Statistics — careers, salary and study routes
The science of collecting, analysing and drawing honest conclusions from data under uncertainty.
Check your fit for Statistics →What Statistics is about
Statisticians design surveys and experiments, build models that separate real effects from noise, and tell decision-makers how confident they can be. Statistics underpins clinical trials, election surveys, crop estimates, insurance pricing, quality control, economic data and most of modern machine learning.
It suits students who like mathematics and want to apply it to real questions. A statistics degree pairs naturally with programming, and graduates move into analytics, data science, actuarial work, finance, market research, pharmaceutical trials and government statistical services. Compared with a pure data science degree it gives deeper grounding in probability and inference, which ages well as tools change.
What you'll study
- Probability theory and distributions
- Statistical inference: estimation and hypothesis testing
- Linear models and regression analysis
- Sampling theory and survey design
- Design and analysis of experiments
- Time series, multivariate and Bayesian statistics
- Statistical computing in R and Python
- Official statistics, demography or biostatistics electives
Studying Statistics in India
You need mathematics in Class 12. Central universities such as Delhi University admit to B.Sc (Hons) Statistics through CUET-UG, and many state universities admit on marks. The Indian Statistical Institute admits to its B.Stat through its own admission test, and IIT Kanpur's statistics and data science programme is through JEE Advanced. Graduates can later sit the UPSC Indian Statistical Service exam or the SSC route into central statistical posts.
Typical degrees
- B.Sc / B.Sc (Hons) in Statistics (three or four years)
- B.Stat (Hons), Indian Statistical Institute (three years)
- BS in Statistics and Data Science at IIT Kanpur (four years)
- M.Sc or M.Stat in Statistics (two years)
Entrance exams
- ISI Admission Test
- CUET-UG
- JEE Advanced
Routes in the US and UK
United States
US students take a BS in statistics or in mathematics with a statistics focus; many roles, especially in biostatistics and pharmaceuticals, expect a master's, and the American Statistical Association offers PStat accreditation for experienced statisticians.
United Kingdom
UK universities offer BSc degrees in statistics or mathematics and statistics, many accredited by the Royal Statistical Society, whose Graduate Statistician and Chartered Statistician (CStat) awards mark professional standing.
Frequently asked questions
Statistics or data science: which should I choose?
Statistics gives deeper theory in probability and inference; data science adds more programming and engineering. A statistics degree plus strong coding is a very good preparation for data science jobs.
What is the Indian Statistical Service?
It is a central government service for statisticians, recruited through a UPSC exam open to graduates with statistics, mathematical statistics or applied statistics. Officers work on national statistics, surveys and policy data.
Careers this major opens
The US Department of Education maps Statistics, General (CIP 27.0501) to 6 Standard Occupational Classification codes. Salary and employment figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics via O*NET; the AI-durability signal is our own composite score.
Sources: NCES CIP-2020 → SOC-2018 crosswalk · US Bureau of Labor Statistics (via O*NET) · WhatTNext Ai AI-durability score. Careers ranked by US employment volume.