Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Science

Differences from 2017/18 to 2024/25

General Regulations

  • 1. The Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences shall have power to grant Postgraduate Diplomas in Statistical Science to candidates who have satisfied the conditions prescribed in this section.

    2. The examination for the Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Science shall be under the supervision of the Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences.

    3. Subject to the provisions of this section, any member of the University may be admitted to the course and to the examination who has obtained the leave of the Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, provided that

    • (a) he or she has passed all the examinations required for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts and has obtained First or good Second Class Honours in the Second Public Examination, or has obtained such honours in a degree examination of another university, such university having been approved by Council for the purposes of Senior Status, or

    • (b) he or she is, in the opinion of the board, otherwise adequately qualified to undertake the course.

  • 4. Applications for leave under the preceding clauses shall be sent to the Registrar through the head or tutor of the society to which the applicant belongs or desires to belong. The board shall have power to determine the character and length of a course of study to be followed by the applicant before he may be admitted to the examination.

  • 5. On admitting an applicant as a candidate for the postgraduate diploma, the board shall appoint a supervisor who shall direct and superintend the work of the candidate. The supervisor shall submit a report on the progress of the candidate to the board at the end of each term (except the term in which the student enters for the examination) and at any other time when the board so requests or the supervisor believes it expedient. In particular the supervisor shall inform the board at once if he or she is of the opinion that a student is unlikely to reach the standard required for the postgraduate diploma.

    6. After admission as a Postgraduate Diploma Student, a candidate must have kept statutory residence and pursued a course of study at Oxford for at least three terms before taking the examination, provided that a candidate for the Degree of Master of Science (Statistical Science) may, with the approval of the Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, transfer to the status of a Student for the Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Science, in which case the date of his or her admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Science shall be reckoned as the date of his or her admission as a postgraduate diploma student.

    7. A Student reading for the postgraduate diploma who is not a graduate of the University may wear the same gown as that worn by Students for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

    8. The examiners may award a distinction for excellence in the whole examination. Candidates who have initially failed any element of assessment shall not normally be eligible for the award of distinction.

  • 9. A candidate who failed to satisfy the examiners in any one of the examinations, may enter again for that examination on one, but not more than one, subsequent occasion.

Special Regulations

  • 1. The Divisional Board of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences shall elect for the supervision of the course a standingsupervisory committee which shall have power to arrange lectures and other instruction.

    2. Candidates shall follow for at least three terms a course of instruction in StatisticsStatistical Science.

    3. In the following, ‘the Course Handbook’ refers to the Postgraduate Diploma in Statistical Science Handbook and course web pages published by the Supervisory Committee.

  • 4. The examination will consistbe of a written examination consisting ofin two papersparts:
    • (i) onCandidates theshall syllabusoffer describedeight inunits from the schedule.

      4. In the written examination the examiners will permit the use of bilingualunits dictionaries(see below).

       These must include SB1 (a double-unit) and SB2 (a double-unit). 
    • (ii) Candidates shall submit a practical assignment on Statistical Programming. 

  • 5. The  mode of assessment of SB1 and SB2 shall be a combination of written examinations   and practical assignments, as detailed in the Course Handbook. The supervisory committee may specify that one of the practical assignments will be carried out as group projects, as detailed in the Course Handbook.

  • 6. The mode of assessment of other units shall be either written assignment or written examination, as detailed in the Course Handbook.

  • 7. The use of calculators is generally not permitted for written papers. However, their use may be permitted for certain exceptional examinations. The specification of calculators permitted infor thethese writtenexceptional examinations will be announced by the Examiners in the Hilary Term preceding the examination.

  • 6. Each candidate will be expected to have displayed evidence of the ability to apply statistical methods to real data. 

 The examiners will take into account the results of an assessment of ability to apply statistical methods to real data organised by the standing committee. The committee will be responsible for notifying the candidates of the arrangements for the assessment, and for forwarding the assessed material to the Chair of Examiners before the end of the Trinity Term in the year in which the assessment is made. The supervisory committee may specify that one of the practical assessments will be carried out as group projects, the details of which will be given in the Course Handbook. 

Schedule

PaperThe 1: Principlesschedule of statisticalunits analysis

Paperand 2:the Furthermode statisticalof methodology

Topicsassessment details for Paperseach 1 and 2unit will be published in the Course Handbook by the beginning of the Michaelmas Full Term ofin the academic year in whichof the examination. 

The Course Handbook will also include the rules governing the submission of dissertations, practical assignments and any units assessed by written examinationassignment, isincluding to be takendeadlines.