If a college student is a mathematics major and his/her goal is to take the most challenging mathematics class at college, then is statistics really necessary/mandatory to take at college even though he/she finished taking differential equations already?
fcas80
Favorite Answer
Depends on the school. Most schools probably don't require it. But it is one or the more useful math courses, and it requires a different kind of mathematical thinking than most other math courses. (I hava a bachelors and masters in math.)
?
It sounds like a math course, and mathematicians are often called upon to perform statistical analysis. So, there's a statistical chance that statistics is mandatory.
?
A lot of schools require statistics as a mandatory or at least optional gen ed requirement. If it isn't a gen ed, then it is often a requirement for a major. Grad schools also often require that you had a stats class to get in.
You can't do research in any field if you don't understand basic statistics.
darkvelvetrain
I would suggest that statistics is the most pragmatic and useful of all the mathematical areas of concentration one could study. It is used in every discipline and in research. It is the core of quantitative research and analysis. You can hardly even read a newspaper article without statistics being thrown at you. If you do not understand statistics, you will have difficulty understanding the world around you.
?
I completely understand the drive to challenge yourself, but your goal should probably be to make sure you're employable at the end of your degree.
Statistics is one of the most useful classes you can take and I would definitely recommend taking some sort of programming classes as well.