Department History
The Department of Statistics was founded in 1986, emerging from a rich history of distributed expertise across Northwestern. Prior to its formation, statisticians on campus held appointments in a variety of schools, including the Kellogg School of Management, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Education and Social Policy. Following the appointment of Arnold Weber as President of Northwestern in 1985, the department was formally established from faculty active in the interdepartmental graduate Program in Statistics and Probability led by Meyer Dwass. These origins created a department uniquely defined by serious interdisciplinary research interests.
In March 2022, the department was renamed the Department of Statistics and Data Science to reflect the vibrant evolution of the discipline into data science and artificial intelligence.
Today, the department comprises 22 faculty members and offers an expanding array of degrees, including undergraduate majors and minors in both Statistics and Data Science, a BA/MS and MS in Statistics and Data Science, an Ad Hoc MS in Applied Statistics for Northwestern PhD students, and a PhD in Statistics and Data Science.