Introductory Courses - Department of Statistics - Purdue University Skip to main content

Recommended Introductory Courses

Are you unsure about which courses in statistics to take? The following are recommended first, second and third courses in statistics. (See the descriptions of the individual courses for more detail. Courses with numbers below 50000 are listed under Undergraduate Course Descriptions while those with numbers above 50000 are listed under Graduate Course Descriptions ...even though the 50000 level courses are often suitable for undergraduates as well.)

First Course

If you have not had calculus, a first course can be STAT 30100 or 50100. If you have had calculus, a first course can be STAT 35000, 50300, or 51100. Because all these first courses mentioned here have considerable overlap, a student should not take more than one of them.

Second Course

A second course for students who have not had calculus can be STAT 50200 if you have taken 50100 or received an A in STAT 30100. Note that STAT 50200 can also be taken if you have had an introductory statistics course from another university or department. A second course for students who have had calculus is STAT 51200 or 51300.

Third Course

If you have taken STAT 51200, a third course can be STAT 51400, 52200, or 52400.

Note that STAT 51200 and 51400 do not use calculus extensively, but do require quantitative skills most often developed by study of calculus. For STAT 51400, experimental experience can replace mathematical preparation.

Probability

Undergraduates interested only in probability can take STAT 22500, 31100, or 41600. Students interested in the theory of statistics should take STAT 41700. (Note that STAT 41600 is a prerequisite for STAT 41700, and a first course in statistical methods such as STAT 35000 or 51100 is also recommended. The graduate masters level versions of 41600 and 41700 are 51600 and 51700. The Ph.D. versions are 51900 and 52800.)

Purdue Department of Statistics, 150 N. University St, West Lafayette, IN 47907

Phone: (765) 494-6030, Fax: (765) 494-0558

© 2023 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact the College of Science.