management Science and Statistics are integral to modern decision-making processes. These interdisciplinary fields emphasize the use of quantitative methods and computers for analyzing, understanding, visualizing, and interpreting data. Management Science seeks to provide a rational basis for decision analysis across a broad spectrum of business functions such as production/operations, marketing, finance, human resources, project management, logistics, and supply chain management. Statistical methods provide analytical tools for research in high-technology and biomedical industries, insurance, and government agencies. For students choosing to obtain a Master of Business Administration degree, the Department of Management Science and Statistics offers a concentration in Management Science. The Department also offers a Master of Science degree in Applied Statistics and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Applied Statistics.
Master of Business Administration Degree – Management Science Concentration
The Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree with a concentration in Management Science is accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business—and conforms to recommended guidelines.
This concentration is designed to offer the opportunity for qualified graduate students to develop expertise in the field of management science while studying business administration. Students are provided the opportunity to learn quantitative methods and to apply these methods to organizational processes to improve the quality of managerial decision making, to improve operational efficiencies, to increase productivity, and to facilitate the timely flow of goods, services, and information. To achieve this end, students can focus their elective courses on the use of modern methodologies and techniques in the analysis and support of managerial decision-making activities, including the application of computer hardware and software.
Students choosing to concentrate in management science must complete the 24 semester credit hours of courses containing the M.B.A. Core and 12 semester credit hours of electives from the following:
MS 5303 Topics in Decision Support Systems
MS 5323 Statistical Methods for Business Analysis
MS 5343 Logistics Systems Management
MS 5373 Simulation Analysis of Business Systems
MS 5393 Topics in Production Operations Management
MS 5413 Integrated Global Supply Chain Management
MS 5423 Service Management and Operations
MS 5433 Effective Project Management
MS 5453 Management and Control of Quality
MS 5463 Lean Operations and Six Sigma
MS 5473 Logistics System Analysis
MS 5483 Operations Research Methods in Statistics
MS 6943 Management Science Internship
MS 6953 Independent Study
MS 6973 Special Problems
Additionally, a student may request the management science coordinator or chair to substitute other appropriate College of Business graduate electives for one or two of the above courses.
Master of Science Degree in Applied Statistics
The Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Applied Statistics includes instruction in a broad range of applied statistical methods and computational tools to prepare students for careers as government, industrial, or academic statisticians, or to pursue doctoral studies in statistics.
Program Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements, a B.A. or B.S. in statistics, mathematics, engineering, business, or a closely related field is highly recommended as preparation. In particular, three semesters of calculus and a course in matrix theory/linear algebra or their equivalents are required for unconditional admission. A course in probability and/or statistics is preferred but not required. Those students who do not qualify for unconditional admission should anticipate that additional undergraduate and/or graduate coursework may be required to complete the degree. All applicants are required to submit scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) aptitude test.
Degree Requirements. Candidates for this degree are required to successfully complete 33 semester credit hours as specified below:
- All candidates for the Master of Science in Applied Statistics must complete the following 15 semester credit hours of coursework:
STA 5093 Introduction to Statistical Inference
STA 5103 Applied Statistics
STA 5133 Advanced Programming and Data Management in SAS
STA 5503 Mathematical Statistics I
STA 5513 Mathematical Statistics II - A candidate for the Master of Science degree in Applied Statistics must complete 9 semester credit hours of coursework chosen from one of the following focus areas:
Biostatistics
STA 5903 Survival Analysis
STA 6133 Simulation and Statistical Computing
STA 6813 Multivariate Analysis
STA 6833 Design and Analysis of Experiments
STA 6853 Categorical Data Analysis
STA 6913 Bioinformatics: Microarray and Proteomics Data Analysis
Industrial Statistics
STA 5803 Process Control and Acceptance Sampling
STA 6013 Regression Analysis
STA 6113 Applied Bayesian Statistics
STA 6133 Simulation and Statistical Computing
STA 6833 Design and Analysis of Experiments
STA 6843 Response Surface Methodology
Management Science
MS 5023 Decision Analysis and Production Management
MS 5453 Management and Control of Quality
MS 5463 Lean Operations and Six Sigma
MS 5483 Operations Research Methods in Statistics
STA 6013 Regression Analysis
STA 6133 Simulation and Statistical Computing
Financial Modeling
ECO 6103 Econometrics and Business Forecasting
FIN 6313 Modeling of Financial Decision Making
STA 5253 Time Series Analysis and Applications
STA 6013 Regression Analysis
STA 6113 Applied Bayesian Statistics
STA 6133 Simulation and Statistical Computing
General
Any 9 hours of 5000/6000-level courses in Statistics or other disciplines as approved by the Graduate Advisor.
- A candidate for the Master of Science degree in Applied Statistics must complete 9 semester credit hours of graduate-level courses in Statistics, Engineering, Biology, or other disciplines as approved by the Graduate Advisor.
