Recent Events

Singapore Statistical Poster Competition 2007 (April-September 07)
Click here to view winners...

NUS Open House 2007 (10 - 11 March 2007)

Statistics Camp 2007 (28 May 2007)

Upcoming Events


Career in Statistics

Career Opportunities (Jan - Feb 2006)

Career Opportunities (Jan - Feb 2005)

Career Opportunities (Mar - Aug 2005)

Testimonials

Mr. Eric Sandosham, M.Sc 2002
Director, Decision Management
Citibank Singapore Limited
Winner of Outstanding Alumni Award 2006

The introduction of the part-time MSc program in Statistics was a boon for working individuals like myself; it allowed me to pursue my passion in deepening my scientific knowledge while continuing to make a decent living. The course gave me an appreciation of the breadth of statistical inquiry and application, and was a critical component in setting me down the path of career success.

Dr Pang Zhen, PhD 2006
Assistant Professor
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

With the knowledge and training I received here, I am fully confident that I can do well.  In the future, I hope to take up an academic position in Statistics. All in all, I would highly recommend the higher education programs in the department.


Mr. Cheung Yin Bun, M.Sc 2003
Senior Lecturer in Medical Statistics
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

I'm most impressed by the Categorical Data Analysis and Multivariate Data Analysis modules. The concepts and methods were clearly presented, the examples were interesting, and the teaching quality was very good.


Mr. Loke Chok Kang, Statistics major, Year 4

3 year ago, when I first stepped in NUS, my initial plans were just to major in Applied Mathematics. It was then that I found out that I was allowed to major in more than one subjects, and with that, my journey into the exploration of statistics began. I have never since regretted my decision and after 3 years of “sweat and pain”, I am now pursuing my Honours in Statistics and Applied Probability.

In fact, over the years, many friends have asked me for the reasons for pursuing Statistics as a study subject. The reply that I always give is simple. The world is becoming increasingly quantitative and much business decisions are coming to depend more on numerical information than on “gut feel” (gathered from the work experience that I had obtained through internships in the Subordinate Courts and CISCO, introduced by the Department), and these organizations make best use of their data to enable them to make better decisions and therefore compete more effectively in the market.

There might be a misunderstanding that statistics is just a manipulation of numbers, in fact, Statistics is actually the processing of data, data which are not just numbers but numbers that carry information about a specific setting and which need to be interpreted in that setting. The study of Statistics provides me with the reasoning and the methods for producing and understanding data. I, no longer, just accept the data that I see in the news, and have learnt to be more critical towards these data and able to draw more practical conclusions from the data. In a nutshell: “Statistics makes sense of numbers.”

With regards to the coursework for Statistics in NUS, I did find the knowledge useful, up to the extent that I am able to apply it in real-life applications, especially during the times of my internships. I do believe that these modules that I have undertook will show their usefulness when I start my career in the future, and will not just be “dead memorizing of facts”.

As a whole, I have really enjoyed my days in the Department, in NUS. The fellow classmates that I have made over the years, have been extremely tolerant to my mistakes and encouraging through the days when I am down. I would also like to express my thanks to all the Statistics teachers that have taught and guided me through the years and have encouraged me in the learning path of Statistics.

By Mr. Nathaniel Noriel, M.Sc. 2003

I had been working as an Operations Research Analyst at the Land Transport Authority for one and half years when I joined the part-time Master of Science in Statistics by coursework program in July 2001. I found the part-time schedule to be quite manageable. Interestingly, that arrangement also allowed me to apply many of the techniques that I had learned almost immediately to my work. I didn't have to wait until graduation before I could put my expanded professional toolkit to good use!

I already had a fair amount of previous training in statistics arising from my BSc (Honours) in Mathematics and Economics (Warwick) and from my MSc in Operational Research and Management Science (Edinburgh) degrees. Nevertheless, I applied to do the course as I felt I needed to enhance my statistical training even further both in terms of comprehensiveness as well as in-depth understanding by studying statistics as a mathematical science.

The quality of teaching in the program definitely did not disappoint, and was quite up-to-date. The NUS program is not meant for people who just want to know how to use particular software. I am glad that it has satisfied my need to understand the technical details of how certain statistical methodologies work, as well as their strengths and limitations. As a professional data analyst, I need to be confident that I fully understand the underlying basis and level of reliability of every model that I develop in the course of my work. I also need to convincingly communicate statistical concepts to colleagues at various levels, because encouragingly one finds that fewer people are content with just accepting 'black-boxes' nowadays.

Overall, I would highly recommend NUS M Sc in Statistics (by coursework)to anyone who would like to have a more solid understanding of how statistical methods can provide added-value to their workplace and/or research.

Professor David Siegmund
Saw Swee Hock Professor of Statistics, 2005

Although the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability was founded only in 1998, its faculty, through their educational programs, collaborative research, and consulting activities, play an important, dynamic role in the university. In addition to research in fundamentals of statistical inference and probability theory, the applied interests of the faculty involve economics/finance, biomedical sciences, and engineering. Especially in view of their youth and their role in educating future leaders of Singaporean society, it is rewarding to participate in the development of the Department. I have always learned something new and interesting during my brief visits in Singapore as external examiner and to attend scientific conferences. I look forward to a longer visit as the Saw Swee Hock Professor, when I expect to learn in more detail from the faculty about their interests and hope to contribute some ideas to research programs in biostatistics and statistical genetics that overlap mine.

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