Welcome to the web site of the Statistics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) at The University of Arizona. Here you will find information about our graduate program, the science of statistics, and links to useful resources.

The GIDP in Statistics:
The GIDP in Statistics here at the University of Arizona is an interdisciplinary training program designed to focus and enhance statistical training and research across the UA campus.  We administer both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, as well as a Ph.D. Minor, in Statistics; a Graduate Certificate is under development.  The primary foundations for the Program exist dually in the Department of Mathematics and in the Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. Faculty in Mathematics contribute theoretical and methodological expertise in statistics through course offerings, student mentoring/advising, and statistical research collaborations. Similar contributions come from Faculty in Epidemiology & Biostatistics, where the focus is on biostatistical research derived from practical applications in the biosciences.  This results in extensive coordination across the campus' statistical/biostatistical graduate curricula, course offerings, student involvement, and in the overall support of the GIDP's mission.

Overall faculty expertise in the Program spans a wide range of topics, examples of which include bioinformatics, biostatistics, classification and regression trees, computational biology, data mining and visualization, econometrics, environmetrics, network analysis, population & quantitative genetics, and quantitative risk assessment. GIDP graduate students develop core knowledge in statistical theory and methodology, but also gain experience in practical, trans-disciplinary research; approximately one-third of their graduate program is devoted to a chosen, subject-matter specialization. Areas for this specialization center on current faculty interests and expertise, and include the topics mentioned above. Through these offerings the GIDP in Statistics promotes University-wide activities in the broad areas of both theoretical and applied, interdisciplinary statistics.

This available Slide Presentation gives a short overview of our program; also see our University Showcase video, produced in 2006.

The Science of Statistics:
Put simply, statistics is the science of data.  It employs mathematical relationships about probability and uncertainty to understand the patterns underlying random phenomena.  Statistical analysis provides guidance in determining what information is reliable from observed data and which predictions can be trusted; this is useful in a broad variety of fields, including medicine, government, education, agriculture, business, and law.  Professional statisticians use such analyses to search for the solution of a scientific mystery, and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions.  Their efforts impact the development of surveys and censuses, the progression of scientific research, how governments operate, and how business and industry quantify uncertainty in order to optimize resources.

GIDP News:

Faculty openings for 2008 are available in the GIDP, pending budgetary approval, through a number of units on campus!  More news will be available at this site in the near future.

Useful links:

The American Statistical Association (ASA), founded in 1839, is one of the oldest professional organizations in the United States. Sections are organized within the Association on the basis of subject matter interest in specialized fields. Student membership in the ASA is available; join online at https://www.amstat.org/membership/index.cfm?fuseaction=onlineapp. Membership includes a subscription to the newsletter The AMSTAT News and (upon election) one or more journals, e.g., the prestigious Journal of the American Statistical Association (JASA) or the ASA student publication Stats. The AMSTAT News is the news periodical of the Association and includes articles on current events affecting statisticians, discussions of professional problems, job listings, and information concerning members and Association activities. JASA selected papers on theoretical and applied aspects of statistics as well as comprehensive reviews of books bearing on the field of statistics.  In Stats, articles often discuss career information, student experiences, current problems, and interesting case studies.


The International Biometric Society (IBS) was organized in 1947 for the promotion and development of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences, including agriculture, biomedical science & public health, ecology, environmental sciences, forestry, and allied disciplines. The Society is an international collective, organized by geographic region: persons living in the United States belong either to the Eastern or Western North American Regions (ENAR or WNAR). Student memberships (in WNAR) are available; see the WNAR website at http://www.wnar.org, or the larger IBS website at http://www.tibs.org.  The official organ of the Biometric Society is the prestigious journal Biometrics, subscription to which can be included with membership in the society.  The IBS also co-sponsors publication of the interdisciplinary Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics (JABES).


The International Environmetric Society (TIES) was organized in 1993, and aims to foster the development and use of statistical and other quantitative methods in the environmental sciences, environmental engineering, and environmental monitoring and protection.  The society publishes a regular Newsletter, along with the journal Environmetrics to disseminate multidisciplinary research on the development and application of quantitative methods in the environmental sciences.  Student membership in TIES is FREE, and includes an electronic version of the TIES Newsletter.


The International Statistical Institute (ISI) is one of the oldest international scientific associations in the world. Its first congresses were convened in 1853, and it was formally established in 1885. The Institute is an autonomous society, which seeks to develop and improve statistical methods and their application through the promotion of international activity and co-operation.  A biennial scientific "Session" is held in odd years, and often brings together thousands of statisticians from the international community.  The official publication of the ISI is the International Statistical Review, although the institute also produces or supports a wide variety of other statistical publications.  Membership is by election only at present, although students and others interested in the ISI can join one of the many ISI Sections.


The Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) is an international organization founded in 1935 to further research, teaching and development of applications in the field of mathematical statistics. The IMS publishes a monthly Bulletin, the renowned review journal Statistical Science, and a series of Annals: the Annals of Statistics, the Annals of Applied Statistics, the Annals of Probability, and the Annals of Applied Probability. Student membership in the IMS is FREE and includes a subscription to the Bulletin and one of the Annals.  (Additional subscriptions are available at reduced cost.)


StatSci.Org is an online portal for statistical sciences, and includes web links for statistical associations, news groups, journals, teaching, computing, and research.