wharton statistics phd

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

Wharton Stories

Uniting great minds, wharton’s stat bridge ma program takes flight.

“Our program seeks to help students fully tap into their potential and to ensure that we continue to develop bold thinkers who will be prepared for the challenges of new sources and new statistical problems.” – Dylan Small, the Universal Furniture Professor and Chair of Statistics and Data Science

A new program in Wharton’s Department of Statistics and Data Science offers advanced coursework and research experience for students who hope to earn a PhD but need additional preparation for admission to a statistics doctoral program.  The Bridge to a Doctorate Program in Statistics and Data Science is a two-year research master’s (MA) degree program which includes tuition, fees, health insurance, and stipend.  The program provides strong mentorship and a learning environment dedicated to teaching methods of statistical modeling for effective decision making. Bridge Fellows work with faculty on individualized curricula based on their research interests and goals.

The first Bridge Fellows began in the Fall 2023 semester with Emma Ross, a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and Nimo Ismail, a graduate of Tennessee’s Rhodes College.

For those seeking a PhD, Wharton builds bridges

Ross, a native of Overland Park, Kansas, found the Stat Bridge Program when searching for predoctoral research and master’s programs to develop her research skills and help her focus on a specific content area. “When I read the description of the Stat Bridge Program, I knew it would be a perfect fit for me because of the individualized curriculum, focus on research, mentorship, and guidance on applying to doctoral programs.”

Ismail, who is from Phoenix, Arizona, began looking at graduate programs when her job search stalled. She opted not to apply to any PhD programs, feeling that she needed more coursework and research experience. “There were other bridge programs that interested me, but Wharton ensures that students like me are supported both financially and academically. I’ll gain research experience and, at the same time, build confidence in applying to PhD programs.”

Dylan Small, the Universal Furniture Professor and Chair of Statistics and Data Sciences, developed the program, knowing that there are students who have the talent, but may not have the financial resources, coursework, research, or mentorship for academic success at the doctoral level. “From my own work, I have learned the importance of strong structures for improving the field—whether it’s in research design and methodologies or in educating future statisticians,” Small says.

People who grew up in communities with a lack of resources, such as role models in statistics and related fields, may get a late start in thinking about statistics as a career path. Our program seeks to help students fully tap into their potential and to ensure that we continue to develop bold thinkers who will be prepared for the challenges of new sources and new statistical problems.”

The Bridge Program rises, one of a few of its kind

Nancy R. Zhang , the Ge Li and Ning Zhao Professor of Statistics and Data Science and Vice Dean of Wharton’s Doctoral Programs, co-directs the Bridge Program with Small.  The opportunity to mentor the Bridge Fellows is especially appealing to both of them who value their roles as mentors—both at Wharton and Penn with statistics students—as well as for organizations like Math Alliance, which supports students who are seeking a mathematical or statistical PhD.

Zhang is excited to be involved with the Bridge Program, one of the few programs of its kind. “There are bridge programs in other fields at many schools, but very few in statistics and in data sciences with the explicit focus on preparing students for PhD study and a future career in research.  Although this is only our first year, I am getting questions from colleagues in statistics at other institutions interested in developing their own bridge programs similar to ours,” says Zhang.

Zhang also understands that students sometimes need a little time in deciding to pursue a PhD in statistics, and to identify a research area that interests them. “After completing my master’s degree in computer science, I worked as a software engineer at a startup company.  I continued to read about genomics—a new field that I had studied while still in school.  That interest grew, and that propelled me to return to school for a PhD in statistics,” she reflects.

Small and Zhang were committed to creating the Stat Bridge Program, which involved many hours of work including curricular design along with administrative infrastructure such as a website, applications, and outreach to recruit students, including a Zoom meeting for potential applicants.  In addition, time had to be dedicated to answering student questions, application review, decision notification, and matching mentors with the Bridge Fellows. Small and Zhang cite strong support and encouragement from Wharton’s Dean, Erika James and Deputy Dean, Nancy Rothbard in making this program possible.

The Fellows look towards the future

As for the Stat Bridge Fellows’ goals, Ismail wants to become a professor in statistics and will focus her research on quantitative criminology with her research mentor, Greg Ridgeway , Professor of Criminology and Professor of Statistics and Data Science. “Before reading about Professor Ridgeway’s work, I didn’t know about the field of quantitative criminology,” Ismail refelcts. “Now, I am looking forward to gaining research experience and building connections with others in the field.  I know that I need quality support to prepare for a PhD program; and I’m excited for this opportunity.”

Like Ismail, Ross’ goal is also to become a professor in statistics. She will begin her research with Nandita Mitra , Professor of Biostatistics and Professor of Statistics and Data Science, and hopes to pursue research projects that directly help people in need, particularly those in Latin American communities. In addition, Ross also seeks to build a better future for other women interested in the data sciences.“I hope to do my part in creating a safe place for women to discover the beauty of mathematics and to debunk the myth that women aren’t good at math,” she says.

In the pursuit of academic excellence and breaking barriers in the field of statistics, Wharton’s Bridge to a Doctorate Program stands as a beacon of opportunity. As Ross and Ismail continue to set their sights on bright and broad horizons, they also embody the both their program and the School’s unwavering commitment to fostering excellent talent and groundbreaking research in data science writ large.

Read more about the Bridge Program here .

–  Anita Henderson 

Posted: September 13, 2023

• Fellowships
• Interdisciplinary
• Majors and Concentrations
• Nontraditional
• Operations, Informations, and Decisions
• Philadelphia
• Social Impact

The Wharton School

Department of statistics and data science.

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Academic Research Building 265 South 37th Street, 3rd & 4th Floors Philadelphia, PA 19104-1686

Phone: (215) 898-8222

Master’s Bridge Program

• Application Instructions
• Curriculum and Mentoring Program
• Statistics Course Descriptions
• Diversity and Inclusion at Penn
• Contact Info and Resources

Questions can be emailed to [email protected] .

Related Content

Revolutionizing Hair Customization for Black Women

Neuroscience and Marketing Meet in the Classroom

Wharton’s EMBA Program Helps Doctor Launch New Venture

Why This Aspiring Marketing Leader Decided to Upskill with an MBA Degree

How Diversity Adds Value to Wharton’s EMBA Program for this Strategy Executive

What Leaders Should Understand about Diversity in the Workplace

Why This Couple Came to Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives Together

Why This Professor Believes Neuroscience Is the Future of Business

This Sachs Award Winning Undergrad Is Exploring New Ways to Experience Art and Music

How a Staffing Company Can Tackle Pressing Social Issues

Why This Statistics Undergrad Spent Winter Break Volunteering in Washington, D.C.

Wharton San Francisco EMBA Student and Producer Promotes Social Activism Through Advertising

President Liz Magill, Dean Erika James, and Wharton’s Future of Pedagogy

How Women in Data Science Rise to the Top

Lessons Learned from a Fireside Chat with LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

Statistics and Data Science

A key challenge facing managers is the interpretation of the vast amount of data generated by computing systems. As these data do not directly answer important business questions, data analysis and statistics must be used to interpret them. Statistics courses develop the skills and insights required to make effective use of quantitative methods. They provide the knowledge needed to select and apply techniques and to communicate statistical results. All courses provide skills that augment substantive managerial abilities, along with exposure to computer software that implements key techniques.

The concentration consists of four elective courses beyond the Business Fundamental requirement of two courses.

Concentration Advisor

• Prof. Abraham Wyner (448 JMHH, 215.898.2439)

Related Links

• Department of Statistics and Data Science Website
• Course Requirements

What type of student is this concentration a good fit for?

Statistics concentrators should be very good with numbers/mathematics. A stat concentrator does not need computer experience, but he/she will need to acquire it and, at a minimum, should be interested in obtaining programming skills.

What skills or essential knowledge will a student gain from this concentration?

Obviously, a stat concentrator will learn to extract information from data to help solve problems. Concentrators can focus on data science with a little theory or vice versa. Students may wish to learn only to be able to manage and communicate with data science teams. Alternatively, they may want to be data scientist themselves. A Stat concentration is great preparation for graduate school.

What other resources/experiences can help determine if this concentration is the right fit?

A student who completes the core courses in statistics and enjoys them will be a good fit. A data management/programming course in OID or CIS can be a helpful indicator as well.

Are there other concentrations or upper-level courses in other departments that would pair well with this concentration?

Historically, a finance concentration paired well with statistics in preparation for a career as a quantitative analyst. Today, data scientists are being hired all over. Operations, Information and Decisions (OID) is a natural pairing, but really any field is fine.

Student Profile: Jake Stamell

I chose stat because I really enjoy math and quantitative classes in general.

What was your favorite course in this concentration and why?

STAT 4760: Applied Probability Models in Marketing – It was a very well taught class that introduced a new way of looking at statistics. Additionally, the applied focus was really interesting for learning how you can actually use the skills from class

What course did you choose to take first in this concentration and why?

I first took STAT 4300: Probability because it’s the prerequisite for everything.

What advice would you give to a student who is considering this concentration?

Try STAT 4300 first and see if you like it, as it’s a great intro to probability and statistics.

What concentration-related skills have you used during internships or other work experiences?

None directly, though the way of approaching problems has been helpful.

Ph.D. in Statistical Science

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 24
• Students: 60
• Students receiving Financial Aid: Yes
• Part time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadline: December 14

Merlise Clyde Director of Graduate Studies Department of Statistical Science Duke University Box 90251 Durham, NC 27708-0251 Phone: (919) 684-8029

Contact: Director of Graduate Studies (for PhD) [email protected]

PhD Program: https://stat.duke.edu/phd

Program Description

The Ph.D. in Statistical Science offers thorough preparation in the foundations theory and methods of statistical science--emphasizing modern, stochastic model-based statistical science, and Bayesian and classical approaches to inference, predictive modeling, advanced computational statistics and interdisciplinary applications. Students work with some of the world leaders in research in Bayesian statistics, methodology of statistical science, statistical computing, machine learning and data science, and applications in many fields. Our Ph.D. graduates are strongly recruited for positions in leading academic departments and centers, as well as research positions in business, industry and government.

A hallmark of all Statistical Science programs is the integration of interdisciplinary applications into teaching and research at all levels, reflecting the department's broad and deep working relationships with many other disciplines (biomedical sciences, business, computational and data sciences, economics and finance, engineering sciences, environmental sciences, genomics and system biology, political and policy sciences, and others). The rich opportunities for students in interdisciplinary statistical research at Duke are complemented by departmental interconnections with industrial research laboratories, government agencies, and commercial and non-profit organizations both nationwide and worldwide.  These lead to opportunities for research travel and regular student internships, as well as follow-on research careers.  In addition, students have opportunities for collaborative research experiences at the US National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) on a regular basis.

• Statistical Science: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Statistical Science: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Statistical Science: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Statistical Science: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadline: December 14

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores: GRE General Required
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Writing Sample None required

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying:  Departmental Application Guidance (Ph.D.)

List of Graduate School Programs and Degrees

• Remember me Not recommended on shared computers

Forgot your password?

• Mathematics and Statistics

Fall 2023 Statistics/Biostatistics Applicants Thread

By biostat_student4 December 20, 2022 in Mathematics and Statistics

Recommended Posts

thermoflask101

2 hours ago, conflitz said: Which email address did you contact? They usually don't respond when I email them.

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

• Replies 186
• Created 1 yr
• Last Reply 1 yr

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular days.

biostat_student4 41 posts

prgp 13 posts

thermoflask101 9 posts

LWAN 7 posts

Feb 21 2023

Dec 29 2022

Jan 14 2023

Popular Posts

Randomwalker.

January 27, 2023

Also received an acceptance this morning from UC Irvine after an interview on 1/23. I was told they are aiming for a cohort size of 10-12, so maybe other rounds are coming later? It seems like their y

December 26, 2022

I heard back from two schools so far (I applied to PhD programs in Biostatistics/Mathematical Biology/Quant Bio/Statistics). UNC--CH (Biostats PhD) directly sent an offer of admission on 12/22--

January 9, 2023

Hi, I also received the interview from Rice. I agree with your feeling. I did neuroimaging in my previous research, and the two interviewers both do neuroimaging. One of them come from MD Anderson.

biostat_student4

On 3/1/2023 at 10:37 PM, thermoflask101 said: I just emailed Wharton's doctoral program, and they said the committee meets late February and early March, with a final decision deadline of late March. Where did you get this (above) information?

Are you sure you are talking about Upenn (Wharton) PhD Statistics program? Several of my friends have received offers as well as rejections. UPenn Statistics never does so late (this year was expection) while releasing the first (or, only) round of offers. It mostly came around last week of Jan during last two years at least. I'm not sure if the person whom you mailed is saying about second round of offers or some other program, but not Statistics.

1 hour ago, biostat_student4 said: Are you sure you are talking about Upenn (Wharton) PhD Statistics program? Several of my friends have received offers as well as rejections. UPenn Statistics never does so late (this year was expection) while releasing the first (or, only) round of offers. It mostly came around last week of Jan during last two years at least. I'm not sure if the person whom you mailed is saying about second round of offers or some other program, but not Statistics.

Huh, strange. I'm a domestic student if that makes a difference, but I still have yet to receive an update on my application - that is, I don't see a 'decision' under my online application. 

dirichletprior

@thermoflask101  To my understanding, if you have not already received a decision then you are on an unofficial waitlist. I am in the same boat–no decision yet.

1 hour ago, dirichletprior said: @thermoflask101  To my understanding, if you have not already received a decision then you are on an unofficial waitlist. I am in the same boat–no decision yet.

I see. Have you heard back anything from Columbia PhD Stats? I don't know if first round offers have been given yet for that.

5 hours ago, thermoflask101 said: Huh, strange. I'm a domestic student if that makes a difference, but I still have yet to receive an update on my application - that is, I don't see a 'decision' under my online application. 

Yes, that may be the distinction. Most of the people I know getting offers/rejects are international.

3 hours ago, thermoflask101 said: I see. Have you heard back anything from Columbia PhD Stats? I don't know if first round offers have been given yet for that.

As far as I know, they have not released decisions yet.

On 3/3/2023 at 4:50 PM, thermoflask101 said: I see. Have you heard back anything from Columbia PhD Stats? I don't know if first round offers have been given yet for that.

I have not. I know that they have sent out some interview invites, although it is unclear whether they interview all applicants or only international ones.

• FrickinPolisci

has anyone received an invitation to visitation day at UCLA? Does that mean we are going to receive an offer or have they sent it out to everyone? (Applied to phd in stats).

1 hour ago, FrickinPolisci said: Hi!   has anyone received an invitation to visitation day at UCLA? Does that mean we are going to receive an offer or have they sent it out to everyone? (Applied to phd in stats).

1st round offers and visitation day (which is remote, I believe) have been sent out. 2nd round offers should be coming out in mid-march.

They told me that if you don't here back from them, than probably don't expect an offer from them.

Do most second round offers come out in mid-march?

On 3/3/2023 at 6:49 AM, thermoflask101 said: Huh, strange. I'm a domestic student if that makes a difference, but I still have yet to receive an update on my application - that is, I don't see a 'decision' under my online application. 

I'm also a domestic student and I received by decision in mid February. Not sure about others.

On 3/5/2023 at 1:03 PM, FrickinPolisci said: Hi!   has anyone received an invitation to visitation day at UCLA? Does that mean we are going to receive an offer or have they sent it out to everyone? (Applied to phd in stats).

I got the invitation to visit day and then checked my spam folder and found the admit email there. Maybe the same for you! If so, congratulations!

Does anyone know whether UNC-Chapel Hill, U of Wisconsin, Michigan (Ann Arbor), and Minnesota gave out all their admissions? I haven't heard anything from them and only saw 1 or 2 admission results for each university.  They are all for Statistics Ph.D.

does anyone know how long is uthealth biostat program waitlist?

20 hours ago, PhysicsKid said: I'm also a domestic student and I received by decision in mid February. Not sure about others. I got the invitation to visit day and then checked my spam folder and found the admit email there. Maybe the same for you! If so, congratulations!

Just to clarify, this was your experience as part of the 2021 fall cycle, right? Based on this year's website info, it appears that the graduate committee for Wharton is meeting late Feb and early March, so decisions realistically aren't going to be released for another week.

1 hour ago, thermoflask101 said: Just to clarify, this was your experience as part of the 2021 fall cycle, right? Based on this year's website info, it appears that the graduate committee for Wharton is meeting late Feb and early March, so decisions realistically aren't going to be released for another week.

Hi! Sorry for the confusion. I applied to Masters programs in 2021 and PhDs this cycle. I got my Wharton Statistics PhD decision in mid-February and it seems based on the results section of theGradCafe that other decisions were sent out around then as well. 

I can also confirm that some Columbia Stats PhD decisions came out today.

On 3/2/2023 at 4:00 AM, prgp said: From UCLA: "Thanks for reaching out. I can tell you that the first round of admission offers have gone out this week. If you do not hear from us by mid-March, it is likely you will not be offered admission. However, we will send everyone notice at some point once the 23-24 cohort is finalized and admission is officially closed. Thank you for your patience." Good luck to everyone that applied to the UCLA Statistics PH.D. 

I also sent an email to ask the committe, but did not get reply.  It looks like ucla is hiring a lot less this year

1 hour ago, Alison123 said: I also sent an email to ask the committe, but did not get reply.  It looks like ucla is hiring a lot less this year

Yup.. the UC strikes increased pay but lower the number of students admitted.

explodingpineapple

Are there any other applicants to Canadian universities for the MSc Statistics? I'm talking about UBC and UofT in particular. I've been accepted to Waterloo over a month ago.

5 hours ago, explodingpineapple said: Are there any other applicants to Canadian universities for the MSc Statistics? I'm talking about UBC and UofT in particular. I've been accepted to Waterloo over a month ago.

heyy was there an interview for waterloo? My boyfriend applied to waterloo, UBC, UofT and haven't heard back from any of them yet. For UofT I think they will have the first wave of offers next friday (based on info from previous years)

Just now, zcx189 said: heyy was there an interview for waterloo? My boyfriend applied to waterloo, UBC, UofT and haven't heard back from any of them yet. For UofT I think they will have the first wave of offers next friday (based on info from previous years)

I meant biostatistics in particular for UofT, not sure about statistics

Anyone who interviewed for MD Anderson Biostats hear back yet?

3 hours ago, zcx189 said: heyy was there an interview for waterloo? My boyfriend applied to waterloo, UBC, UofT and haven't heard back from any of them yet. For UofT I think they will have the first wave of offers next friday (based on info from previous years)

I had no interview for Waterloo. Note that I applied to regular Statistics and not Biostatistics.

Also, thanks for the information.

I should add that I'm a Canadian applicant and not and international applicant, if that makes any difference.

57 minutes ago, explodingpineapple said: I had no interview for Waterloo. Note that I applied to regular Statistics and not Biostatistics. Also, thanks for the information. I should add that I'm a Canadian applicant and not and international applicant, if that makes any difference.

Thank you, that makes sense. My boyfriend is an international applicant and I also know another international applicant. Both of them have not heard back from waterloo yet. This explains!

Anyone from Colorado State University knows what is going on with the statistics department? They used to send out offers in January or February. When I emailed them in January, they said that they have already started reviewing applications in the middle of January. But this week they told me that they are still reviewing. I wonder if it is because of the funding that takes them so long or maybe other reasons. 

Has anyone heard from Tulane biostat?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Already have an account? Sign in here.

• Existing user? Sign In
• Online Users
• All Activity
• My Activity Streams
• Unread Content
• Content I Started
• Results Search
• Post Results
• Leaderboard
• Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use

• UNC Libraries
• Subject Research
• KFBS Resources for Grad Students
• Business Data & Statistics

KFBS Resources for Grad Students: Business Data & Statistics

• KFBS Specific Resources
• Find Jounal Articles

General Sources for Data (Start Here)

Wharton research data services, state & local data, market data & mapping (demographics, spending, and/or psychographics), international data (demographics and consumer spending), international data sources, company & financial data, mergers and acquisitions, financial markets data (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, indices), data & statistics for international trade, specialized data centers & sites.

• Public Company Information
• Private Company Information
• Find Current U.S. News Stories
• Find Historic U.S. News Stories
• Fun Resources
• Sage Data Access data on economics, crime, health, population, energy, the environment, and more in a single interface. Manipulate data; create charts, graphs, tables, maps. Data come from U.S. and international sources. For help, see the user guide . more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• ICPSR Computer readable social science data. Areas covered include: population, economics, education, health, social and political behavior, social and political attitudes, history, crime, aging, and substance abuse. Individual registration and adherence to responsible use statement are required. Note: Off-campus access available if individual's account is created on campus or while authenticated. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies
• Statista Contains statistics, infographics, industry and market research reports and publicly-available data for over 25 countries on all topics. Download statistics and charts in Excel, PowerPoint, or PDF. Note: UNC Chapel Hill currently has full access to Statista with the exception of the Global Consumer Survey and Market Studies. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• data.census.gov Data.census.gov is the primary way to access data from most U.S. Census Bureau surveys and programs. Search for data tables from the American Community Survey, Decennial Census, Economics Census, annual Population Estimates, annual economic surveys, and more. Visit the Census Academy site to learn more about using this tool. more... less... Access: No restrictions. Coverage: Varies
• Social Explorer Provides web-based access to United States Census data from 1790 to the present, and to other U.S. and international data, with the ability to make tables and interactive maps easily or export data for analysis. Data include the most commonly used variables and geographies. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Statistical Abstract of the United States An authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. North Carolina residents with a borrower's card may access from off campus by visiting NCLive directly. Contact the Davis Library Service Desk for the NCLive password. Coverage: 2013 - Present

Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) is the access platform for a large collection of databases for business data and statistics. See Guide to Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) for more information.

• LINC (Log Into North Carolina) Provides NC statistical data in these broad areas: Population and Housing, Vital Statistics and Health, Social and Human Services, Law Enforcement, Courts, and Corrections, Environment, Recreation, and Resources, Energy and Utilities, Government, Employment and Income, Business and Industry, Agriculture & Transportation. This resource indexes over 1300 data items from state and federal agencies. It accesses historical data and projections, 1960s to 2030. Customized report capabilities and pre-formatted topic reports, including census profiles, are available. (Source: Vendor website) more... less... Access: No restrictions.
• NC LEAD NC Labor Economic Analysis Division. Demographic profiles of North Carolina counties. Reports on the state of various industries in North Carolina, Comparison of North Carolina to the other states on basic demographic, infrastructure and business climate measures.
• Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is focused on recruiting new businesses to the state, supporting the needs of existing businesses, connecting exporters to global customers, helping small business owners get their start, and attracting tourists and visitors from all over the world.
• County Business Patterns An annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. The series is useful for studying the economic activity of small areas; analyzing economic changes over time; and as a benchmark for statistical series, surveys, and databases between economic censuses. Businesses use the data for analyzing market potential, measuring the effectiveness of sales and advertising programs, setting sales quotas, and developing budgets. (source Census website)
• Business Formation Statistics (Census) BFS data cover Employer Identification Number (EIN) applications made in the United States, including those associated with starting a new employer business. EINs are IDs used by business entities for tax purposes. In addition, BFS also provide information on actual and projected employer business formations originating from the EIN applications. Data are available at the national, regional, state, and county level. Data are also available by 2-digit NAICS industry sector at the national level.
• North Carolina's Official Labor Market Data Source Provides county demographics, county labor and occupations data (including average wages), costs for buildings and sites, and more. From the NC Dept. of Commerce.
• SimplyAnalytics Create maps, tables, and rankings from over 30,000 demographic, consumer spending, and psychographic variables. Covers the U.S. from states to neighborhood levels. Create your own optional account to save your searches and favorite variables and locations. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Statista Provides statistics and survey results targeting business customers, faculty, and researchers. Includes statistics on economies, markets, and industries. Contains over one million statistics on more than 80,000 topics, covering 170 industries. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Census Narrative Profiles (current demographics) Covers social, economic, housing and demographic data. Use "Place" for cities. From the American Community Survey.
• Census: demographic subject links Provides subject links to demographic tables from the American Community Survey. Use "Customize Table" to specify your geographies.
• NC Dept of Commerce: area profiles and mapping (tapestries) Provides demographic and market profiles of locations with North Carolina.
• Esri Business Analyst Online Access demographic, business, and consumer data for market analysis, including consumer lifestyle and buying behavior. Note: To use Business Analyst Online, you will need to create an Organizational ArcGIS Online Account. To create an account: 1. "Sign in" 2. "Your ArcGIS organization's URL" (under ArcGIS login): unc.maps.arcgis.com 3. Click "Continue" then "UNC Chapel Hill SSO" 4. Sign in with your Onyen For help creating an account or accessing Business Analyst, please contact one of our librarians . more... less... Access: Students, faculty, staff and other UNC-Chapel Hill affiliates can access Business Analyst on or off campus using their Organizational ArcGIS Online Account.
• PolicyMap Create maps and tables from U.S. demographic and economic data. Does not include psychographics. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Euromonitor Passport Provides reports and marketing data on countries, companies, markets, consumers, and cities from over 200 countries. Offers a single gateway to business intelligence on industries, countries and consumers. Focuses on consumer-oriented industries. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies. Most data for past few years, some back to 1977.
• GlobalData Intelligence Reports provide analysis, forecasts, news, and data for consumer industries such as suppliers, manufacturers and distribution channels, consumer insights and trends, company market share, pricing, and more. Search the Product Launch Analytics database by brand and product name, manufacturer, product category, health claim, flavor, ingredient and more. Note: From login screen, select “IP Access” to access database. Then select “Consumer” in the “Access Your Subscriptions” menu. more... less... Access: Students, faculty, and staff or AHEC users affiliated with UNC-CH with an AHEC Digital Library account may access from on- or off-campus, but must ALWAYS authenticate, EVEN when on-campus.
• Sage Data Provides statistics on international markets of all sorts. For help, see the user guide . more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Simmons Insights Data on adult U.S. consumers includes attitudes and behaviors, media use, and buying habits. Demographic and psychographic data. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Data Axle Reference Solutions Use Consumers/Lifestyles data set for market research and customer discovery. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. North Carolina residents with a borrower's card may access from off campus by visiting NCLive directly. Contact the Davis Library Service Desk for the NCLive password (instructions) . Coverage: Current information only
• Euromonitor Passport Provides detailed data and reports for international and consumer industries, including historic data from 1997 and market forecasts. Reports include market size, company and brand profiles and market share. Consumer information includes population trends, lifestyles, buying behavior. Export data into Excel. Great for international business. Note: You will be asked to login. UNC affiliates only – no walk in access allowed. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies. Most data for past few years, some back to 1977.
• World DataBank Offers an analysis and visualization tool of economic, social and environmental indicators. Contains collections of time series data on a variety of topics. Users can create queries, generate tables, charts, and maps, and easily save, embed, and share them. more... less... Compilation of several World Bank data sources: World Development Indicators, Global Development Finance, Gender Statistics, Education Statistics, Africa Development Indicators, and more.
• UNdata Provides simultaneous access to 14 statistical databases from the United Nations and other international organizations through one interface. Areas of coverage include agriculture, education, energy, industry, labor, national accounts, population, tourism and trade. Includes Millennium Development Goals indicators, and UN Key Global Indicators. more... less... Access: No restrictions.
• International Monetary Fund Data Provides IMF data from International Financial Statistics, World Economic Outlook, and many other datasets. The IMF provides technical assistance and training on critical economic issues to central banks, finance ministries, tax authorities, and other economic institutions.
• ABI/INFORM Collection Articles from academic journals, trade publications, market and industry research reports, general business magazines. Topics covered include leadership, management, economics, banking, finance, accounting, international business and economics. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Coverage varies. Some academic journals start in the 1800s, and some newspapers start in the early 1900s. Language: Primarily English. Over 20 languages total.
• China Data Online Economic and demographic statistics about contemporary China on a monthly and/or yearly basis. Geographies include national, provicinial, county, and city levels. Note: UNC-Chapel Hill subscribes only to the China Statistics. China census data is not included in this subscription. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies, generally from mid-1990s to present

