Statistics Concentration Requirements

Statistics concentrators must complete the items under For all tracks, plus the items under one of the headings General Track, Data Science Track, Biostatistics and Computational Biology Track, or Machine Learning Track. For Statistics concentrators pursuing honors, the items under Additional Requirements for Honors Eligibility are also applicable. Be sure to also read the Notes section, which has some additional information, conditions, and allowed substitutions.

Students are welcome to declare the Statistics concentration at any time of year. The steps to declare Statistics are as follows:
1. Look through the concentration requirements (and the specific track options) on this page.

2. Arrange to meet with one of the Statistics concentration advisors to discuss your plan of study and any questions you have.  For help in scheduling a meeting, please contact Lorna Blocksma (Undergraduate Student Program Administrator), Kevin Rader (Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies), or Joe Blitzstein (Director of Undergraduate Studies).

3. Based on your chosen track, fill out the appropriate worksheet below with a tentative plan of study (which is just for planning purposes, not binding).

4. Declare your concentration on my.harvard, including your worksheet as an upload.

For planning purposes, here are worksheets to help with developing and tracking progress on a plan of study:

General Track

Biostatistics and Computational Biology Track

Data Science Track

Machine Learning Track

For all tracks

A1. Stat 110, Stat 111, and Stat 139.

A2. One additional Statistics course numbered between 100 and 299 (inclusive). CS 1810 can also be counted for this requirement.

A3. One multivariable calculus, differential equations, optimization, or real analysis course: Math 18A, 19A, 21A, 22B, 23B, 25B, 55B, 112, 113, 114, 116, 212, or Applied Math 22B, 104, 105, 121, 205, 207, CS 1280, or Stat 221.

A4. One linear algebra course: Math 18B/19B, 21B, 22A, 23A, 25A, 55A, 121, or Applied Math 22A, 120, or Stat 185.

A5. One computational and algorithmic methods course: CS 32, 50, 51, 61, 1070, 1200, 1240, 1520, 1530, 1610, 1710, 1650, 1780, 2050, 2420, or Applied Math 10, 111, 121, 205, or 207, or Applied Computation 207 or 215, or Stat 108 or 221.    

Additional requirements specific to each track

General Track

G1. Four more additional Statistics courses numbered between 100 and 299 (inclusive).

G2. One related course (see list of related courses below).

Data Science Track

D1. CS 1090A/Stat 1090A or CS 1090B/Stat 1090B.

D2. Two more additional Statistics courses numbered between 100 and 299 (inclusive).

D3. One additional Computer Science course, chosen from CS 51, 61, 73, 79, 1050, 1060 1070, 1080, 1090B, 1200, 1210, 1240, 1260, 1360, 1430, 1450, 1610, 1650, 1710, 1780, 1810, 1820, 1840, 1870, 1890, 1970, 2050, 2080, 2211, 2241, 2242, 2243, 2260, 2261, 2360R, 2420, 2490R, 2620, 2630, 2650, 2710, 2760, 2790R, 2810, 2821R, 2822R, 2824, 2860, 2872R, 2880. Applied Computation 207, Applied Computation 215, Applied Computation 221, Applied Math 207, Applied Math 220, Applied Math 231, DPI 610, DPI 617, Econ 2355, ENG-SCI 157, ENG-SCI 250, Gov 1003, or Neuro 140 can also count for this requirement.

D4. One related course (see list of related courses below).

Biostatistics and Computational Biology Track

B1. Two of the courses Stat 114, 116, 117, 171, 186. Stat 286 can substitute for Stat 186. MCB 112 or Biostat 281 can substitute for Stat 114.

B2. Two Life Sciences courses, chosen from LS 1A (or LPS A or LS 50A), LS 1B (or LS 50B), LS 2, Chem 27, HEB 114, HEB 115, HEB 118, HEB 135, HEB 160, HEB 180, MCB 60, MCB 63, MCB 66, MCB/Neuro 80, MCB/Neuro 115, MCB/Neuro 129, MCB/Neuro 145, Neuro 120, Neuro 125, Neuro 140, OEB 10, OEB 50, OEB 53, OEB 125, OEB 145, SCRB 10, SCRB 50, SCRB 177, ENG-SCI 53, ENG-SCI 157.

B3. One more additional Statistics course numbered between 100 and 299 (inclusive).

Machine Learning Track

M1. CS 1810 or Stat 195.

M2. Two of the courses CS 1090B/Stat 109B, Stat 175, CS 1840/Stat 184, Stat 185, Stat 195, Stat 217, Stat 220, Stat 221, Stat 230, Stat 234, Stat 236, Stat 291.

M3. One of the courses CS 1090B/Stat 109B, CS 1840/Stat 184, Stat 175, Stat 185, Stat 195, Stat 217, Stat 220, Stat 221, Stat 230, Stat 234, Stat 236, Stat 291, CS 1820, CS 1870, CS 2243, CS 2281R, CS 2490R, CS 2821R, CS 2822R, CS 2824, CS 2840, Applied Computation 215, Applied Math 220, Applied Math 226, Applied Math 231, Applied Math 254, Econ 2355, ENG-SCI 157, ENG-SCI 250, ENG-SCI 254, Neuro 140 (Neuro 240), and Psych 1406.

