Job search assistance for statistics graduates
Visit USC’s Career Center for guidance and support in your career search. Our statistics faculty may also support you by writing letters of recommendation.
Statistics graduates are in demand in health care, finance, technology, government and academia.
Statisticians evaluate the safety and efficacy of new drugs for pharmaceutical companies. They design experiments to improve manufacturing processes for industries and develop algorithms for financial companies. Insurance companies use statisticians to estimate risks, and marketers use their help to improve mass mailing campaigns. Even the Federal Census is conducted by government statisticians.
These are just a few examples of the promising careers available for statisticians, and your options with a statistics degree are many.
Workforce success
Nick Tice (2022, M.S. statistics) uses data analysis in his job for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals. The day after each game, he examines every second of every game – down to a fraction of a second – through hundreds of thousands of data points.
“We use the data to predict different things about the upcoming games, depending on a variety of factors, down to the individual players they’ll be up against,” says Tice. “We’re trying to give the coaches as much information as possible to make the best decisions they can.”
Learn how Tice scored an internship with the Cardinals that led him to his dream job in football analytics.
Studying statistics teaches you skills that are valuable in a variety of careers. Graduates are attractive to employers due to their abilities in the following areas:
- Data analysis and use of statistical tools
- Designing, interpreting and presenting research
- Creative approach to solving problems
- Collaboration with a variety of people
- Critical thinking and data-driven understanding
- Effective communications with broad audiences
Career options
These skills, and many others, translate to jobs such as:
- Statistician
- Actuary
- Data scientist
- Data analyst
- Database specialist
- Certified SAS programmer
- Secondary educator
- Financial analyst
Where to work with a statistics degree:
- Insurance agencies
- Banking
- Federal, state and local government
- Secondary schools
- University research centers
- Hospitals and medical data centers
- Software development firms
- Financial industry