Nowadays data collection and analysis occurs in almost every field of human activity. Every day we are bombarded with numbers in various forms and are required to interpret their meaning. The primary task of a statistician is to analyse and interpret data arising from experiments, surveys or just observations. A wider appreciation of statistics in the world at large means more openings for statistically qualified individuals. Data analysis frequently involves a sophisticated interplay between the data and a mathematical model.
Mathematical models provide the basis for much of the theoretical evaluation of statistical tools.
The mathematics of probability and statistics is itself a fascinating subject in which quite subtle mathematical reasoning is required from an early stage. The Department of Statistics now offers a significant number of courses to mathematics students. This fits well with the policy of the Mathematics Department to have a broad based degree. In the past many Mathematics graduates have undertaken research degrees within the Statistics Department ranging from the theoretical aspects of statistics to interactive data analysis using powerful PCs. This is a compulsory course taken by all Junior Freshman Mathematics students.