M4. One related course (see list of related courses below).

Notes

N1. Stat 110 and 111 must be completed by the end of junior year. Stat 149 can substitute for Stat 139 (but note that Stat 139 is a prerequisite for Stat 149). The graduate-level courses Stat 210, 211, and 244 can substitute for Stat 110, 111, and 139, respectively.

N2. N2. MIT 6.1000, MIT 6.1010, or MIT 6.1020 can substitute for CS 50. MIT 6.390 or MIT 6.790 can substitute for CS 1810.

N3. Applied Computation 209A can substitute for CS 1090A/Stat 109A. Applied Computation 209B can substitute for CS 1090B/Stat 109B.

N4. Taking LS 50A and LS 50B is equivalent for concentration purposes to having taken LS 1A, LS 1B, and Math 19A.

N5. Stat 110, 111, and 139 must be taken letter-graded for concentration credit. One course other than Stat 110, 111, and 139 may be taken pass/fail or SAT UNSAT and counted for concentration credit. Stat 99R is graded SAT/UNSAT and does not use up the one pass/fail or SAT/UNSAT course allowed for concentration credit. Stat 91R is graded SAT/UNSAT and, if taken for concentration credit, would be the one pass/fail or SAT/UNSAT course allowed for concentration credit.

N6. At most one Statistics course numbered in the range 100 through 104 can be taken for credit. At most one Statistics course numbered in the range 105 through 108 can be taken for concentration credit.

N7. A course cannot be counted toward more than one Statistics concentration requirement. For example, Stat 108 can be counted for the A2 requirement or for the A5 requirement, but not both at the same time.

N8. Most CS courses were renumbered in 2024. See the conversion table for more details.

Additional Requirements for Honors Eligibility (including for joint concentrations)

H1. Writing a senior thesis, or following the advanced course option. For joint concentrations, a senior thesis is required.
      (i) Senior thesis: Read senior thesis guidelines. Thesis writers must have an adviser or co-adviser from the Statistics Department, unless approved otherwise by the Directors of Undergraduate Study or the Stat 99R instructor. For joint concentrations, the senior thesis must strongly relate to both fields.

      (ii) Advanced course option: Statistics coursework that includes a set of at least 7 letter-graded Statistics courses numbered between 110 and 299 (inclusive), with Stat 110 (or 210), Stat 111 (or 211), and Stat 139 (or 149 or 244) in this set. Either CS 1090B/Stat 109B or CS 1810 (but not both) can count as a course in the set. At least one of Stat 210, 211, 212, 213, 220, 221, 230, 242, 244, or 286 must be in the set, and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the set is required.

Related Courses

  • Applied Computation 207, 209A, 209B, 215, 221, 295.
  • Applied Math 104, 105, 107, 108, 111, 115, 120, 121, 122, 201, 205, 207, 210, 215, 216, 220, 226, 231, 232, 254.
  • Applied Physics 284, 286.
  • Astronomy 205.
  • Biostatistics 232, 235, 238, 244, 245, 249, 258, 281.
  • Computer Science 20, 51, 61, 73, 79, 96, 1050, 1060, 1070, 1080, 1090B, 1200, 1210, 1240, 1260, 1360, 1430, 1450, 1610, 1650, 1710, 1780, 1810, 1820, 1840, 1870, 1890, 1970, 2050, 2080, 2211, 2241, 2242, 2243, 2260, 2261, 2360R, 2380, 2420, 2490R, 2620, 2630, 2650, 2710, 2760, 2790R, 2810, 2821R, 2822R, 2824, 2840, 2860, 2872R, 2880.
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences 101, 102, 131, 139, 168.
  • Economics 50, 1011A, 1011B, 1042, 1057, 1078, 1080, 1123, 1126, 1546, 1723, 1745, 1746, 1759, 1820, 2030, 2057, 2059, 2070, 2110, 2120, 2140, 2142, 2148, 2355, 2727.
  • Engineering Sciences 155, 156, 157, 159, 200, 201, 202, 203, 250, 254.
  • Government 51, 52, 1003, 1010, 1347, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2017, 2018.
  • History 1993
  • Math 101, 112, 113, 114, 116, 121, 122, 136, 155R, 212, 213, 230A.
  • MCB 60, 111, 112, 131, 145, 198, 199.
  • Neuroscience 130, 140, 145.
  • OEB 242, 252.
  • Philosophy 146, 150, 151, 246.
  • Physics 131, 137, 143A, 150, 181, 262, 286.
  • Psychology 1406, 1950, 1952.
  • HGSE EDU A164.
  • HKS API 211, DPI 617.
  • MIT MIT 6.390 (as a substitute for CS 1810), 6.790 (as a substitute for CS 1810), 15.4371.
  • Statistics 91R (see Note N5), 98, 99R (if writing a senior thesis), and any 100-level or 200-level Statistics course.