Statistics

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What is Statistics?

Statistics deals with the collection, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of numbers. In today’s information age, we’re provided with an overwhelming amount of data from many different sources, making it hard to know who to trust. Does a certain pesticide cause cancer? Is the economy really up? Is that new medical treatment really effective? Statistics offers tools to answer these questions. You’ll learn how to analyze and present data carefully and correctly, with integrity and confidence.


Statistics student Jody Krahn

Student Profile - Jody Krahn

Jody Krahn loves statistics because she’s able to work on real-life problems by collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data.

“I’ve always liked math and I wanted to do math that I could apply in the real world and connect with real-world ideas and concepts,” she explained. “Statistics is a way to apply my mathematical side and also interact with the world.”

Coming to UWinnipeg, Krahn had initially planned to major in psychology. However, while taking a statistics course as a requirement, she was encouraged by professors to consider taking additional courses. She took their advice and soon switched to a statistics major.

It was that personal interaction with professors that factored heavily in her decision to not only change her major, but choose UWinnipeg for her undergraduate studies.

“Having smaller class sizes allows me to have more access to professors for advising and help with course material,” she said. “And the school’s location makes it easier and quicker for me to access it.”

Krahn is dreaming big. Once she graduates with her Bachelor of Science (Hons), she intends to pursue a master’s degree in biostatistics and work in the health research field.

“Lives can be dramatically improved and even saved by statistical modeling of diseases,” she said. “I want to use statistics to help people.”


Make an impact

Nearly everything in our lives involves numbers. Statisticians make sure those numbers are explained properly, since even the smallest change can have a big impact. A statistician working for a business may use data to make predictions about sales or product demand. Government statisticians work with economists, biologists, chemists, and doctors to examine, research, and provide informed analysis on trends that affect our health, families, and finances. With applications in nearly every sector, the possibilities for a statistics career are endless.

Career opportunities

  • Statistics Canada
  • Data science
  • Biostatistics
  • Medicine
  • Actuarial sciences
  • Market research
  • Survey methodology
  • Mathematical statistics

UWinnipeg faculty, students, and alumni are leaving their mark in the field of statistics. Read their stories:

UWinnipeg receives NSERC Grants to further research

Spotlight on mathematics and statistics

Living in the red


View Statistics Factsheet [PDF]  |  See Academic Calendar Information [PDF] | Visit Department Website

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