Become an active participant in the data-driven arguments that shape our world.
The Bachelor of Arts program in Statistics in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society provides a systematic and thorough grounding in applied and theoretical statistics, and in probability. A degree in Statistics from UC Berkeley is an excellent preparation for a career in science, in industry, or as a preparation for further academic study in a wide variety of fields. It is also very useful to combine studies of statistics and probability with other subjects.
The Department of Statistics provides students with world-class resources for study and research, including access to faculty leaders in the field, extensive computational facilities maintained by the Statistical Computing Facility, and dedicated advisors to guide you along your journey.
Highlights
- Connect with the Statistics Community.
- Join other students in the Stat Scholars Program.
- Gain research experience working on real-world data projects through the CDSS Data Discovery Program.
Curriculum
The Statistics major curriculum consists of four lower division math courses, one lower division statistics course, and nine upper division courses including three core Statistics courses, three Statistics electives, and a three-course "cluster" outside the department. Students pursuing graduate work in statistics are encouraged to take mathematics courses for their cluster. Students interested in MBA programs are encouraged to take business administration or economics courses for their cluster. Students intending to become actuaries can take courses in economics and demography. There is also a special track for students who intend to become teachers; such students take four mathematics courses to prepare them for teaching a broader mathematics curriculum, and are required to take only two upper division Statistics elective courses.
Learn more at statistics.berkeley.edu/academics/undergrad/program
Data Science or Stats?
The College of Computing, Data Science, and Society offers undergraduate programs in Data Science as well as Statistics. Both majors require courses in probability, data analysis, computing, and domain applications, but differ somewhat in their emphasis. While Data Science emphasizes breadth of coverage across these different areas, Statistics has a sustained focus on the mathematical and scientific principles undergirding rigorous data analysis across a range of settings and methods including regression, time series analysis and forecasting, and machine learning.
Declaring the Major
Students accepted to UC Berkeley for Fall 2024 or later and who selected Statistics on their undergraduate admissions application will be admitted directly to the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society and the Statistics major.
Students accepted to UC Berkeley for Fall 2024 or later and who did not select Statistics on their undergraduate admissions application may apply to the Statistics major via comprehensive review. To determine your eligibility to declare, visit statistics.berkeley.edu/academics/undergrad/prospective/declaring-major.
The skills you learn as a Statistics student make you a desirable candidate for a wide range of careers, both within the field of statistics and beyond. Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of fields such as government, banking and finance, academics, environment, biotech and medicine, insurance, and engineering and manufacturing. Alumni also pursue graduate programs in statistics or other mathematical or scientific disciplines, business administration, and other fields.
UC Berkeley offers a number of career resources for students studying Statistics. The College of Computing, Data Science, and Society Industry Nexus features tailored career workshops, networking events, and small group and individual support to help students achieve their career goals. Additionally, Berkeley Career Engagement provides career counseling, professional and graduate school advising, job and internship listings, and events such as career and graduate school fairs.
Employment
Alumni find employment in a variety of fields and industries after completing graduation. Examples include:
- Actuarial Analyst
- AI Research Assistant
- Bioinformatics Programmer
- Business Analyst
- Consultant
- Credit Analyst
- Data Analyst
- Data Scientist
- Financial Analyst
- High School Math Teacher
- Marketing Analyst
- Machine Learning Engineer
- Product Manager
- Quantitative Trader
- Software Engineer
Graduate Study
Alumni pursue graduate education to gain more depth of knowledge in their field as well as prepare for jobs that require advanced degrees. Examples of include:
- Biostatistics
- Business Administration
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Economics
- Financial Engineering
- Information Sciences
- Mathematics
- Neurobiology
- Physics
- Quantitative Psychology
- Statistics
Maxwell, class of 2018
Maxwell Weinstein (BA, Statistics) is Director of Baseball Innovation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As an undergraduate, Maxwell founded the Sports Analytics Group at Berkeley and worked for the Milwaukee Brewers’ analytics department. His current role is directly informed by his love for statistics and the sport.
“Berkeley Statistics allowed me to reverse engineer the skills I needed to be a good baseball analyst. I was lucky enough to have that vision at a young age. I was lucky to have opportunity after opportunity. I was lucky enough to get into Berkeley, where I was given a really good statistical education in both theory and application.”
First Year
Plan Your Studies
- Meet with your major and college advisor to discuss your academic plans.
- Familiarize yourself with the Statistics major and sample program plans.
- Begin lower division requirements in the major including MATH 51, MATH 52, and STAT 20 or DATA C8.
- Discover new interests in a Freshman Seminar, Berkeley Changemaker, or DeCal course.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Explore the Gateway, the campus home for CDSS.
