Undergraduate Statistics Concentration

The Concentration consists of four courses beyond the Business Fundamental requirement of two courses. The elective courses listed below are most suitable to undergraduates and most commonly taken by students in fulfillment of the concentration. There are other courses not on this list, mostly PhD level classes, which may count towards the concentration with approval from the Statistics Concentration Advisor.

If you need a permit to register for a course, please do not contact the Statistics Concentration Advisor for permission to get into the course. Only the instructor of the particular course can grant you permission to enroll in the course.

Required:
STAT 4300: Introductory Probability

Three credits of:
STAT 4050 Statistical Computing with R (0.5 CUs)
STAT 4100X Data Collection and Acquisition (0.5 CUs)
STAT 4220 Predictive Analytics (0.5 CUs)
STAT 4230 Applied Machine Learning in Business
STAT 4240 Text Analytics (0.5 CUs)
STAT 4320 Mathematical Statistics (STAT 5120)
STAT 4330 Stochastic Processes
STAT 4350/5350 Forecasting Methods for Management (STAT 7110)
STAT 4420X Introduction to Bayesian Data Analysis
STAT 4700 Data Analytics and Statistical Computing (STAT 5030)
STAT 4710 Modern Data Mining (STAT 5710)
STAT 4740 Modern Regression (STAT 9740)
STAT 4750 Sample Survey Design
STAT 4760 Applied Probability Models in Marketing
STAT 4770X Introduction to Python for Data Science (0.5 CUs or 1 CU – STAT 4770X Introduction to Python for Data Science (0.5 CUs or 1 CU – the format of the course varies depending on the semester and instructor)
STAT 4810X Convex Optimization for Statistics and Data Science (STAT 5810X)
STAT 4900 Causal Inference (STAT 5900)

STAT 5150 Advanced Statistical Inference I (Recommended for seniors; instructor permission is needed to take the course)
STAT 5200 Applied Econometrics I
STAT 5210 Applied Econometrics II
STAT 5420 Bayesian Methods and Computation

STAT 9300 Advanced Probability Theory
STAT 9310 Advanced Stochastic Processes
STAT 9610 Statistical Methodology

*BEPP 2800: Applied Data Analysis and Causality for Business and Public Policy
*CIS 5450 Big Data Analytics
*ECON 4310 Time Series Econometrics
*ECON 4320 Advanced Econometric Techniques and Applications
*ECON 4330 Statistical Learning and Causal Inference for Economics
*MKTG 3090/8090 (formerly MKTG 269/699) Experiments for Business Decision Making
*OIDD 9300 (formerly OPIM 930) Stochastic Models

Notes:
Any course not listed above will require the prior approval of the Undergraduate Chair/Concentration Advisor.

*Only one non-statistics course may be used among the three electives for the concentration.

MATH 3120, 3130, 3600, 3610, 5080, and 5090 are no longer accepted for the Statistics Concentration as of the Fall 2019 semester; students who already took those courses prior to Fall 2019 may still use one of them for the Concentration.

STAT 4510, STAT 4520, and STAT 4530 do not count towards the concentration.

All PhD level courses in statistics may count towards the concentration. In addition, students seeking permission to count a non-Wharton course not currently included on the list above toward the concentration must consult with the Concentration Advisor for review and possible approval.

Either MATH 1080, MATH 1410, or MATH 1510 can be used as a prerequisite for STAT 4300 and as a prerequisite for the STAT concentration. Although this is not a recommended plan, it is acceptable to take (either MATH 1080, MATH 1410, or MATH 1510) and STAT 4300 simultaneously.

Students who take STAT 1010 and 1020 as Business Fundamentals should also take STAT 4300 and then three more courses for the concentration.

Students who take STAT 4300 and 4310 for the Business Fundamentals should take four more courses for the concentration.

Students may not take BOTH Stat 1020 and Stat 4310.

Only one course outside the Statistics and Data Science Department may be used in the concentration.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

  • I am interested in a quantitative career on Wall Street. Is there any sequence of courses that I should take? What should I take first?
    It is probably best that you take the 4300-4310 sequence to fulfill your Business Fundamentals. These courses are more mathematically sophisticated than 1010-1020, although they do spend less time in applied data analysis. Statistics 4330 is an excellent first course towards the fulfillment of your elective requirement. Since 4330 is only offered every other year you should plan accordingly. It is recommended that you take an intermediate level applied course which will introduce you to serious statistical computing (like Stat 4710 or even Stat 9610).
  • I am more interested in Marketing than Finance. What course sequence is most appropriate?
    You should start with 1010-1020, followed by Stat 4300, 4710 and 4760. Stat 4750 would be a good way to complete the Concentration, for example.
  • Can Stat 4310 count towards the Concentration?
    Stat 4310 can count as a Business Fundamental but never as an elective. Stat 4300 can count as either a Business Fundamental OR an elective (but not both).
  • Are there courses outside the Stat department that can count towards the Concentration?
    Yes. Any PhD class in Statistics will count towards the Concentration. These courses are usually not appropriate for undergraduates. There are many courses both in and out of Wharton that many count as well. You must get approval from the Concentration advisor.

—-Please do not e-mail Professor Wyner with questions about getting into a course or your position on any waitlists.

—-If a course is restricted, then the instructor maintains the waitlist and decides who to admit. Contact info can be found in the Penn Directory: https://www.upenn.edu/directories. If a course is full, then you can go to https://penncoursealert.com/ to get notified if seats open up.

—-For any IT issues with Canvas, please e-mail courseware@wharton.upenn.edu

—-For any path@penn IT issues with course registration, please e-mail pathatpenn@pobox.upenn.edu

Statistics Concentration Advisor
Dr. Abraham Wyner
309 Wharton Academic Research Building
265 South 37th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
ajw@wharton.upenn.edu
(215) 898-2439