Statistics MS Program

The Master of Science (MS) degree is awarded upon successful completion of a minimum of 36 credits. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be achieved to graduate. Individual courses require a minimum of a B- for course credit. 

The STAT MS program has two tracks:

  • Statistical Science
  • Data Science

Duration of Study

Students are responsible for planning their graduate program in consultation with their Academic Advisor. Students must meet all deadlines and be aware that most Core Courses are offered only once per academic year.

Students are expected to complete the MS degree as follows:

  • MS (Non-Thesis)- three Semesters and one Summer Session.
  • MS (Thesis)- four Semesters and one Summer Session.

Students must complete their Thesis by the end of the fourth Semester (not including the Summer Session). Students who require additional time to complete their Thesis must apply for an extension per the time limits and extensions policy.

Assessment Test

To facilitate the design of an individual study plan, all admitted students must take a written assessment test when they arrive on campus. The assessment determines whether students have mastered the prerequisites for undertaking graduate-level courses taught in the program. The exam will focus on mathematics and basic sciences. Students must prepare for the test by refreshing the general knowledge gained from their undergraduate education before arriving at KAUST. The study plan requirements must be satisfactorily completed, in addition to the university degree requirements.

In the case of failure of the assessment test MS students are mandated to take 100-level courses and will be graded Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) for these courses but do not receive academic credit toward their degree.

MS Course Requirements

MS students must complete the following requirements:

  • Core Courses (12 credits)
  • Elective Courses (12 credits)
  • Research/Capstone (12 credits)
  • Graduate Seminar (non-credit)
  • Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

Core and Elective Courses must be technical courses and cannot be substituted with Research or Internship to fulfill degree requirements.

Core Courses (12 credits)

Core Courses provide students with the background needed to establish a solid foundation in the program area. Students must complete 12 credits (4 Core Courses) and be aware that Core Courses may be offered only once per academic year.
STAT 220Probability and Statistics

3

STAT 230Linear Models

3

STAT 240Bayesian Statistics

3

STAT 250Stochastic Processes

3

 

Elective Courses (12 credits)

Elective Courses allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet individual research and educational objectives with the permission of the Academic Advisor. STAT students should note the following:

  • STAT 210 can only be taken on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis and is not counted toward the degree requirements.
  • Only one of AMCS201, AMCS202, and AMCS206 can be used towards the degree requirements

Students on the Data Science Track are required to complete the following additional requirements:

  • CS 229 Machine Learning
  • At least 6 credits of other Elective Courses from the CS 200-level

Elective Courses for all tracks are as follows:

AMCS 206Applied Numerical Methods

3

AMCS 211Numerical Optimization

3

AMCS 215Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning

3

CS 207Programming Methodology and Abstractions

3

CS 220Data Analytics

3

CS 229Machine Learning

3

CS 245Databases

3

CS 247Scientific Visualization

3

CS 248Computer Graphics

3

CS 249Algorithms in Bioinformatics

3

CS 260Design and Analysis of Algorithms

3

ECE 242Digital Communication and Coding

3

ECE 251Digital Signal Processing and Analysis

3

ErSE 213Inverse Problems

3

ErSE 222Machine Learning in Geoscience

3

ErSE 253Data Analysis in Geosciences

3

Others upon approval of the Academic Advisor.

Graduate Seminar (non-credit)

Students must register for STAT 398 and receive a Satisfactory grade for two Semesters during their MS.

Winter Enrichment Program (non-credit)

All students must register for WE 100 and successfully complete one Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), usually taken in the first year of study.

MS Thesis

Students planning to pursue the Thesis option must complete a minimum of 12 credits of Thesis Research (STAT 297).

Thesis Application

Students must complete the application and have it approved by the Program Chair no later than the end of week one of their third Semester. The Thesis Advisor must be a full-time program-affiliated Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor at KAUST. The Thesis Advisor can only become project affiliated for the specific thesis project with the Program Chair’s approval. The application must include a Thesis Proposal endorsed by the Thesis Advisor and a timeline for completion.