Need to download and analyze large sets of company or financial data? Start here.

• LSEG Workspace Source for information on publicly traded U.S. and international companies: summary financial data with links to company filings, key ratios actual and forward estimates, stock pricing data, key corporate events, officers and directors, analyst rating, and analyst "Aftermarket" reports (formerly Investext). Aftermarket Reports contain full-text industry and company reports written by investment bank analysts. More than 1.2 million reports available back to 1982. NOTE: Users must first self-register with their UNC email for a user account before accessing this resource. Please consult: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/go65062420 for detailed directions on self-registering for a user account. User must always authenticate, even when on campus. Please contact David Ernsthausen with any questions. more... less... Access: Student, Faculty and Staff with current UNC status, and an email ending with one of the following email domains: @unc.edu, @kenan-flagler.unc.edu, or @email.unc.edu, may set up a user account and access from on- or off-campus, but must ALWAYS authenticate, EVEN when on-campus. Please consult: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/go65062420 for detailed directions on self-registering for a user account.
• Eikon Provides daily pricing, volume, and performance information on equities, market stock and bond indices, macroeconomic data series, foreign exchange rates, daily and weekly interest rates, fixed income instruments, financial and commodity futures and options contracts. Time coverage varies, but many series are available in daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual intervals for up to 10 years or longer. more... less... Access: On Campus only. Available by contacting Nancy Lovas for assistance with access at: [email protected] . No off campus access. Coverage: Varies; some major data series start in the 1950s. Updated daily.
• Capital IQ (Kenan-Flagler ONLY) Capital IQ allows users to search for and screen for information on companies including in-depth financial information on publicly traded companies, information on investment firms, biographical information on corporate professionals, and transactions in both the public and private capital markets by a very wide range of company identification data, financial statement data, executive’s biographical characteristics, and deal or transaction specifics. (Source Vendor Web site) Information can be exported to Excel. SPECIAL NOTE: Because of licensing restrictions: Access to Capital IQ is restricted to current faculty, staff, and students of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. more... less... Users MUST use their @kenan-flagler.unc.edu email address when requesting an account. Users MUST access through UNC Kenan-Flagler Research Tools & Library Resources web page. DO NOT bookmark the S&P Capital IQ login page. Users will be required to enter their UNC onyen from both on-campus and off-campus. Then users will be able to enter their Capital IQ user id and password. If you have any questions please contact David Ernsthausen.

To fill out an on-line account request form go to https://wrds-www.wharton.upenn.edu/ and click on the “Register” tab in the upper right portion of the screen.

UNC-CH users with additional password

• Factset Real-time analytics, research, and market data. Special Note: Because of License Restrictions , FactSet access is limited to computers in the Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Capital Markets Lab (room 2550) in the McColl Building. more... less... UNC Kenan-Flagler Capital Markets Lab
• Factiva Contains major global newspapers, business newspapers and magazines, trade and industry journals, prominent newswires, and network broadcast transcripts. In the Companies/Markets tab, there are global company reports, limited industry reports, and market data. The results pages allow robust filtering, and there is live chat help. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Varies. 9,000 sources are updated on the day of publication. Language: Primarily English. Over 20 languages total.
• Value Line Research Center Source for investment research covering thousands of stocks, mutual funds, daily options, and convertible issues. The Value Line Investment Survey ranks stocks on many metrics and includes historical and projected prices, financials, and a quarterly analyst opinion. The Investment Education section includes a glossary, and the Value Line University introduces basics of investment, analysis, and the stock market. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Most recent 3 years of quarterly reports.
• Osiris Contains information on over 110,000 publicly traded companies, banks, and insurance companies from around the world, including financial statement data. Provides ownership, subsidiaries, earnings estimates, stock data. Report formats reflect accounting procedures in the major world regions. Note: This resource does not currently work with Chrome browser more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: 1996 - present
• CB Insights Provides information and independent analysis of private companies in a wide range of industries. A special focus on the financing, and mergers and acquisitions of these companies through private investors and venture capital and private equity firms. Note: Users must register an account with a UNC email address. Contact Kenan Flagler Library Research Services at [email protected] with questions. more... less... Access: Students, faculty, and staff or AHEC users affiliated with UNC-CH with an AHEC Digital Library account may access from on- or off-campus, but must ALWAYS authenticate, EVEN when on-campus.
• VitalLaw (CCH IntelliConnect) Provides comprehensive federal and state tax information, including tax codes, regulations, court cases, IRS publications, editorial commentary and explanation. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Zephyr Covers mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, private equity, and venture capital deals and rumors. Global coverage includes European deals from 1997, North American deals from 2000, and Other Global Areas deals from 2003. Search by deal elements such as deal type, geography, industry, company financials, and multiples. Analyze deals in tables and graphs. Note: This resource does not currently work with Chrome browser Note: Disable pop-up blockers to use this resource. more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users.
• Global New Issues: information on new issues of stock by public companies as well as information on Initial Public Offerings by previously private companies. For U.S. and non U.S. companies.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Joint Ventures, and Repurchases: information on U.S and Non U.S. deals.
• VentureXpert: venture capital funding information. at the firm, fund and portfolio company level.
• Corporate Restructuring: Full details on U.S bankruptcies from 1988 to the present and Limited information on Bankruptcies from 1980 to 1990. Also information on Exchange offers for U.S. companies.
• Corporate Governance: information on Poison Pills U.S. companies may have but not on Proxy Fights.
• Global Public Finance: information on bonds issued by states, cities, towns, and other subnational issuers.
• The Deal (Kenan-Flagler ONLY) A transaction information service: follow M&A, pre-auction offerings, private equity transactions, distressed debt opportunities and more. UNC Kenan-Flagler users only Special Note: As part of our subscription users may receive any number of daily, weekly and customized newsletters based on their focus area. Once you have your password; just go to set up to make your selections. Email David Ernsthausen with your requests for an account.

