Master of Arts in Statistics and Data Science,
Bridge to a Doctorate,
Curriculum and Mentoring

Curriculum

Bridge Fellows will meet with Program Co-Directors in the summer before matriculating to help develop individual students’ course plans.

Coursework consists of two classroom courses per semester (2 CUs), primarily from existing 5000-level-and-above Statistics and Data Science courses, plus an independent study (1 CU).  Bridge Fellows may also take graduate courses offered by other departments with the approval of their faculty mentor.

Bridge Fellows should plan to complete 10 course units over 2 years.  Coursework consists of classroom courses, primarily from existing 5000-level and above Statistics and Data Science courses and independent studies.  Typically, the first year focuses heavily on classroom courses and shifts to research-focused independent studies in the second year.  Bridge Fellows may also take graduate courses offered by other department with the approval of the Program Co-Directors.

Bridge Fellows are also expected to complete and defend a Master’s thesis.  The thesis should demonstrate ability to apply advanced statistics and data science techniques, including, but not limited to data collection, modeling, and analysis.  The research must be grounded through review of relevant literature, be clearly written and well-structured and include the following sections: introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion.

Mentoring

Each Bridge Fellow will be assigned a faculty mentor.  The faculty mentor will work collaboratively with the Program Faculty Co-Directors to advise the Fellow on matters relating to study plan, coursework, research, doctoral program applications, and career planning.  Informal meetings with PhD students will be arranged to build social and professional relationships with near peers of the Bridge Fellows. Fellows will also have access to Penn’s Career Services which provides additional support and guidance on doctoral program applications.

Sample Program Outline

Summer Before Program

Select faculty mentor and determine a customized course plan.

Year 1

Complete 4 CU’s of 5000-level-and-above classroom courses. Complete 2 independent study courses. Develop topic for master’s thesis. Work with faculty advisors who will help students find a paid summer research position.

Year 2

Prepare applications for doctoral programs. Complete 2 CU’s of 5000-level-and-above classroom courses. Complete 2 independent study courses. Complete and defend master’s thesis.

Student Involvement in the Department

In addition to formal coursework, Bridge Fellows will have an opportunity to participate in our professional-social research environment by attending departmental activities, such as seminars or PhD student presentations, and interacting with PhD students, faculty, and postdocs in Statistics and Data Science and across other departments at Wharton.

As Statistics and Data Science is an interdisciplinary field with many cross-campus connections, Bridge Fellows will have the opportunity to interact with Penn’s graduate student community, by attending seminars in the Fellow’s specific area of research interest. Below are links to some of the research areas:

Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) events

Penn Research and Machine Learning (PRiML) seminars

Penn Data Driven Discovery Initiative

Applied Mathematics and Computational Science seminars

The Penn/Temple Probability seminars