Course Description

Statistical Fieldwork GR5399 is an elective course for students in the M.A. in Statistics program that counts towards the degree requirements. To receive a grade and academic credits for this course, students are expected to engage in an approved off-campus internship in the US. The statistical fieldwork should provide students an opportunity to apply their statistical skills and gain practical knowledge on how statistics can be applied to solve real-world challenges. 

• This course is open only to MA in Statistics students
• This course is offered in the fall, spring, and summer 
• The student is responsible for securing an appropriate internship
• Approval by the MA Career Development office is required
• Prerequisites: Statistics GR5203 PROBABILITY,  GR5204 STATISTICAL INFERENCE, Statistics GR5205 LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS, and at least 4 approved electives. In general, this course is not open to students in their first two semesters. However, students with adequate background, may  petition to waive partial prerequisites after they have completed at least one semester of studies for the MA program. Please contact your Career Development Officer for detailed information.
• If you take this fieldwork course in your last semester, then you must take at least one regular course as well. 
• Grading: Letter grade
• Points/credits: 1 credit per semester of fieldwork. The total number of hours of work is normally expected to be at least 100 (for full-time students, the time commitment per week except in the summer, may not exceed 20 hours.)
• The course may be repeated (but not in the same semester) for a maximum combined total of 2 credits
• If you take only this course in the summer, then you will pay tuition per point/credit.
• You must have successfully completed any past internship course and received a final grade in order to be eligible to take or retake this course
• You cannot take this course – or any other course for that matter – if you have already completed your degree requirements

Rules and Procedures

Summary of Procedures

• The student finds an appropriate internship in the US and gets it approved by the MA Career Development office in the Statistics Department
• The student registers online, which will result in being put on a waiting list and then allowed into the course once all appropriate paperwork has been approved
• If this course is taken in the summer, and only this course, the student does not need to register for Residence Units and instead will pay per point
• After being approved for registration, international students may apply to the ISSO for Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• To drop the course, the student must follow the relevant drop rules and deadlines. The student cannot drop the course after the internship start date
• The student completes the internship and writes a report
• A letter grade is assigned based on the report

Appropriate Internships

For full-time students, the time commitment per week (except in the summer) may not exceed 20 hours. The internships should provide training and experience that complement the students’ education and help them relate the material taught in the Statistics classes to professional practice.

Internship employers/sponsors of relevance for Statistics students include banks, asset management firms, hedge funds, insurance companies, consulting firms, media companies, sports companies, and the like. The internship may involve formal training sessions, on-the-job training, and project work. The work could involve research, statistical analysis, financial and economic analysis, and statistical model development. Unpaid internships are subject to additional approval by the program and ISSO. 

Application Process for Fieldwork

To apply for approval and enrollment, the student should submit a total of 3 documents to the MA Career Development team by the relevant deadline each semester.

1. A Job Proposal – a brief statement (250 words or less) in the student’s own words explaining how the internship is relevant to the MA Statistics Program.
2. The Fieldwork Instructions for Employers (1) –  form must be signed by the employer with all information completed. By signing the Employer Form, the employer is acknowledging that the student will be permitted to write and submit a report about the work the student performed during the internship for a grade. 
3. An offer letter from the employer/internship sponsor – the offer letter should include the following information:
   1. be on official company letterhead
   2. have a specific start date and a specific end date
   3. include the U.S. address of your employer.
      The letter should indicate if you are working remotely from your NY-area home.
   4. include the number of hours per week you will work
   5. include a detailed description or list of position duties
   6. be signed and dated by your employer

International Students Process for Fieldwork and Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

International students will therefore need to submit a fourth application material: (4) CPT Request Form. International students with F1 status are required to obtain Curricular Practical Training (CPT) before taking the Fieldwork course and starting their employment. Students will need to follow the CPT regulations and any additional requirements imposed by the ISSO. Upon approval, students must upload their application to ISSO’s Compass portal for final approval and I-20 processing. You must receive approval from ISSO to begin your employment. 

Application Deadline

Submit all three components of the application (Job Proposal, Fieldwork Instructions for Employer Form, and Offer Letter) and your CPT Application Form, if you’re an F-1 student, to the MA Career Development team by GSAS’ last day of Post-Change of Program Add/Drop Period.

Timing of the Internship

• Fall semester: The start date of the internship must be no earlier than the first day of classes. The end date must be no later than the last day of the final exams.
• Spring semester: The start date of the internship must be no earlier than the first day of classes. The end date must be no later than the last day of the final exams. 
• Summer: The start date of the internship must be after the end of spring final exams, and the end date must be no later than August 31. 

Internship Report

To complete the course, the student must submit a report, by the last day of semester finals (fall, spring) or August 31 (summer). The report should include the following information:

• Student name
• Student UNI
• Internship start and end dates
• Total number of hours
• Internship sponsoring organization, department, and location
• A supervisor or Human Resources (HR) contact name, title, phone number, and email
• A summary of the Internship experience

The last part of the internship report, the summary, should describe the internship experience and its relevance to the curriculum of the MA in Statistics program. Aspects that you may want to cover include the following:

• The nature and business of the sponsoring organization and the division/department where the internship was undertaken
• The intern’s activities, responsibilities, and projects, and their purpose and relevance for the sponsoring organization (it is not necessary to include technical details of projects)
• Training and experience acquired, and how they complement the student’s education

You are not supposed to reveal proprietary information. Some internship sponsors require that your report goes through an internal review and approval process to make sure you do not reveal such information.

Grading

A passing letter grade requires that the internship is completed and an acceptable report has been submitted. Beyond that, the letter grade is mainly based on the quality of the internship report, and only to a very minor extent on the nature of the internship. A good report covers relevant aspects of the internship experience – to the extent this can be done without revealing proprietary information – and is well structured, clear, and carefully written.

Fieldwork F.A.Q.

Statistical Fieldwork GR5399