History

The Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech is one of the oldest in the nation. The Statistical Laboratory was originated in 1948, and the Department of Statistics was established the following year. Statistics Courses are offered at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels for students preparing for professions in statistics, scientific research, and those wanting to become familiar with the concepts of probability and statistical inference. The Department of Statistics also has joined with the departments of computer science and mathematics to offer a program – Computational Modeling and Data Analytics - which provides an interdisciplinary approach to the study of statistics, computational methods and mathematical modeling.
The department offers a curriculum leading to a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Science degree with a thesis or non-thesis option, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The enrollment in the department is approximately 50 undergraduate and 50 graduate students. The department has awarded more than 210 Doctor of Philosophy degrees and 480 Master of Science degrees in its 51 year history. The department has long maintained a reputation for research in modern statistical theory and methodology. This reputation is supported by the impressive list of professional publications and research grants obtained by the faculty and graduate students.

The department's emphasis on all aspects of statistics is also reflected in its course offerings, ranging from mathematical-theoretical to applied and subject-matter oriented courses. Students are provided with a well-rounded foundation in theoretical and applied statistics to prepare them, with additional course work, for the Ph.D. program or for a professional career in statistics. Opportunities are provided to reinforce and supplement the course work through participation in statistical consulting.

More information on the history of the department can be found in Dr. Jesse Arnold's paper "Virginia Tech Department of Statistics: The First Fifty Years". This paper was published in 2000 in Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, 66, pp.1-17.