About the Department
Welcome to the Statistics Department at Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo!
What do we do here? We teach statistics. Perhaps that's self-evident, but it's the most important thing we do. Who do we teach statistics to? Lots and lots of Cal Poly students. In fact, we teach statistics to more than 7,000 Cal Poly students each year. Some of them are majoring or minoring in Statistics, or undertaking a cross-disciplinary studies minor program in Data Science, or completing a minor in Actuarial Preparation. But we also teach students in programs around the university who need to learn how to analyze data in their discipline or fulfill a general education requirement.
We also engage in research and scholarship. Much of this involves collaborating with researchers in a variety of fields. We run a statistical consulting service to assist faculty and student researchers around campus. Our research interests also include developing new statistical methodology, pedagogoical research, software development, and designing innovative courses and curriculum.
What about some numbers? We're happy to oblige: We have 30 faculty (21 full-time, 9 part-time), about 180 Statistics majors, 100 Statistics minors, 40 Data Science minors, and 20 Actuarial Preparation minors.
Thanks very much for visiting our website. We encourage you to follow links to learn more about our programs, students and faculty and alumni. In particular, if you are thinking about attending Cal Poly, please follow the "prospective students" link to see the Top 6 reasons to study statistics at Cal Poly. Also, please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.
Department Office Location:
Faculty Offices East, Building 25, Room 107D
Find our location with Cal Poly Maps
Phone: 805-756-2709
Email: statisticsdepartment@calpoly.edu
Current Directory & Office Hours
For more information and updates about COVID-19 (the disease caused by the novel coronavirus), please visit https://coronavirus.calpoly.edu.
Our Mission Statement
The proliferation of quantitative information in society demands that we help to develop the next generation of statistics professionals while increasing the statistical literacy of Cal Poly students and the frequency of collaboration with our colleagues. To meet these objectives, the mission of the Cal Poly Statistics Department is to:
- Deliver a high-quality statistics program for our majors and minors that prepares them for either the workplace or further study in graduate programs;
- Offer service courses for the university that meet the needs of the various majors and enhance the statistical literacy of the students;
- Provide university-wide support for research and professional development of faculty and students;
- Support continued growth of Statistics faculty members as teacher-scholars.
Our Program Learning Objectives
The Statistics Department offers a degree program leading to the B.S. degree in Statistics in the College of Science and Mathematics.
The Statistics Department graduate will:
- Have good working knowledge of the most commonly used statistical methods, including
- statistical modeling and the omnipresent role of variability
- efficient design of studies and construction of effective sampling plans
- exploratory data analysis
- formal inference process
- Have background in probability, statistical theory, and mathematics, including especially calculus, linear algebra and symbolic and abstract thinking
- Be able to synthesize and apply knowledge of common inferential methods, understanding the limitations of the procedures and the appropriate scope of conclusions
- Communicate effectively (written and oral) with skills in collaboration (within and between disciplines) and teamwork, and in organizing and managing projects
- Have good mastery of several standard statistical software packages and facility with data management strategies
- Have a focused concentration in an area of application outside the discipline of statistics
The Statistics Department graduate will have received:
- Experience with real data and authentic applications
- Frequent opportunities to develop communication skills
- Capstone experiences for students
- Frequent interaction with faculty and their peers and timely advising
- Exposure to statisticians and statistical applications outside the Cal Poly community