MS Thesis students who meet the graduation requirements of the non-thesis track may drop the thesis up until the end of their third Semester. Students not able to complete their thesis after this deadline will face academic dismissal.

Thesis Committee Formation

 The MS thesis defense committee must include a minimum of three members and may have up to four members. The composition of the committee is outlined as follows: 

Member Role  Affiliation
1 Faculty
Primary affiliation within of the student’s program
2 Faculty Primary affiliation within of the student’s program
3 Faculty  Primary affiliation outside of the student’s program
4 Faculty or Research Scientist  Affiliation within or outside of KAUST

Notes:

  • The committee must be approved by the Dean. 
  • Members 1-3 are mandatory, while member 4 is optional. 
  • The student’s advisor serves as the chair of the committee. If the advisor holds a primary affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 1. If the advisor has a secondary or one-time affiliation within the student’s program, then they act as member 3.
  • The student’s co-advisor may serve as member 4. 
  • Professors of Practice and Research Professors may serve as members 1-4, depending on their affiliation and whether they are the student’s advisor or co-advisor. 
  • Adjunct Professors and Professors Emeriti may continue serving on committees in the roles they had at the time of their departure but are not permitted to serve on new committees.
  • Visiting Professors may only serve as member 4. 
  • Once approved, any changes to the committee require the approval of both the student's advisor and the Dean.

Petition to Defend Thesis

Students must submit a petition to defend their Thesis by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar. Students are responsible for scheduling the Thesis Defense Date. All committee members must attend the Defense. Students must defend their thesis and obtain the final approval of the Defense within their duration of study (4 Semesters).

Thesis Defense Results

 The format of the Oral Defense is left to the discretion of the Thesis Committee. At the end of the Final Defense, students will be evaluated with one of the following outcomes:

  • Pass: The Committee agrees with no more than one dissenting vote. The Thesis must be archived within two weeks of the defense, and the student must send the Thesis Result Form to the GPSA within two days of the defense.
  • Pass with Conditions: All committee members must agree on the required conditions. If they cannot agree, the Dean will make the final decision. The student has up to three months to meet these conditions, unless the Committee unanimously agrees to change the deadline.
  • Fail with Retake: If conditions cannot be met within three months, or more than one member casts a negative vote, one retake of the defense is allowed. The retake must occur within six months of the original defense unless the Committee unanimously agrees to a shorter timeline. If the student fails the retake, they will be dismissed from the University. The Committee Chair must immediately inform the GPSA to initiate the necessary actions.
  • Fail Without Retake: The decision must be unanimous, resulting in the student’s dismissal from the University. The Committee Chair must inform the GPSA immediately to take the necessary actions. 

Additional Guidelines:

  • Students who have exceeded their duration of study must apply for an extension as per the Time Limit and Extension Policy. All conditions must be fulfilled by the end of the extension period, which takes precedence over the Committee’s set deadlines. 
  • The outcome of the Thesis Defense must be recorded by submitting the Thesis Defense Evaluation Form to the Office of the Registrar within two days of the defense.
  • Additionally, students must submit the Defense Results Form by the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.
  • The required forms are available on the webpage of the Office of the Registrar.  

Thesis Document

Students must follow the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines available from the KAUST Library when they write their Thesis. Once the Thesis is ready to be examined, students must determine the Defense date with the agreement of all members of the Thesis Committee.

Thesis Archiving

Students must archive the Thesis in the KAUST Library two weeks from the final result form. This must not exceed the duration of study or the deadline published in the Academic Calendar.

MS Non-Thesis

Students wishing to pursue the non-thesis option must complete a total of 12 capstone credits, with 6 credits of directed research (STAT 299). Students must complete the 6 remaining credits through one of the options listed below:

  • Internship: Summer internship (STAT 295) – students can only take one internship
  • Any 200/300-level courses from any degree program at KAUST