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发信人: myosotis (阿金), 信区: AdvancedEdu
标  题: 98-99 ocupational outlook/Statisticians
发信站: BBS 水木清华站 (Mon Apr  6 21:51:37 1998)

StatisticiansStatisticians

Nature of the Work
Working Conditions
Employment
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Job Outlook
Earnings
Related Occupations
Sources of Additional Information

(D.O.T. 020.067-022, .167-026)

                               Significant Points

          * Many with bachelors and master's degrees in statistics
          enter jobs in which they do not have the title of
          statistician.

          * In private industry and colleges and universities, many
          positions require a graduate degree, often a doctorate, in
          statistics.

   * Nature of the Work

          Statistics is a science, applying mathematical tools,
          involved with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and
          presentation of numerical data. Many applications
predicting population growth or economic conditions,
          providing quality control tests for manufactured products,
          and helping business managers and government officials make
          decisions          are the individuals who design surveys and
experiments,
          collect data, and interpret the results. In doing so, they
          often apply their knowledge of statistical methods to a
          particular subject area, such as biology, economics,
          engineering, medicine, or psychology. Some statisticians
          develop new statistical methods.

          Statisticians typically work with professionals in other
          fields to solve practical problems. For example,
          biostatisticians involved in clinical research have
          developed sequential procedures that minimize patients'
          exposure to harmful treatment and make beneficial treatments
          more rapidly accessible.

          Often statisticians are able to obtain information about a
          group of people or things by surveying a small portion,
          called a sample, of the group. For example, to determine the
          size of the total audience for particular programs,
          television rating services ask only a few thousand families,
          rather than all viewers, which programs they watch.
          Statisticians decide where and how to gather the data,
          determine the type and size of the sample group, and develop
          the survey questionnaire or reporting form. They also
          prepare instructions for workers who will collect and
          tabulate the data. Finally, statisticians analyze,
          interpret, and summarize the data, usually using
          sophisticated statistical computer software.

          In manufacturing industries, statisticians play an important
          role in the area of quality improvement. For example, a
          statistician in an automobile manufacturing company might
          design experiments using statistical models to estimate the
          failure time of an engine exposed to extreme weather
          conditions and to identify factors that can lead to improved
          performance. In chemical companies, statisticians might
          design experiments to determine what combination of
          chemicals would produce the best product for a specific
          purpose.

          Because statistics are used in so many areas, specialists in
          other fields who use statistics often have other
          designations. For example, a person using statistical
          methods on economic data may have the title of
          econometrician. (See the statement on economists and
          marketing research analysts elsewhere in the Handbook).

   * Working Conditions

          Statisticians usually work regular hours in offices. Some
          statisticians travel to provide advice on research projects,
          supervise or set up surveys, or to gather statistical data.
          Some may have fairly repetitive tasks, while others may have
          a variety of tasks, such as designing experiments.

   * Employment

          Statisticians held about 14,000 jobs in 1996. Over
          one-fourth of these jobs were in the Federal Government,
          where statisticians were concentrated in the Departments of
          Commerce, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services. Most
          of the remaining jobs were in private industry, especially
          in the biopharmaceutical industry. In addition, many
          statisticians work in academia. (See the statement on
          college and university faculty elsewhere in the Handbook.)

   * Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement

          A bachelor's degree with a major in statistics or
          mathematics is the minimum educational requirement for some
          beginning jobs in statistics. The training required for
          employment as an entry level statistician in the Federal
          Government is a college degree including at least 15
          semester hours of statistics          mathematics and statistics
if at least 6 semester hours are
          in statistics. An additional 9 semester hours in another
          academic discipline, such as economics, physical or
          biological science, medicine, education, engineering, or
          social science, are also required. To qualify as a
          mathematical statistician in the Federal Government requires
          24 semester hours of mathematics and statistics with a
          minimum of 6 semester hours in statistics and 12 semester
          hours in advanced mathematics, such as calculus,
          differential equations, or vector analysis. Research
          positions in institutions of higher education and many
          positions in private industry require a graduate degree,
          often a doctorate, in statistics.

          About 80 colleges and universities offered bachelor's
          degrees in statistics in 1996. Many other schools also
          offered degrees in mathematics, operations research, and
          other fields which included a sufficient number of courses
          in statistics to qualify graduates for some beginning
          positions, particularly in the Federal Government. Required
          subjects for statistics majors include differential and
          integral calculus, statistical methods, mathematical
          modeling, and probability theory. Additional courses that
          undergraduates should take include linear algebra, design
          and analysis of experiments, applied multivariate analysis,
          and mathematical statistics. Because computers are used
          extensively for statistical applications, a strong
          background in computer science is highly recommended. For
          positions involving quality and productivity improvement,
          training in engineering or physical science is useful. A
          background in biological, chemical, or health science is
          important for positions involving the preparation and
          testing of pharmaceutical or agricultural products. For many
          jobs in market research, business analysis, and forecasting,
          courses in economics and business administration are

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