Admission Deadline
For best consideration, applications must be received by January 14, 2022.
Admission Criteria
Applicants for admission to the Ph.D. program should hold a Masters degree. Provisional admission status may be granted to candidates with a undergraduate degree and other evidence of outstanding potential.
- Complete the University of Maryland Graduate School application form.
- Provide an official transcript for all undergraduate and graduate courses
- Complete an essay describing their experience and interest in survey methodology
- Submit three letters of recommendation
Qualifying Exam
Qualifying examinations will be given to all students seeking the Ph.D. These will generally be taken by the end of the first year of the student's enrollment in the program. The goal of the examination is to assure that all Ph.D. students share a basic foundation of the interdisciplinary knowledge important to Survey and Data Science. The Ph.D. advisor assigned to the student will provide counsel on what preparations are needed for the individual student prior to taking the qualifying examination.
The qualifying examination will cover the material treated in courses required of both the statistical and social science concentrations of the M.S. in Survey and Data Science. In addition, it will cover two specialty content areas: one on statistical theory and methods for those Ph.D. students seeking to specialize in statistical science; one on statistical methods and data analysis for those seeking to specialize in the social sciences.
No course work is required prior to taking the qualifying examinations, although many students may choose to take courses to fill gaps in their backgrounds.
