FAQs

Q. I am commencing first year at university and am unsure if I should enrol in STAT150, STAT170 or STAT171?

A.
If you are not an FBE student, and unless you require STAT171 for your degree or have an excellent background in mathematics i.e. you have completed Mathematics Extension 1 or 2 (3 or 4 unit) mathematics at HSC Level or its equivalent we would recommend you undertake STAT170. Please see a statistics academic staff member for further advice if required.

If you are an FBE student, and are not required to take STAT171, for example as part of an Actuarial Studies degree, you should take STAT150.

Q. Are there tutorials or practicals in the first week?

A. For all undergraduate units in Statistics there are no tutorials or practicals in the first week (lectures only).

Q. How sought after are students with a statistical background?

A. Students with a statistical background are highly sought after. Students with Majors in Statistics or the Decision Sciences, or Masters degrees, are especially needed, and job vacancies often not filled. A recent article on CareerCast.com, a career guidance website, reports that jobs in Mathematics and Statistics are the third and fourth best jobs of 2015.

Q. Where is Statistics used?

A. Statistics is used in a wide range of jobs, e.g. Business Analyst, Information Management, Data Mining, Market Analyst, Medical & Health Science, Sport and Gambling, Environment, Legal Studies, Business Management, Quality Control, Banking and Finance, Election Forecasting, Strategic Planner to name a few.

Q. What career paths are there for students with statistics majors?

A. Examples of employers are: NRMA, QBE and other insurance companies, large banks, TAB, Telstra, Sydney Water, Energy Australia, AC Nielsen and other marketing research companies, large hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, government departments.