- Join a student organization and connect with the Statistics Community.
- Visit Berkeley Discovery to get started with research, entrepreneurship, public service, and creative projects.
- Find support from the Stat Scholars Program and Student Learning Center.
- Learn how to prepare for office hours and build relationships with faculty.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Visit UHS Career Counseling and Berkeley Career Engagement.
- Start exploring career paths for the major; check out career resources on the CDSS and Statistics websites.
- Begin making a plan to get career ready.
- Create or update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- Use Handshake to start connecting with career events and opportunities.
- Look into UC LEADS and the Goldwater Scholarship.
Second Year
Plan Your Studies
- Complete lower division requirements including MATH 53 and MATH 54 or 56; start planning for your applied cluster.
- Look into study abroad and learning a foreign language.
- Interested in STEM teaching and learning? Check out CalTeach and the teaching emphasis in the major.
- Enrich your studies with a certificate or minor such as Global Studies.
- Apply to the major through the Comprehensive Review process if you were not admitted directly to Statistics.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Attend CDSS and Statistics events.
- Develop your skills in the Berkeley Student Leadership Academy.
- Explore research opportunities from Statistics and OURS; apply to URAP, Data Discovery, or Bakar Ignite Scholars.
- Introduce youth to STEM through the Lawrence Hall of Science or student groups BASIS, EYH, or SENDforC.
- Share your voice in a CDSS student advisory group.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Meet with a BCE career educator to discuss career options and goals.
- Build your network and explore career fields via job shadowing and informational interviews.
- Pursue an internship to build skills and explore fields.
- Browse graduate school resources from the Graduate Division and BCE.
Third Year
Plan Your Studies
- Begin taking upper division requirements including electives and core courses in probability, statistics, and computing with data.
- Review your degree progress with your major and college advisor.
- Spend a term off-campus through UCDC.
- Consider doing research and completing a Statistics honors thesis; look into Haas Scholars.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Welcome new students to Berkeley as a Golden Bear Orientation Leader.
- Check out the Public Service Internship, College Corps, and Haas Public Service Leaders Program.
- Address real-world problems in the Data Discovery Program, Fung Fellowship, or Big Ideas Contest.
- Interested in entrepreneurship? Check out the Sutardja Center, Accel Scholars, and Berkeley SkyDeck.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Speak with faculty, advisors, and career educators about post-graduate options.
- Join a professional association such as the American Statistical Association.
- Interested in public service careers? Look into the US Digital Corps, John Gardner Fellowship, Huntington Award, and Truman Scholarship.
- Connect with alumni groups such as UC Berkeley Statistics BA Alumni.
Fourth Year
Plan Your Studies
- Develop your writing and critical thinking in an Art of Writing seminar.
- Finish all upper division requirements and electives, including any remaining cluster courses.
- If completing an honors thesis, enroll in STAT H195 and join a thesis writing workshop at the Student Learning Center.
- Complete any remaining degree requirements and prepare for graduation.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Interested in teaching? Give it a try by facilitating your own DeCal course.
- Become a Reader, Tutor, or uGSI for Statistics classes; consider tutoring specifically for Stat Scholars.
- Pursue a special project after graduation with the Stronach Prize.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Check in with a BCE career educator.
- Apply to graduate school or post-graduate programs; consider the Hertz Fellowship or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
- Meet employers at info sessions, on-campus recruiting, and career fairs.
- Utilize job search tools from BCE and apply for job opportunities.
- Learn about alumni career services; check out info for Statistics alumni.
Summer
- Sign up for the Hello World student mentorship program.
- Make progress on degree requirements with a Summer Sessions course like STAT 20 or DATA C8.
- Learn the art of STEM communication in ENGIN 185 Scientific Writing.
- Participate in an NSF research experience or the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics RIPS program.
- Go abroad through Berkeley Study Abroad or UCEAP.
- Pursue a summer minor or certificate such as the Berkeley Charter of Professional Accountancy or Cognitive Science and the Future of Tech.
- Apply to the GiGS program to learn about graduate school.
First Semester
Plan Your Studies
- Get your bearings with the CDSS 198 Transfer Student Seminar.
- Meet with your major and college advisor to discuss your academic plans.
- Complete lower division requirements (if necessary); begin taking upper division requirements in the major and start planning for your applied cluster.
- Explore new interests in a Berkeley Changemaker or DeCal course.
- Interested in STEM teaching and learning? Check out CalTeach and the teaching emphasis in the major.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Explore the Gateway, the campus home for CDSS.
- Connect with the CDSS Transfer Empowerment Program.
- Join a student organization and connect with the Statistics Community.
- Find support from Stat Scholars and the Student Learning Center.
- Learn how to prepare for office hours and build relationships with faculty.
