PhD in Statistics University of Ljubljana

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics

Advanced knowledge of statistics is of significant importance in science and is the foundation for research in practically all academic disciplines. At the same time, advanced experts in statistics are sought by various services, from state administration to research departments in different companies.

In the past decades, statistics as an independent scientific discipline has made an enormous contribution to science and society. It has become a tool applicable in diverse fields such as agriculture, biology, business and economics, education, engineering, law, medicine, the military, public administration, social sciences, etc.

On the basis of good experience in the past and of the noticeable advantages of the interdisciplinary approach, the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics is also organized at the university level. The program offers seven modules: Biostatistics, Statistics for Social Sciences, Mathematical Statistics, Economic and Official Statistics, Business Statistics, Psychological Statistics, and Technical Statistics.

The duration of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics is four years (240 ECTS credits), which according to the Bologna educational scheme represents the third cycle of education. The program consists of organized training (60 credits) and individual research work for the doctoral dissertation (180 credits).

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics is evaluated according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), thus allowing students and lecturers to participate in international exchange schemes in the countries where ECTS or some other comparable system is implemented.

Year 1

• Obligatory course New Developments in Statistics
• Obligatory course Methodology of Statistical Research
• Elective course 1
• Elective course 2
• Elective course 3
• Independent research work 1

Year 2

• Obligatory module course Selected Topics in the respective module
• Presentation of doctoral dissertation proposal
• Independent research work 2

Year 3

• Independent research work 3

Year 4

• Independent research work 4
• Presentation of the results of research work before the completion of the doctoral dissertation
• Ph.D. viva

Conditions for completing the program and acquiring the doctoral degree are the successful completion of all study requirements defined by the program and the successful defense of the doctoral dissertation. The doctoral student must publish at least one scientific article based on the research presented in the doctoral dissertation in a scientific journal indexed by the SCI or SSCI. The scientific article with the student’s name listed as the first author must be published or accepted for publication before the candidate's hands in the doctoral dissertation for assessment.

The list of courses is published here.

The main goal of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Statistics is to further educate experts who have some fundamental knowledge of statistical theory, some experience in the field of statistics, or some general statistical knowledge, specific to an individual scientific discipline. Doctoral candidates should gain the capability of scientific thinking and solving new problems in various scientific fields.

After completion of their studies, the doctoral graduates will be qualified for creative and independent research work and for solving statistical problems for future employers. In the specific scientific field, they will be able to form definitions of research problems and find optimal solutions. They will be capable to link together the existing methods, and develop new methods with critical approaches and clearly defined criteria based on statistical theory. They will be able to critically assess research results and capable of transferring new knowledge into practice. Due to the distinct international orientation of the program, they will acquire the ability to communicate in an international scientific environment.