Access through a Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) account.

Special Note: WRDS accounts will only be generated for current faculty, currently enrolled students (Ph.D., masters, and undergraduate), and selected current staff of UNC-Chapel Hill.

• Bloomberg Professional (Kenan-Flagler ONLY) This database provides access to current (real time ) and historical (about 20 years) of financial, economic, and political news and information covering all sectors of the world’s economy. Special Note: Because of License Restrictions, Bloomberg access is limited to several computers in the Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Capital Markets Lab (room 2550) in the McColl Building and on 1 computer in the Technology Center (room 1130) on the 1st floor also in the McColl Building.

CRSP Indicies is accessed through a Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) account.

• Penn World Tables PWT version 10.0 is a database with information on relative levels of income, output, input and productivity, covering 183 countries between 1950 and 2019.
• ABI/INFORM Collection Includes spreadsheets from Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Country Data, which provides up to 370 variables for G20 countries, 1982-present, updated monthly. Use the Browse option to find these, and then change the sort to "Most recent". more... less... Access: Off Campus Access is available for: UNC-Chapel Hill students, faculty, and staff; UNC Hospitals employees; UNC-Chapel Hill affiliated AHEC users. Coverage: Coverage varies. Some academic journals start in the 1800s, and some newspapers start in the early 1900s. Language: Primarily English. Over 20 languages total.
• Odum Institute Research & data center providing support for social science research. Online help & consultations available for: proposals, Qualtrics, survey research, qualitative research, quantitative research, data management, and more. Maintains UNC Dataverse repository.
• Triangle Research Data Center Part of the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC) program. Under this program, the Census Bureau and other agencies allows researchers with approved proposals to perform statistical analysis on non-public microdata from a variety of statistical agencies to address important research questions.
• Carolina Population Center Six focus areas: Aging in Diverse Contexts; Inequality, Mobility, and Well-being; Links Between Health and Social and Economic Productivity; Measurement and Methods; Population, Health and Environment; and Sexuality, Reproduction, Fertility, and Families.
• Carolina Population Center Data Portal Data collected by the Carolina Population Center and available to the research community.

Guides to Data & Statistics

• How to Cite Data The purpose of citations is to enable others to find the same sources you used. Data are like any other source and should be cited in your bibliography and your writing.
• Guide to ICPSR Information about how to download political and social science data sets.
• Census Data Resources Guide to (mostly online) resources for manipulating and extracting Census data.

Guides for Health Data & Statistics

• Health Data & Statistics Frequently used health data and statistics web sites for North Carolina, United States, and Global.
• Global Health Data From UNC's Health Sciences Library

Strategy for Finding Data & Statistics

• Strategy for Finding Statistics & Data (Accessible Version) Suggested strategies and questions to ask as you search for statistics and data for your projects.

• << Previous: Find Jounal Articles
• Next: Public Company Information >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 5:29 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/kfbs-grad

Search & Find

• E-Research by Discipline
• More Search & Find

Places & Spaces

• Places to Study
• Book a Study Room
• Printers, Scanners, & Computers
• More Places & Spaces
• Borrowing & Circulation
• Request a Title for Purchase
• Schedule Instruction Session
• More Services

Support & Guides

• Course Reserves
• Research Guides
• Citing & Writing
• More Support & Guides
• Mission Statement
• Diversity Statement
• Staff Directory
• Job Opportunities
• Give to the Libraries
• News & Exhibits
• Reckoning Initiative
• More About Us

• Search This Site
• Privacy Policy
• Accessibility
• Give Us Your Feedback
• 208 Raleigh Street CB #3916
• Chapel Hill, NC 27515-8890
• 919-962-1053

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online
• Global Youth News

Spark Investments, Bergen County Academies, New Jersey, Brings the Heat to the 2024 Investment Competition Global Finale

Share Article:

The abiding theme for the annual Wharton Global High School Investment Competition might well be: You can achieve growth through many paths .

That sentiment was surely on display on Saturday, April 20, 2024, as this year’s top 11 investment competition teams gathered on the 8 th floor of the Wharton School’s Jon M. Huntsman Hall in Philadelphia to dazzle family, friends, teachers and judges with their unique investment strategies, team dynamics and new investing knowledge. It was a celebration of growth, reflected in a mosaic of portfolio numbers, stock -filtering algorithms, and powerful teamwork.

Following 11 presentations from teams representing the U.S., India, China and Canada, and some deep deliberation from the judges, Wharton Global Youth Program Senior Executive Director Eli Lesser, announced this year’s top three teams.

The 2023-2024 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition winners are:

🏆 1st Place : Spark Investments, Bergen County Academies, New Jersey, U.S.

🏆 2nd Place : Wreckers Wealth Management , Staples High School, Connecticut, U.S.

🏆 3rd Place : DMV’s Finest, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia, U.S.

Each member of Spark’s winning team will receive a scholarship to a Wharton Global Youth online program. In addition, one team from their Bergen County Academies will automatically advance to next year’s semifinals (as long as they submit all the deliverables) to defend the school’s crown. All finalist teams received trophies, as well as special plaques for the top three teams.

