American Statistical AssociationThe American Statistical Association, founded in 1839, is the second

oldest professional society in the United States. For over 160 years, ASA hasbeen providing its members and the public with up-to-date, useful information

about statistics. ASA has a proud tradition of service to statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across a wealth of academic areas and applications.

Key ActivitiesCareer Services—ASA provides assistance in all aspects of career planning, placement, and enhancement through information, salary surveys, online job ads, and career development tools.

Education—ASA sponsors educational programs and meetings to enrich statistical knowledge andactively participates in K-12 education initiatives involving statistics and mathematics.

Awards and Honors—ASA acknowledges and recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to statistics or the association by sponsoring awards, honors, and fellowships.

Meetings—ASA sponsors meetings and workshops around the United States, including the Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) and many smaller, more

specialized regional meetings.

Publications—ASA publishes scholarly journals, gener-al interest magazines, statistical research guides,

informational brochures, membership information, and books of interest to

statisticians.

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Table of Contents

What is Statistics? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What do statisticians do? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Business and Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Health and Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Social Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Natural Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

How to Become a Statistician . . . . . . . 16

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11Learning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Areas whereSTATISTICS

are used

BusinessEconomics, Engineering,

Marketing,Computer Science

EnvironmentAgriculture,

Animal PopulationEcology, Forestry,

Physical SciencesAstronomy,

Chemistry, Physics

Health and Medicine

Genetics, Clinical Trials, Epidemiology,Pharmacology

GovernmentCensus, Law,

National Defense

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What is Statistics?Statisticians collect and analyze data, then calculate results using a specific design. They are able to draw conclusions and make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

Statisticians apply mathematical and statisticalknowledge to social, economic, medical,

political, and ecological problems. Theywork individually, but also as part of

interdisciplinary teams on complexproblems. Statisticians travel toconsult with other professionalsor to attend conferences, semi-nars, and continuing educationactivities. They communicateand confer with other profes-sionals to understand practicalproblems and inform othersof their solutions.

Statisticians use data from well-designed trials to discover

resu l t s about a par t i cu la r problem in a variety of fields.

They combine their technical training skills with the knowledge of

the field within which they are workingto produce valuable results. Statisticians

are at times educators, consultants, and theoretical researchers.

Studying the safety and economic viability of nuclear power plants and alternative energy sources

Evaluating the environmental impact of air, water, and soil pollution

Designing and analyzing studies to determine the safety and effectiveness of new drugs

Estimating the unemployment rate in the United States

Analyzing consumer demand for products and services

Planning studies for and analyzing data from agricultural experiments

Statisticians look for patterns in data to help make decisions in business, industry, and thebiological, physical, psychological, and social sciences. Statisticians help make importantadvances in scientific research and work in opinion polling, market research, survey management, data analysis, statistical experiments, and education. Statisticians use quantitative abilities, statistical knowledge, and computing and communication skills to collaborate with other scientists to work on challenging problems, including the following:

What Do Statisticians Do?

I found that statisticsused more reasoning

and logic skills than themathematics courses I had

previously taken. The moreI did statistics, the more I

liked the “alternative” applica-tion of mathematics that it pro-

vided. I especially liked being able touse a lot of data and a little common sense

to figure out problems.

Tiffany T. Sundelin, Moog, Inc.

“

”5

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Business and Industry

Manufacturing

Industrial statisticians help build products anddeliver services that satisfy customers and increasethe company’s market share and profit margin.Statisticians help design the best product, guidethe transition from design to manufacturing,ensure a consistently excellent product, help man-age customer satisfaction, and ensure a financiallybeneficial bottom line. Industry professionals usestatistical methods for quality control and qualityassurance in nearly all manufactured goods.

W. Edwards Deming (1900–1993) was a pioneer ofquality control and was best known for his work inpost-World War II Japan. He was a professor of statis-tics at several universities and gave seminars on quali-ty control, sampling, and productivity to top industrialexecutives around the world.

Marketing

Statistics is used to quantify theextent of variation in customers’needs and wants. Statisticians designexperiments for new products, con-duct focus groups and sample sur-veys to gather consumer feedback,and perform field experiments in testmarkets to determine product viabil-ity and marketability. Statistics anddata mining are also used to analyzesales data and predict future trends.

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John Tukey (1915–2000) applied mathematical and the-oretical statistics to a variety of scientific and engineer-ing disciplines. In addition, he is credited with coiningthe term “bit,” a contraction of “binary digit,” whichrefers to a unit of information processed by a computer.

Engineering

Engineers work in electronics, chemicals,aerospace, pollution control, construction, andother industries. They may be responsible forleading large projects with significant costs,technical complexity, and responsibility.Statistical methods allow engineers to make aconsistent product, detect problems, minimizechemical waste, and predict product life.