- Share your voice in a CDSS student advisory group.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Visit UHS Career Counseling and Berkeley Career Engagement.
- Start exploring career paths for the major; check out career resources on the CDSS and Statistics websites.
- Create or update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- Use Handshake to start connecting with career events and opportunities.
- Meet with a BCE career educator to discuss career options and goals.
- Look into UC LEADS and the Goldwater Scholarship.
Second Semester
Plan Your Studies
- Focus on upper division requirements including electives and core courses in probability, statistics, and computing with data.
- Look into study abroad and learning a foreign language.
- Enrich your studies with a certificate or minor such as Global Studies.
- Consider doing research and completing a Statistics honors thesis; look into Haas Scholars.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Attend CDSS and Statistics events.
- Visit Berkeley Discovery to get started with research, entrepreneurship, public service, and creative projects.
- Check out the Public Service Internship, College Corps, and Haas Public Service Leaders Program.
- Explore research opportunities from Statistics and OURS; apply to URAP, Data Discovery, or Bakar Ignite Scholars.
- Interested in entrepreneurship? Check out the Sutardja Center, Accel Scholars, and Berkeley SkyDeck.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Build your network and explore career fields via job shadowing and informational interviews.
- Pursue an internship to build skills and explore fields.
- Browse graduate school resources from the Graduate Division and BCE.
- Speak with faculty, advisors, and career educators about post-graduate options.
Third Semester
Plan Your Studies
- Keep working on upper division requirements.
- Review your degree progress with your major and college advisor.
- Develop your writing and critical thinking in an Art of Writing seminar.
- Spend a term off-campus through UCDC.
- If completing an honors thesis, enroll in STAT H195 and join a thesis writing workshop at the Student Learning Center.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Welcome new students to Berkeley as a Golden Bear Orientation Leader.
- Help other students as a CDSS Hello World Mentor or Transfer Student Center Leader.
- Develop your skills in the Berkeley Student Leadership Academy.
- Address real-world problems in the Data Discovery Program, Fung Fellowship, or Big Ideas Contest.
- Introduce youth to STEM through the Lawrence Hall of Science or student groups BASIS, EYH, or SENDforC.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Check in with a BCE career educator.
- Join a professional association such as the American Statistical Association.
- Interested in public service careers? Look into the US Digital Corps, John Gardner Fellowship, Huntington Award, and Truman Scholarship.
- Apply to graduate school or post-graduate programs; consider the Hertz Fellowship or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program.
Fourth Semester
Plan Your Studies
- Finish all upper division requirements and electives, including any remaining cluster courses.
- Complete any remaining degree requirements and prepare for graduation.
Engage Outside the Classroom
- Interested in teaching? Give it a try by facilitating your own DeCal course.
- Become a Reader, Tutor, or uGSI for Statistics classes; consider tutoring specifically for Stat Scholars.
- Pursue a special project after graduation with the Stronach Prize.
Pursue Your Career Goals
- Meet employers at info sessions, on-campus recruiting, and career fairs.
- Utilize job search tools from BCE and apply for job opportunities.
- Connect with alumni groups such as UC Berkeley Statistics BA Alumni.
- Learn about alumni career services; check out info for Statistics alumni.
Summer
- Sign up for the Hello World student mentorship program.
- Make progress on degree requirements with a Summer Sessions course like STAT 135.
- Learn the art of STEM communication in ENGIN 185 Scientific Writing.
- Participate in an NSF research experience or the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics RIPS program.
- Go abroad through Berkeley Study Abroad or UCEAP.
- Pursue a summer minor or certificate such as the Berkeley Charter of Professional Accountancy or Cognitive Science and the Future of Tech.
- Apply to the GiGS program to learn about graduate school.
Undergraduate Advising
Have questions about Statistics or the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society?
The Department of Statistics offers undergraduate advising for students interested in the Statistics major or minor. Undergraduate Student Services Advisors are available for in-person and remote advising on general academic policies, enrollment issues, applying to the major/minor, major completion checks and graduation, academic progress, and major/minor declaration process. Faculty Advisors are available to discuss the field of statistics, course content and selection, research, graduate school, career exploration, and applied cluster approvals. For advising hours and contacts, visit statistics.berkeley.edu/academics/undergrad/advising or email stat-ugrad@berkeley.edu.
The College of Computing, Data Science, and Society helps students with non-major-specific academic topics, including University and college degree requirements, academic progress, and college policies majors. You may meet with a CDSS College Advisor through drop-in advising or by booking an appointment. For advising contacts and hours, visit cdss.berkeley.edu/advising.
Related Programs
Looking for programs similar to Statistics? UC Berkeley also offers the following major, minor, and certificate programs:
