`Somewhere, someone, be it a businessman, administrator, scientist or engineer, is making an important decision. On the strength of conclusions based on limited information, people with responsibility are deciding to expand a business, buy or sell shares, reallocate resources, publish scientific breakthroughs, or undertake engineering constructions - vital decisions that depend on reliable statistical conclusions. The statistician, using statistical theory, logic and computer technology, is well-qualified to draw these conclusions in the face of uncertainty' (My Career, p 203).
Comprehensive information with regards to studying at Rhodes University, including the schedule of fees, application procedure, the relevant application forms, information with regards undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Rhodes University as well as information for international students etc., can be found on the admissions gateway section of the Rhodes University home page. Information with regards to student funding and financial aid can also be found on the links on that page. Prospective postgraduate students will find further information, application forms and the contact details of the Rhodes University Postgraduate Financial Aid Administrator on the postgraduate gateway.
Information with regards to the courses offered by the Department of Statistics can be found on the links indicated below.
While Statistica is utilised in the BioStatistics course, R (and Rstudio) is the primary computational software used and supported in the Department of Statistics at Rhodes University. Students in the department will gain experience in performing statistical computations and analyses of real world problems, learn to appropriately adapt solutions to different scenarios and present the results in a coherent manner. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the open source R project supported by the R community. We are grateful that the DataCamp.com team assist our students learning by providing access to their courses.
Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. Statistics is a set of concepts, rules and procedures based on probability theory that enable us to organize or summarise numerical information in the form of numbers, tables and graphs or charts. Statistics and statistical techniques, or the underlying principals of these techniques, are utilised to make decisions on matters that affect our lives and well-being. A knowledge of these techniques is essential to make informed decisions. A knowledge of these techniques is essential to assess the validity of these decisions.
Statisticians find employment in commerce and industry, research institutes and government departments where they are in demand not only for their specialised training, but also for their logical approach to diverse scientific and technical problems. Practical statisticians are employed as actuaries, econometricians, market research statisticians, statistical analysts, risk analysts, statistical systems managers, statistical programmers, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, biometricians, psychometricians, geostatisticians etc and command high salaries.Statisticians that are academically inclined are in demand as lecturers at technikons and universities. Other statisticians operate as independent consultants who offer statistical assistance to organisations that do not employ an in-house statistician or require specialised help.
Statistics is applicable to a wide variety of academic disciplines, from the natural and social sciences to the humanities, and to government and business. For this reason it is a prerequisite/co requisite for a number of subjects and therefore prescribed in many degrees (please see your faculty handbook).
A career as a Statistician is fulfilling, challenging and highly remunerated. There are many possible career options, both in South Africa and overseas, in Industry, Government and Academia. Further information can found at:
Last Modified: Thu, 16 Jan 2020 11:08:46 SAST