Statistics

About the Department

The Department of Statistics has a distinguished history. Its roots can be traced back to the appointment of Sir Arthur Bowley at LSE in 1895. Presidents of the Royal Statistical Society drawn from the Department include Arthur Bowley, Maurice Kendall, Roy D. G. Allen, Henry Wynn, Claus Moser, James Durbin and David J. Bartholomew. The Department has an international reputation for development of statistical methodology that has grown from its long history of active contributions to research and teaching in statistics for the social sciences.

Our core areas of research are social statistics, time series and statistical learning as well as probability and risk management in insurance and finance. We enjoy close links with other departments and offer regular seminars and other departmental activities that help to create a vibrant environment for study and research. The Centre for the Analysis of Time Series (CATS) is closely linked to the Department and we have close links with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and industrial partners.

Graduate study of statistics is often vocational, though no progress can be made without a lively intellectual interest in both the methodological principles of statistical modelling and practical applications. The Department provides a thriving, hardworking, friendly and supportive environment in which these interests can be pursued.

MPhil/PhD Statistics

Visiting Research Students

If you are admitted to the MPhil/PhD programme, you will be registered initially for the MPhil with transfer to PhD dependent on your successful progression in years one and two. You will have two supervisors who will monitor your work closely and provide detailed guidance on your choice of research topic. We expect research students to present their work in seminars and at an annual presentation event. We encourage students to produce research posters for display in the Department and to present at conferences and workshops.

The most important resource for statisticians is a computer. In addition to LSE's computing resources, we have networked departmental workstations exclusively for the use of research students. There is an extensive collection of software available; both commercial packages and in-house products.

The LSE Library has a good collection of research monographs and journals and you may access databases of research information. There is a comprehensive assembly of worldwide official statistics. The Department has a dedicated library with statistical journals and books, which is available to research students.

Taught master's programmes

• MSc Data Science
• MSc Risk and Stochastics
• MSc Statistics
• MSc Statistics (Financial Statistics)
• MSc Statistics (Social Statistics)
• MSc Statistics (Social Statistics) (Research)
• Statistics is also available as a specialist field in MSc Social Research Methods