The combined Bachelor's/Master's Pathway program in the Department of Statistics is designed for academically strong students who wish to pursue an accelerated program culminating in a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics and a Master of Science degree in Statistics, Data Science, or Biostatistics. Upon approval, this program allows up to 12 graduate hours to be shared with, or double-counted toward, both a BS and an MS degree.
Eligibility
An undergraduate student wishing to apply to this program must meet the following criteria:
- Completion of at least 12 credits of mathematics or statistics in the undergraduate statistics major at Florida State University with a GPA of at least 3.2.
- An overall minimum FSU GPA of at least 3.0.
Students can begin their graduate coursework once they have reached 90 credit hours (60 for Honors students). Transfer students must have completed at least two semesters and 24 credits at FSU with the same minimum FSU GPA of a 3.0.
In order to remain in the accelerated program a student must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in all course work and at least a 3.2 GPA in statistics courses at or above the 4000 level. The student must also be successfully admitted to the graduate school in their fourth year. Application to the graduate school should be done no later than the end of the student's first semester of their senior year. The student must take the GRE and score a minimum of 155 in quantitative reasoning and 146 on verbal reasoning. Students not accepted into the graduate school may not continue with the accelerated program.
Application Process
Undergraduate students may apply to combined pathway program once they have met the eligibility criteria, which can be as early as the second semester of their sophomore year. This form is required to be filled out and turned in at 214 OSB.
After acceptance into the program and once students are eligible to take graduate coursework, a "Request to Take Graduate Courses Form" can be obtained here: https://registrar.fsu.edu/forms/grad_course_request.pdf. All graduate level courses must gain approval through this form before enrollment. The processing of this form can take several weeks and is due to the Registrar no later than the last day of drop/add of the semester the graduate course(s) will be taken. The Registrar then enrolls the student in the course(s).
Accepted students must take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and make formal application for admission to FSU's Graduate School no later than the first semester of their senior year.
Once a student has completed the requirements for the undergraduate degree (120 credit hours), they will be awarded the Bachelor of Science degree. When the requirements for the master's degree are met they will receive the Master of Science degree.
Funding
Undergraduate work may be funded by the usual financial aid, Bright Futures scholarships, etc. Bright Futures and the Florida Prepaid College Program will pay the undergraduate portion of tuition for graduate courses taken as an undergraduate and the student will pay the remaining difference. Students may apply for graduate funding in the form of teaching assistantships once they have been admitted to the graduate school.
Required Graduate Coursework
There are 4 required graduate courses that students in this program must take: STA5066, STA5067, STA5166, and STA5167.
Table 1 gives a sample timeline for the completion of the combined pathway program. Please note courses marked with an asterix (*) are taken as an undergraduate but will count for both the BS and MS degree. Inclusion of summer courses will change this timeline significantly.
Table 1: Example of a typical course program for the combined pathway program:
| Year | Total Credits | Relevant courses | Special Events |
| Freshman | 30 |
Fall: MAC2311, CGS3406 Spring: MAC2312 |
|
| Sophomore | 30 |
Fall: MAC2313, STA 2122 Spring: STA3024, STA 4321, MAS3105 |
Apply to the department during Spring for entry into the BS/MS program. |
| Junior | 30 |
Fall: STA3064, STA4202 Spring: STA4203, STA4322 |
Take GRE at end of year. |
| Senior | 30 |
Fall: STA5166*, STA5066*, STA4853 Spring: STA5167*, STA5067* |
Apply to graduate school in early fall. Complete BS in May. |
| UG Total | 120 | ||
| Graduate | 24 |
Fall: STA5168, STA5106, STA5000 elective(x2) Spring: STA5000 elective(x4) |
Complete MS in May. |
| Grad Total | 36 (includes "*") | ||
Important Notes:
- All requirements for the BS and MS must be met in addition to the courses listed here.
- The required courses of STA5066, STA5067, STA5166, and STA5167 in the Department of Statistics may be counted toward both the BS and MS degree provided the appropriate form is filled out (from registrar's office) and approvals are obtained. For details, see the undergraduate statistic handbook maintained by the department.
- A student must always take at least 21 credits of graduate courses while enrolled as a graduate student.
- If a student does not continue into graduate school, the graduate coursework already taken can still count towards the fulfillment of the undergraduate degree requirements.
If you have questions about the combined pathway program, please contact info@stat.fsu.edu