Application deadline
Thursday 7 August 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“There is close contact between lecturers and students, providing opportunities to ask questions and have discussions. The coding exercises and hands-on work with statistical methods are a great opportunity to learn relevant skills. Postgraduate students come from a huge variety of backgrounds, so you are in touch with people from many disciplines.”
- North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 undergraduate Honours degree in mathematics, statistics or a closely related subject area. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV
- personal statement (optional)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MSc in Statistics is a one-year taught programme run by the School of Mathematics and Statistics, which is well equipped with personal computers and laptops, a parallel computer and an on-site library.
Highlights
- Provides students with a broader skill set for entry into the commercial analysis market.
- Covers various theoretical and applied statistical areas at an advanced level.
- Provides opportunities for students to put their statistical knowledge into practice.
- Continual assessments and the dissertation enable students to apply their statistics knowledge.
- Students are prepared such that they may go on to pursue research in statistics.
- Accredited by the Royal Statistical Society.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
Modules can be chosen from across the School's undergraduate and postgraduate-level modules. At least three-quarters of your credits must come from postgraduate-level modules.
- Bayesian Inference
- Classical Statistical Inference
- Computational Numerical Analysis
- Computing in Statistics
- Computing in Mathematics
- Financial Mathematics
- Markov Chains and Processes
- Population Dynamics Models in Mathematical Biology
- Sampling Theory
- Time Series Analysis
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered. Some may only allow limited numbers of students or may require prior knowledge before taking. See the University's position on curriculum development.
- Advanced Bayesian Inference
- Advanced Combinatorics
- Advanced Data Analysis
- Applied Statistical Modelling using GLMs
- Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
- Estimating Animal Abundance and Biodiversity
- Knowledge Discovery and Datamining
- Mathematical Oncology
- Measure Theory
- Medical Statistics
- Modelling Wildlife population dynamics
- Multivariate Analysis
- Professional Skills for Mathematical Scientists
- Semigroups
- Software for Data Analysis
- Spatial Models and Pattern Formation in Mathematical Biology
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University's position on curriculum development).
During the final three months of the course, students complete a dissertation to be submitted by the end of August. Dissertations are supervised by members of teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the progress of the dissertation.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MSc, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MSc.
Teaching
The course consists of two semesters of taught courses followed by a dissertation undertaken over the summer months. Taught courses are delivered through a mix of lectures, small group tutorials and computer practicals, depending on the nature of the course.
The available statistics modules consist of a mixture of traditional lecture courses with end-of-semester exams and short intense courses with a large proportion of continuous assessment. For many courses, assessment is a mixture of the two assessment types.
Events
There are a number of different seminars held each week in the School of Mathematics and Statistics. These include:
Pure Mathematics
Applied Mathematics
Statistics
Fees
Home
£12,030
Overseas
£25,900
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
MSc in Statistics graduates hold positions at leading universities or companies in areas as diverse as business administration, financial markets, biomedical research, fisheries laboratories, wildlife conservation and many more.
Recent graduates at Masters level have found employment in:
- large consulting firms and major financial institutions including American Express, Aviva, Capital One, Goldman Sachs, Lloyds, PwC, RBS, Scottish and Southern Energy, Tesco Bank, TSB and Vodafone.
- biomedical research, clinical trials and pharmaceuticals.
- wildlife and conservation managers including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
The MSc in Statistics prepares students for further postgraduate studies in statistical research, and many graduates of the programme continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere.
The School of Mathematics and Statistics has active research groups in:
- Applied Mathematics (Vortex Dynamics Group, Solar and Magnetospheric Theory Group)
- Pure Mathematics (Analysis Group, Algebra and Combinatorics Group)
- Mathematical Biology (Mathematical Oncology, Cell Migration and Tissue Growth)
- Statistics (Statistical Ecology, Statistical Medicine and Molecular Biology and Statistical Methodology)
What to do next
Information sessions
Meet our staff, learn more, and ask questions about how our courses can work for you.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2344
- maths-pgstats@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematical Institute
North Haugh
St Andrews
KY16 9SS