Statistical Computing

Reliable and accurate statistical software is arguablythe most important tool available to statisticians inevery field. Developing code that is both user-friendly and sufficiently complex is a challengingtask, as is exploiting the rapidly occurring improvements in hardware platforms, graphics, andalgorithms. Opportunities in this field include software design and development, software testing,quality assurance, technical support, education, documentation, marketing, and sales.

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Health and Medicine

Epidemiology

Epidemiological statisticians work on projectssuch as calculating cancer incidence rates or therates of chronic and infectious diseases, moni-toring and reporting on disease outbreaks, andmonitoring changes in health-related behaviorssuch as smoking and physical activity. Fields ofpractice include nutritional, environmental,genetic, and social epidemiology, as well aspharmacoepidemiology.

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) was a member of theRoyal Statistical Society and one of the first people tocollect statistics on health policy. She was also a pio-neer for women statisticians. Her work led to healthpolicy reforms in 19th century Britain and saved thelives of countless British soldiers.

Public Health

Public health statisticians work on preventing disease, prolonging life, and

promoting health through organized commu-nity efforts. These include sanitation, control ofcontagious infections, hygiene education, earlydiagnosis and preventive treatment, and adequateliving standards. This requires understanding ofepidemiology, nutrition, antiseptic practices, andsocial science. In the United States, publichealth is studied and coordinated on a nation-

al level by the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention; internationally, the

World Health Organization playsan equivalent role.

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I regularlycollaborate withepidemiologists,ecologists, biologists,

environmental scientists,geographers, and medical

doctors. A background instatistics offers me the ability to

work with others in a variety of areas,and allows me to contribute to scientific devel-

opments in each one.

— Lance Waller, Emory University

Pharmacology

Statisticians in pharmacology work in pharmaceuticals, animal health, and government research. They are key to all aspects of drug discovery, development,approval, and marketing. They work in pre-clinical research, clinical trials, epidemiology, health economics, and market research. Statisticiansare essential in the drug development process becausethey ensure the validity and accuracy of findings atall stages of the process.

“

Genetics

Statistics has been used in human geneticsto create automated methods of labelingpossible indicators of genetic abnormali-ties, such as birth defects and earlyaging. Statistics has also beenused in animal and plantgenetics to breed desirablecharacteristics in offspring.

Using complex statisticalmodels, statisticians aid in for-

mulating sound decisions bydistinguishing between environ-

mental and genetic effects.

”

“Lea

rning

is not compulsory...neither is survival.”W. Edwards Deming

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Learning

Education

Education is one of the country’s biggest industries and thetasks that the educational statistician can choose to under-take are diverse. Statisticians teach students from kinder-garten through doctoral programs. They may help assessteacher effectiveness, analyze a large database to under-stand a particular issue, or develop better statisticalmodels to represent the amount of learning attainedby one student or by all students in a school district,state, or nation.

Science writers are employed by the massmedia, universities, and corporations to pro-duce news briefs, articles, news releases, andother reports. Writers with scientific back-grounds are especially in demand because oftheir ability to explain complicated statisticalor scientific data in easy-to-understand arti-cles for nonstatisticians and the general public.

“Whether we are measuring fishcrackers, counting Skittles to constructconfidence intervals, catapulting gummybears in a unit on design of experiments,or comparing the color counts of M&Ms,students are engaged in gathering, analyzing,and thinking about data. When they compose andthen revise their survey questions and experiencethe struggles of getting a random sample and thenorganizing all that data so that it makes sense toothers, there is excitement and genuine interest.”

– Gretchen Davis, High School Teacher

””

Science Writing and Journalism

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Research

Survey Methods

Statisticians work on surveys in government, the socialsciences, education, law, forestry, agriculture, biology,medicine, business, and e-commerce. A survey statisti-cian might study efficient survey design, experimentalmethods for increasing response rates, accounting fornonresponse and undercoverage, or how to releasedata to the public while maintaining the confidentialityof respondents. Other important issues include ques-tion wording and design and deciding where and howto take samples that will include traditionally under-represented groups.

Government

Statistical methods are used in government regulation on topics suchas stock trading rules, air purity standards, and new drug approvals.Statistics are cited in court proceedings, congressional hearings, andlobbying arguments. Politics involve statistics in the form of approvalrating surveys, voter registration, campaigning, and election predic-tions. Statisticians participate in government agencies such as the Food

and Drug Administration, the Census Bureau, the Bureau ofLabor Statistics, the Office of Management and Budget,

the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the NationalInstitutes of Health, and the Department of

Agriculture. Federal agencies provide data thatare used in making federal, state, and local

government policies.

Janet Norwood was the firstwoman Commissioner ofthe U.S. Bureau of LaborStatistics. She has made

major contributions to gov-ernment statistics, especially

the Consumer Price Index andunemployment statistics. Shealso served as president of ASAin 1989, was a Senior Fellow atthe Urban Institute, and is cur-rently a Counselor and SeniorFellow at the New YorkConference Board.

