Course Description

Statistical Fieldwork (GR5399) is an elective course available to students enrolled in the M.A. in Statistics program that counts toward degree requirements. To receive academic credit and a grade for this course, students must complete an approved off-campus internship within the United States. The internship should provide students with the opportunity to apply their statistical knowledge and skills in a professional setting, gaining practical experience in how statistics can be used to address real-world challenges.

Overview

This course is open exclusively to MA in Statistics students and is offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Students are responsible for securing an appropriate internship, which must be approved by the MA program prior to enrollment.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed the following courses before enrolling:

• Statistics GR5203: Probability
• Statistics GR5204: Statistical Inference
• Statistics GR5205: Linear Regression Models
• At least four approved electives

This course is generally not open to students in their first two semesters. However, students with an adequate background may petition to waive partial prerequisites after completing at least one semester in the MA program.

Enrollment & Credit

• Grading: Letter grade
• Credits: 1 credit per semester of fieldwork
• The course may be repeated (but not in the same semester) for a maximum combined total of 2 credits
• If this course is taken in the final semester, students must also be enrolled in at least one additional regular course
• Students may not enroll in this course if they have already fulfilled all degree requirements
• Students must have received a final grade for any previously taken internship course before enrolling or re-enrolling

Time Commitment

The total number of hours of work is normally expected to be at least 100. For full-time students, the weekly time commitment may not exceed 20 hours, except during the summer.

Tuition

If this course is the only course taken in the summer, tuition will be charged per point/credit rather than at the full-time rate.

Guidelines and Procedures

Appropriate Internships

Internships should provide training and experience that complement the student’s academic background and help bridge the material taught in Statistics courses with professional practice. For full-time students, the weekly time commitment may not exceed 20 hours, except during the summer.

Relevant internship employers include banks, asset management firms, hedge funds, insurance companies, consulting firms, media companies, sports organizations, and similar industries. The internship may involve formal training sessions, on-the-job training, and project work, including research, statistical analysis, financial and economic analysis, and statistical model development. Unpaid internships are subject to additional approval by the program and ISSO.

Guidelines

1. The student secures an appropriate internship in the U.S. and obtains approval from the MA Statistics program.
2. The student registers on a waitlist via Vergil. Enrollment is confirmed once all required paperwork has been approved.
3. If this course is the only course taken in the summer, the student does not need to register for Residence Units and will pay per point/credit.
4. Once approved for registration, international students may apply to ISSO for Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
5. To drop the course, students must adhere to the GSAS academic deadlines. The course cannot be dropped after the internship start date.
6. The student completes the internship and submits a written report.
7. A letter grade is assigned based on the report.

Application Process for Fieldwork

To apply for CPT approval and enrollment, students must submit the following documents at least 10 business days before  GSAS’s last day of Post-Change of Program Add/Drop Period each semester.

1. A Job Proposal – a brief statement (250 words or less) in the student’s own words explaining how the internship is relevant to the MA Statistics Program.
2. The Fieldwork Instructions for Employers (1) –  form must be signed by the employer with all information completed. By signing the Employer Form, the employer is acknowledging that the student will be permitted to write and submit a report about the work the student performed during the internship for a grade. 
3. An offer letter from the employer/internship sponsor – the offer letter should include the following information:
   1. Be on official company letterhead
   2. Clear start date and end date
   3. Include the U.S. address of your employer.
      The letter should indicate if you are working remotely from your NY-area home.
   4. Include the number of hours per week you will work
   5. Include a detailed description or list of position duties
   6. Be signed and dated by your employer
4. CPT Request Form (if applicable)
   • International students have to submit the CPT Request Form.
   • International students with F1 status are required to obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and register on the waitlist for the Statistical Fieldwork (GR5399). Students will need to follow the CPT regulations and any additional requirements imposed by the ISSO.
   • Upon approval by the MA program, students must upload their application to ISSO’s Compass portal for final approval and I-20 processing. You must receive CPT approval from ISSO to begin your employment. 

Timing of the Internship

• Fall semester: The start date of the internship must be no earlier than the first day of classes. The end date must be no later than the last day of the final exams.
• Spring semester: The start date of the internship must be no earlier than the first day of classes. The end date must be no later than the last day of the final exams. 
• Summer: The start date of the internship must be after the end of spring final exams, and the end date must be no later than August 31. 

Internship Report

To complete the course, the student must submit a report by the last day of semester finals (fall, spring) or August 31 (summer). The report should include the following information:

• Student name
• Student UNI
• Internship start and end dates
• Total number of hours
• Internship sponsoring organization, department, and location
• A supervisor or Human Resources (HR) contact name, title, phone number, and email
• A summary of the Internship experience

The last part of the internship report, the summary, should describe the internship experience and its relevance to the curriculum of the MA in Statistics program. Aspects that you may want to cover include the following:

• The nature and business of the sponsoring organization and the division/department where the internship was undertaken
• The intern’s activities, responsibilities, and projects, and their purpose and relevance for the sponsoring organization (it is not necessary to include technical details of projects)
• Training and experience acquired, and how they complement the student’s education

You are not supposed to reveal proprietary information. Some internship sponsors require that your report go through an internal review and approval process to make sure you do not reveal such information.

Grading

A passing letter grade requires that the internship be completed and an acceptable report be submitted. Beyond that, the letter grade is mainly based on the quality of the internship report, and only to a very minor extent on the nature of the internship. A good report covers relevant aspects of the internship experience – to the extent this can be done without revealing proprietary information – and is well structured, clear, and carefully written.

Fieldwork F.A.Q.

Statistical Fieldwork GR5399