Description

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Statistics is a postgraduate specialisation degree programme that aims at improving the candidate’s level of thinking, expanding his/her skills, expertise and knowledge in the discipline, and ultimately developing the candidate’s capacity to conduct and supervise research both in broad and specialised areas of statistics. The programme is devised to enable candidates to explore statistical theories, techniques and models to solve complex statistically related problems in areas such as Operations Research, Statistical Modelling, Financial Statistics, Computational Methods, Biostatistics and Statistical Ecology amongst others. The candidate will be able to frame, model and solve problems that face the public and private sectors. The programme focuses on developing the candidate’s ability to carry out original scientific research and to disseminate and publish the results.

The programme will enable the candidate to develop higher order understanding of relevant advanced methodical approaches and deepen his/her subject competence through regular participation in research seminars and projects. Thus, the candidate is required to conduct independent research while maintaining strong collaborative posture, resulting in original contributions to the body of knowledge.

Overall, the PhD in Statistics specifically aims at:

• equipping candidates with deepened understanding of advanced concepts, theories and techniques in Statistics and its applications;
• strengthening the candidates’ research capacity towards innovation and creativity in Statistics; and
• sharpening the candidates’ critical thinking, analytical and problem‐solving skills, henceforth creating opportunities for inventions.

Admission Requirements

A candidate will be considered for admission into the PhD in Statistics degree programme if he/she is having a Master of Science degree in Pure or Applied Statistics from NUST or an equivalent qualification in a related discipline from a recognised institution at NQF Level 9 with evidence of a supervised research. Candidates will be required to submit a concept paper on their proposed research areas and may be required to attend a pre‐selection interview at the discretion of the Faculty Research Committee (FRC) to ascertain their competencies for independent research in a specialised area of Statistics and its applications. The Higher Degrees Committee (HDC) will approve the final selection and admission of the candidates in accordance with the regulations as specified by the Rules for Postgraduate Studies of NUST. Hence, registration prior to the approval of a research proposal is provisional and will be made official only when the proposal is approved by the HDC. These procedures will be fully explained to each prospective student during his/her selection interview.