Strategic Excellence

The 2023-2024 competition client Hilary Ash , around whom the competing student teams built their goal-driven investment strategies, traveled from her home in San Francisco to participate in the Global Finale festivities. “Congratulations to all of you because what you have done is incredibly impressive,” said Ash, a 2013 graduate of the Wharton School who is now part of the team preparing for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games . “Thank you for putting so much time and effort into this competition …I hope that you continue to apply this level of effort to everything that you do.”

The level of excellence among the competition finalists was a consistent narrative from all the day’s guests, particularly the judging panel of industry professionals.

This year’s judges included: Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence; Vikas Keswani (W’03), managing director and head of North American specialty lending, HPS Investment Partners; Zoe McCormick, senior investment manager , North American fixed income, abrdn; and Muk Rao (C’94, GSE’97), product manager and architect, Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS).

“We were very, very impressed with the quality of the work,” noted Keswani. “Everyone put a lot of thoughtful pieces of analysis into [your presentations], whether it was efficient frontier, cross correlations, diversification or portfolio theory. We enjoyed that. In some cases, there was a lot of it. And in some cases, there was a little bit of it, but a lot of depth and accuracy. That is one of the things that in my mind differentiated better performances.”

Balchunus praised the teams’  “next level” use of algorithms and machine learning in their strategy designs, while urging them (as investment advisors) to consider behavioral finance and their clients’ emotions during a market downturn. Also with the retail client in mind, McCormick added, “When analyzing someone’s investments, take a look at this person holistically” and consider their total financial picture.

Rao, a long-time fixture on the Global Finale judging panel, summed up the judges’ thoughts: “If you all pursue the other things you love in your life with the same passion, the same honesty, the same rigor, you can do just about anything.”

You Ready to Compete?

Registration for the 2024-2025 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition begins in June 2024. What will next year bring? As always, a robust financial learning opportunity for an ever-expanding global cohort of earnest young investors – who gain so much more than stock market skills.

The Wharton Global Youth team is doing some reimagining of our signature competition, so be sure to stay tuned for more information in our Global Youth  newsletter  and on the  Wharton Global Youth Program website .

Need some inspiration? Winning team Spark Investments says it all with their tagline: Ignite the flame for your financial future . “Students should compete in this competition, especially those who have been in business classes before, as a great opportunity to apply your class knowledge in a real-world setting,” said Chloe C., director of business development and client relations for her team. “It’s inspiring to be alongside peers who are all striving toward the same goal.”

Related Articles

Chicago seminar snapshot: meet economics educator kimberly davis, 5 ways for educators to engage with the wharton global youth program in 2020.

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

PhD Students

Department of Statistics and Data Science

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Academic Research Building 265 South 37th Street, 3rd & 4th Floors Philadelphia, PA 19104-1686

Phone: (215) 898-8222

Faculty Q&A: Sameer Deshpande on the present and future of sports analytics

In recent decades, sports has become an increasingly popular domain for applying advanced statistical techniques. The world of sports analytics has exploded, and its takeoff was just beginning as Assistant Professor Sameer Deshpande was starting his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

What began as a class project assessing NBA player performance sparked Deshpande’s interest in using statistical modeling to evaluate decisions and outcomes in sports. He has since pursued a research focus in sports analytics, including explorations of baseball, basketball, and football. He has conducted this work as an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics since 2021.

Deshpande sat down to discuss his background and entry into the sports analytics field, insights from studies on baseball decision-making and football’s health risks, and promising analytical frontiers like leveraging player tracking data. He also reflected on the collaborative environment at UW-Madison that has empowered him to do impactful, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of sports and statistics. The following conversation has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Talk a bit about your background before coming to UW-Madison. What led you to join the faculty in the Department of Statistics here?

I knew from the time I started my undergraduate degree that I wanted to go to graduate school and be a professor. I started as a mathematics major at MIT, doing a lot of pure math. Gradually, I gravitated toward statistics because I realized I was very happy as a consumer of mathematics, but maybe not so much as a producer.

I really started my training in statistics in graduate school, largely from the ground up as I worked toward a PhD. I also found a research focus in Bayesian statistics and laid a nice foundation for future research during this time.

Fast forward to 2020, and I had completed my PhD at Wharton and was wrapping up a postdoctoral research role. I saw UW-Madison had an opening, but I didn’t know where Madison was. I applied, and the people were a big selling point right off the bat. During the interview process, I had such lovely interactions with everybody and it just seemed like a really nice place to live and to work. And that’s borne out.

One of your research interests is sports analytics, or using statistical methods to analyze sports-related data. What sparked your interest in this area?

I’ve always been a sports fan, and when I was an undergraduate, sports analytics were just starting to permeate the broader culture. When I started graduate school, I thought it would be fun to do some deeper analysis of sports data. Abraham Wyner and Shane Jensen were working in this area and showed me what academic sports analytics research looked like. They both became very influential in my career.

One of my first research projects was inspired by Dr. Jensen who had written a paper assessing how we rate hockey players and adjust statistically for the fact that some players have very good teammates. This idea is now known as adjusted plus/minus (+/-).

Looking at NBA data, the project allowed us to understand that not only do we have to assess performance vis-à-vis who you’re playing with, but we also have to account for the context in which you’re playing. For instance, if you’re scoring a lot of points toward the end of a 30-point blowout, it doesn’t matter as much, because the game has been decided. So we had to do adjusted +/- on a particular scale that accounted for context. This project got me excited about working with sports data, and it also introduced me to Bayesian statistics, which is an approach I’ve used heavily in my career ever since.

Not only do we have to assess performance vis-à-vis who you’re playing with, but we also have to account for the context in which you’re playing.

You’ve also looked at plate discipline in baseball and developed a way to statistically evaluate which pitches batters should swing at and which they should not. Can you explain what you found there?

A lot of times, we evaluate decisions based on the result, like when the Seahawks passed the ball instead of running it at the end of the 2015 Super Bowl. In baseball, if a batter hits a home run, in retrospect it seems like swinging at the pitch was always the right choice in that situation. But was it? It’s difficult to say, because there are many possible paths an at-bat can take. A player can swing and miss, hit a pop fly, ground out, or foul it off, in play or out of play.

Our work tried to do a full probabilistic treatment of the different paths that an at-bat can follow in order to determine whether swinging at a given pitch increases a team’s run expectancy. We considered a lot of different variables in our models. For instance, we’d assume a 3-2 pitch at the bottom of the 7th inning with two runners on and trailing by 5 if the pitch was thrown down and away. In addition, we needed to quantify the uncertainties inherent in a baseball game, and our Bayesian treatment allowed us to do this neatly.

