The Department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Cape Town is committed to the development of the statistical sciences within and beyond the university. In its teaching, the department recognises that there are needs both to train professionals in the statistical sciences, and to provide quantitative and decision-making skills to students in other disciplines. In its research, the department seeks to maintain a balance between the development of theory and applications of that theory.

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The Department of Statistical Sciences was established in 1965 as the Department of Mathematical Statistics under the headship of the late Professor Cas Troskie. It assumed its current name at the beginning of 1991 to reflect its broader teaching and research activities. The research within the department covers mathematical and applied statistics, operations research, biostatistics (including medical statistics, statistical ecology and statistical genetics), financial statistics (including econometrics, portfolio management and general business statistics) and statistical methods for the analysis of Big Data. The department has 22 full time academic staff from lecturer to professor level.

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The department has undergraduate streams in mathematical statistics and in applied business statistics, and a Business Science qualification focused on Analytics, in addition to service courses to students in the biological and health sciences, business management and marketing, and engineering. The courses offered by the department are recognised by the Institute of Actuaries.

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At postgraduate level, we offer a BSc/BCom Honours degree in Statistics. The honours degree aim to give students a strong theoretical foundation in statistics and operations research, as well as training in the application of statistics in various fields through elective modules. It includes several modules focused on training students for careers in Analytics or Data Science and has a large statistical computing component. We offer course-work masters degrees in Data Science, Advanced Analytics and Biostatistics, in addition to the option to do a MSc/MCom dissertation only masters degree. Students who are interested in pursuing careers in research can then progress to a PhD. The number of Honours students is around 20 per year and at any one time there are 15 to 20 masters and doctoral students.

We are located in the south wing of the PD Hahn building on the beautiful upper campus of UCT at the foot of Table Mountain.

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For more information, visit our website : http://www.stats.uct.ac.za/