Applications for the 27th cycle - starting 1 October 2011 is closed. To see the results of the admission procedure click here.
General | Course details | Dedicated Courses and other Activities | Admission
This PhD programme is run by the Doctorate School in "Economic and Statistical Sciences" of the University of Bologna, directed by Prof. Gian Luca Marzocchi.
It is hosted by the "Paolo Fortunati" Department of Statistical Sciences, via delle Belle Arti, 41 - Bologna
It is coordinated by: Prof. Daniela Cocchi, and is run by a Teaching Board (Collegio Docenti)
The PhD Programme in Statistics is primarily focused on training students to carry out research in one of the statistical disciplines. The Programme is intended to provide knowledge of statistics at a higher level and a specialization in one of the following areas:
- methodology
- bio-statistics
- demography and social sciences
- economics and econometrics
It is aimed at students intending to undertake a career in a university or research-oriented organization. It is 3 year programme, which includes both course attendance with the relevant exams, attendance at research seminars,
and the completion of a thesis which reports original research, carried out by the candidate in the field of statistics.
General | Course details | Dedicated Courses and other Activities | Admission
The aim of this PhD programme is to enable the doctoral students:
- to become proficient in mathematics, statistics and probability at a fairly advanced level.
- to master pure and applied technical knowledge in one of the above mentioned areas, namely:
- methodology
- bio-statistics
- demography and social sciences
- economics and econometrics
- to develop the capability of carrying out scientific research autonomously.
Courses and seminars will revolve around the following themes:
- mathematics, including probability
- statistical methodology
- statistics applied to social and natural phenomena
- special applications of statistics, in particular in economics, demography, biology.
To complete the PhD programme successfully, a sound mathematical background as well as a good command of English are required.
The University of Bologna ERASMUS exchange programme is integrated with this PhD programme in order to benefit from the high quality of teaching of incoming visitors from outstanding foreign universities and from periods of study abroad.
General | Course details | Dedicated Courses and other Activities | Admission
All the PhD activities are consistent with the aims of the programme. The ultimate goal of the PhD programme is a dissertation, which is the most difficult and rewarding part of the post-graduate experience. It must show the candidate’s ability to conduct original and valuable research. This thesis may be written in Italian or English and the candidate may prepare it while attending another research institution in Italy or abroad.
In the first year students are asked to take all the compulsory courses of the programme and the courses chosen individually. The admission to the second year is conditional on passing all the final tests.
Courses offered in 2011-2012
Courses offered in 2010-2011
Short courses and seminars are also organized on a regular basis. PhD Students are required to attend all the seminars and working groups organized within the Doctoral programme.
At the beginning of their second year the Teaching Board will choose one of its members for each PhD student to act as his/her supervisor and guide him/her through the programme. Other researchers from the Department of Statistical Sciences or other Departments and research institutions can be joint supervisors, upon approval by the Teaching Board.
During the second year, a period of study abroad is strongly encouraged. Also, with the help of their supervisor, students will choose a topic for their thesis project and will start working on it.
During the third year students will complete their thesis and present reports of their progress in a series of meetings with the Teaching Board. The admission to the final discussion is conditional on a positive evaluation of the thesis by their supervisor and the PhD coordinator.
PhD students are required to attend all the activities in the programme. With the help of their supervisor, PhD students may choose to attend individual courses consistent with their field of specialization. PhD students may spend part of their activities in other Research Institutes, provided that this does not interfere
with the successful completion of their studies.
General | Course details | Dedicated Courses and other Activities | Admission
Admission procedure to the Phd program follows the regulations of Regolamento di Ateneo of the University of Bologna, complying with Regolamento MIUR.
Applicants to the Phd program in Statistics are expected to have academic educational requirements that will favour a profitable integration of the candidate and ensure the effectiveness of the training activities scheduled to the attainment of the Doctor of Philosophy qualification. In order to achieve this goal, aiming to verify the attitude for scientific research of the applicants and to direct the study for the admission test, a synthesis of main subjects for the exam are listed below.
Main prerequisites for the admission exam
Probability
Main theorems of Probability.
Random variables and random vectors.
Main probability density functions and probability mass functions.
Multivariate Gaussian probability distribution function
Statistics
Fundamentals of descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, measures of association, contingency tables)
Sampling distributions
Point estimation, interval estimation, methods of estimation, properties of estimators
Hypothesis testing
ANOVA
Linear regression
Knowledge of English: such that it allows reading statistical literature. (B1/B2 ESOL)
Some textbooks are listed below as examples for preparation
In English
- Casella G. Berger R.L. (2002) Statistical inference – 2nd ed., Pacific Grove (CA), Duxbury.
- Mood A.M., Graybill F.A., Boes. D.C. (1974) Introduction to the theory of statistics 3rd ed. McGraw-Hill, Auckland.
- Grimmett G., D. Welsh (1986) Probability: an introduction, Oxford, Clarendon Press.
- J.H. McColl (2004) Multivariate probability, - London: Arnold; New York : Oxford University press.
In Italian
- Dall'Aglio G.( 1987), Calcolo delle probabilità, Zanichelli
- Cicchitelli G. (2001) Probabilità e statistica, Maggioli Editore, II edizione.
- Mood A.M., Graybill F.A., Boes. D.C. (1993) Introduzione alla teoria della statistica, McGraw-Hill libri Italia.
A further list of graduate textbooks in Mathematical Analysis and Linear Algebra is:
In English
- Apostol T.M. (1974) Mathematical analysis – 2ND ed. - Reading (Mass.) : Addison-Wesley
In Italian
- Apostol T.M. (1983) Calcolo, voll. 1,2 e 3, Boringhieri, 1983.
- Giusti, E. (1988, 2003) Analisi matematica, voll. 1 e 2, Boringhieri
General | Course details | Dedicated Courses and other Activities | Admission