- Each candidate for the degree is required to pass a comprehensive examination in Statistics that will cover material in the following courses: STA 5093, STA 5103, STA 5503, and STA 5513.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Applied Statistics
In this age of advanced technology, there is an increasing demand for individuals with expertise in designing experiments and analyzing large complex data sets via the latest advances in computing. In particular, there is a real need for professionals with a Ph.D. in Applied Statistics. Statisticians are in very high demand in the growing biomedical field to develop methods for evaluating the efficacy and safety of new medications/drugs, surgeries, and other treatments and in the cutting edge research of Bioinformatics to assess such topics or protocols as gene therapy, genomics research, aging and many other newly developed issues. The Ph.D. in Applied Statistics combines theory with applications to prepare students to pursue careers in academia, research organizations, government, and private industry.
Program Admission Requirements. In addition to satisfying the University-wide graduate admission requirements, a B.A., B.S., M.A. or M.S. in mathematics, statistics, or a closely related field is required. Students who have not taken mathematical statistics courses at the undergraduate level may be required to complete the equivalent courses in the appropriate background areas before taking graduate courses. The admission requirements consist of:
- A cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher in the last 60 hours of coursework.
- A Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score from a recent (no more than five years prior to the application date) administration of the exam.
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework completed.
- Three letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources familiar with the applicant’s background.
- A curriculum vita and a statement of experiences, interests, and goals.
- International students from non-English speaking countries must also submit a score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). TOEFL scores may not be more than two years old.
- Applicants may be asked to appear before the admissions committee for a personal interview.
Degree Requirements. Candidates for this degree are required to successfully complete a minimum of 87 semester credit hours of graduate coursework as specified below:
- Foundation Courses
All candidates entering the program with a bachelor’s degree must complete the following 18 semester credit hours of coursework:
STA 5093 Introduction to Statistical Inference
STA 5103 Applied Statistics
STA 5133 Advanced Programming and Data Management in SAS
STA 5503 Mathematical Statistics I
STA 5513 Mathematical Statistics II
STA 6023 Mathematical Methods in Statistics - All candidates entering the program with a bachelor’s degree must complete 12 semester credit hours of 5000/6000-level Statistics courses approved by the Graduate Advisor.
- Advanced Courses
All candidates must complete the following 15 semester credit hours of advanced coursework:
STA 6133 Simulation and Statistical Computing
STA 6713 Linear Models
STA 6991 Statistical Consulting (to be taken three semesters)
STA 7503 Advanced Inference I
STA 7513 Advanced Inference II - All candidates for the Ph.D. degree in Applied Statistics must complete 6 semester credit hours of approved graduate courses with numbers 6000 or higher within the Department of Management Science and Statistics.
- All candidates for the Ph.D. degree in Applied Statistics must complete at least 6 semester credit hours of approved elective courses offered by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio or The University of Texas at San Antonio.
- All candidates for the Ph.D. in Applied Statistics must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of Doctoral Research.
- All candidates for the Ph.D. in Applied Statistics must complete a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of Doctoral Dissertation.
All students in the program will be required to complete a degree plan specifying the courses they will complete. This degree plan must be approved by the Doctoral Studies Committee before the end of the second semester of enrollment.
Applicants with a master’s degree in statistics or a related field may apply up to 30 hours of previously earned graduate credits toward the doctoral degree. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated by the Doctoral Studies Committee and credit will be designated on a course-by-course basis to satisfy the foundation requirements of the degree.
Advancement to Candidacy. Advancement to candidacy requires a student to complete University and Applied Statistics program requirements. After completing the required coursework, students seeking candidacy must also pass written and oral qualifying examinations before being admitted to candidacy for the degree. Students admitted with a bachelor’s degree must pass the Master’s comprehensive examination. Those who do not pass this examination at the Ph.D. level may qualify for the M.S. degree. All candidates for the Ph.D. degree must pass an advanced written qualifying examination and an oral comprehensive examination administered by the graduate faculty. The written examination is administered by the graduate faculty in the specialization area. Written examinations are scheduled once a year, whereas the oral examination is administered at the discretion of the student’s Dissertation Committee. The oral examination is for the purpose of eliminating any questions of competency related to substantive written exams and serves as a hearing for the student’s dissertation proposal. Students will be provided no more than two attempts to pass the written qualifying examination and two attempts to pass the oral qualifying examination. Majority approval of the dissertation examination committee is required to pass the oral examination. The oral examination must be completed within one year of completion of the written examination. Results of the written and oral qualifying examinations must be reported to the Dean of the Graduate School.
Dissertation. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to conduct independent research by completing and defending an original dissertation. The research topic is determined by the student in consultation with his or her supervising professor. A Dissertation Committee selected by the student and supervising professor, guides and critiques the candidate’s research. The completed dissertation must be formally presented to and approved by the Dissertation Committee.
Following an open presentation of the dissertation findings, the Dissertation Committee conducts a closed meeting to determine the adequacy of the research and any further requirements for completion of the dissertation. Results of the meeting must be reported to the Dean of the College and to the Dean of the Graduate School.
Awarding of the degree is based on the approval of the Dissertation Committee, approved by the Dean of the College. The UTSA Dean of the Graduate School certifies the completion of all University-wide requirements.