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Social Sciences

Consulting

Independent statistical consultants work onmany of the same projects as other statisticians,but they usually are hired on a temporary basisto solve a specific problem that requires statis-tical expertise not available within the hiringcompany. Since the field of statistics is sobroad, many statistical consultants specializein some area, such as quality improvement orpharmaceuticals. Consultants may be hired withgrant money to work on short-term projects inmedicine, agriculture, engineering, or business.

Law

Statistics are becoming more and more importantas court cases address increasingly complex prob-lems. Sometimes the statistician analyzes data thatcan help the jury or judge decide whether some-one is guilty of a crime or must pay damages forcausing injuries. Court cases involving statisticalanalyses include DNA testing, salary discrepancies,consumer surveys, and disease clusters.

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Agriculture

Statisticians have teamed up with experts inagriculture in order to study a number of chal-lenging questions, including chemical pesti-

cides, hydrogeology, veterinary sciences, genetics,and crop management. Statisticians are involved instudies ranging from small laboratory experiments tolarge projects conducted over many hundreds orthousands of square miles. They work on data fromthe smallest scale of organisms, like viruses and bac-teria, to plants, insects, animals, and humans. Theywork with scientists from fields such as bacteriology,genetics, biochemistry, dairy science, environmentalstudies, entomology, plant sciences, rural sociology,veterinary medicine, wildlife, and ecology.

Ecology

Statisticians play a major role in addressingquestions about the earth’s natural environ-

ment, including animal populations, agri-cultural protections, and fertilizer andpesticide safety. Most states employwildlife statisticians. Statisticians areemployed by state and federal envi-ronmental agencies as well as com-panies that collect environmentaldata. Increasingly, companies needstatisticians to help assess how anew product or plant will affect thesurrounding environment. Scientificresearchers also work with statisti-cians, often at universities, to designexperiments that will answer basicquestions about the environment.

Natural Resources

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Education and Training

Statisticians typically study statistics, mathematics, and/or some related fieldof statistical application. A comprehensive list of Schools Offering Degreesin Statistics is available at www.amstat.org/education/sods. More and moreopportunities are available for statisticians with bachelor’s degrees. Manyjobs, however, require either a master’s degree or doctorate.

Continuing education is available through the American StatisticalAssociation at events like the Joint Statistical Meetings and traveling“LearnSTAT” courses. Employers often encourage, or even require, theiremployees to earn continuing education credits.

Skills

Statisticians often develop skills in a particular field of study, such as med-icine, public policy, economics, biology, psychology, or agriculture.

Language and communication skills are important because statisticiansmust convey the results of their investigations in oral and/or writtenreports. The ability to explain findings clearly and concisely is essential andrequires knowledge of grammar and comprehensive writing skills.

Employment Prospects

The demand for statisticians is currently high and is growing. According tothe Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of LaborStatistics, the number of nonacademic jobs for statisticians is expected toincrease through 2008. Furthermore, colleges and universities will be hir-ing more and more faculty members in statistical fields. Salaries and oppor-tunities for advancement are competitive and reflect the current demand.

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Many education and career paths can lead to becoming a statisti-cian. They all focus on relevant education and training as keys tosuccess in the field. Employment opportunities provide statisticianswith professional flexibility, exciting opportunities, and rewarding,challenging, and lucrative careers.

How to become a statistician

Resources

Print BrochuresCareers in Statistics www.amstat.org/careers/brochure.html

Women in Statistics www.amstat.org/careers/womenstat.html

Minorities in Statistics www.amstat.org/careers/minorities.html

Careers in Statistics: Business and Industry www.amstat.org/careers/bicareers.html

Careers in Statistics: Governmentwww.amstat.org/careers/govtcareers.html

Careers in Statistics: Health and Medicinewww.amstat.org/careers/hmcareers.html

Online BrochuresCommittee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) www.amstat.org/careers/copss/

What Is a Survey? Serieswww.amstat.org/sections/srms/whatsurvey.html

More Resources“Careers in Statistics: Possibilities and Opportunities” –animatedPowerPoint slide show that provides an overview of the field of statistics andhighlights the opportunities available to those who become statisticians

Careers in Statistics issue of Amstat News –annual September issueincluding biographies of famous statisticians, career advice, and “Day in theLife” articles of current practicing statisticians

“Career Corner” articles in Amstat News –monthly articles highlighting atopic of importance to students of statistics and young statisticians

Schools Offering Degrees in Statisticswww.amstat.org/education/sods

Jobs in Statisticshttp://jobs.amstat.org/

Internshipswww.amstat.org/education/internships.html

Fellowships and Grants www.amstat.org/research_grants

Salary Reportswww.amstat.org/profession

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