Let’s talk about football. Can you talk more about the work you’ve done looking at the effects of youth sports on health later in life?

Sure. Some colleagues and I did a large study a few years ago using data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) , a project at UW-Madison that followed 10,317 men and women who graduated from Wisconsin high schools in the 1950s. It tracked all kinds of data, including whether they played youth football. They also had regular follow-ups to evaluate mental and physical health.

What we found in this big observational study was that when you controlled for lots of background variables, the people who played football were about as healthy as the people who didn’t. This was kind of surprising to us, because we thought we would find evidence that any amount of participation is dangerous.

This study launched a multi-year effort, and now we have multiple studies that followed up on this, using a similar approach across different sports. In all of them, we’re trying to figure out, ‘Is there a detectable difference in health outcomes?’ To date, we haven’t found anything in the directions people are expecting. We’re not identifying a large average negative impact.

At the same time, I tend to think that any sport with repetitive head trauma can hardly be considered safe, even if we aren’t seeing large population-level effects in our analysis. There is still a lot more work to be done in this area.

Is there an area of sports analytics that is currently especially exciting or promising to you?

There’s a lot of real-time tracking data across different sports coming in now that we haven’t had before, and that’s incredibly exciting, but often researchers have a hard time accessing it. I think there is a real opportunity for sports leagues to work with academic researchers to allow us to access the data so we can work with them synergistically. People are spending all this money to collect this new data, and it would be a wasted opportunity if they couldn’t do anything useful with it.

Finally, tell us about your experience in the Department of Statistics since you started here in 2021.

It has been very positive. It’s a really stimulating environment. The students are great, and my colleagues are great. The larger research environment at UW-Madison is supportive for junior faculty, and people are collaborative and generous with their time. I’m especially appreciative of our department’s senior faculty, who set the tone from the top of being very welcoming and passionate about their work—and they take a real interest in everything that we do.

Teaching-wise, I’ve had a lot of fun. I’ve been able to update our Bayesian Statistics course (STAT 775) and really think about novel ways to teach that material. We’re now seeing more students from outside the department take the course, which is exciting to me.

I’m especially appreciative of our department’s senior faculty, who set the tone from the top of being very welcoming and passionate about their work—and they take a real interest in everything that we do.

Overall, I love the agency and the freedom that’s provided here, and I work with an amazing group of people every day. That’s really the key.

For more information on Sameer Deshpande’s research, visit his website .

To read more about Deshpande’s work studying the impacts of football participation on health, read this article from the College of Letters & Science .

Search Icon

Events See all →

Earth week 2024.

This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

Various locations

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Reception

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Penn Graduate Student Center, 3615 Locust Walk

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

College Green

Maggie Nelson

6:30 p.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

Science & Technology

Six from Penn elected 2024 AAAS Fellows

Researchers from the school of arts & sciences, school of engineering and applied science, perelman school of medicine, wharton school, school of nursing, and annenberg school for communication join a class of scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines..

Six faculty researchers representing six University of Pennsylvania schools have been elected 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows. They are among more than 500 researchers honored for their “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements,” according to the AAAS.

Since 1874, the scientific society aimed at advancing science, engineering, and innovation has annually named a class of fellows.

Penn’s new AAAS fellows are:

Dolores Albarracín is the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication , School of Arts & Sciences , School of Nursing , and Wharton School , and the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center ’s Communication Science Division . As a social psychologist who studies social cognition, attitudes, and behavioral change, Albarracín has published six books and nearly 200 journal articles. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and American Academy of Political and Social Science and the editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition . The Society of Social and Personality Psychology, of which Albarracín is past president, recognized her with the Award for Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Research on Attitudes and Social Influence in 2018 and the Diener Award in Social Psychology in 2020. She is being recognized by the AAAS for her contributions to social psychology, public health, and particularly the spread of infectious diseases worldwide and for the effective communication of science to the public.

Tony Cai is the Daniel H. Silberberg Professor of Statistics and Data Science at Wharton and president-elect of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. He has made significant and groundbreaking contributions to advancing comprehensive theory and methodologies for nonparametric function estimation, high-dimensional statistics, and statistical machine learning. These include the development of block thresholding methodologies for wavelet regression, novel adaptation theory and methodologies for estimation and confidence intervals in a broad class of nonparametric and high-dimensional problems, as well as innovative methodologies and optimality theories for statistical estimation under privacy, communication, and computational constraints. His work has a wide range of applications in the analysis of high-dimensional data. Such data lies at the core of many contemporary big data applications, and his work paves important paths toward practical solutions. He is a member of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Statistical Association, and International Chinese Statistical Association. Among many honors, Cai also received the COPSS Award in 2008. The AAAS Fellowship is in recognition of Cai’s contributions to the field of mathematical statistics, particularly for developing novel methodologies and optimality theories in high-dimensional statistics and statistical machine learning.

Noam A. Cohen is the Ralph Butler Professor for Medical Research and the director of rhinology research in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Perelman School of Medicine . He is also an adjunct member of The Monell Chemical Senses Center and a staff surgeon at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. His research interests include host-microbe interactions in the upper airway with a focus on sinonasal innate defenses focusing on airway taste receptors and mucociliary clearance, microbial biofilms, solitary chemosensory cells, and the development of novel sinonasal topical antimicrobial therapies. His current efforts focus on correlating the genetics of bitter taste receptor functionality in the context of chronic rhinosinusitis and the therapeutic implications of stimulating sinonasal bitter taste receptors to activate production of local nitric oxide or release of antimicrobial peptides as alternatives for conventional antibiotics in the management of acute and chronic sinus infections. He has written more than 200 publications, given multiple presentations worldwide, and has been principal investigator on NIH and VA grants and industry-sponsored studies. Cohen is being recognized for his contributions to mucosal immunology in the context of human upper airway diseases.

Michael Lampson , a professor of biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, studies cell division and more specifically the cell biology of meiotic drive—how certain genetic elements “cheat” to increase their representation—as well centromere inheritance through the germline, optogenetic tools for cell biology, and the mechanics of cell division. He has published in Nature Cell Biology , the Journal of Cell Biology , Cell , Current Biology , Journal of the American Chemical Society , and many other academic journals. He joined Penn’s faculty in 2007 and in 2008 was named a Searle Scholar, a program that makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical sciences and chemistry. Lampson is being recognized by the AAAS for contributions to cell biology in the biological sciences, particularly for advancing scientists’ understanding of chromosome segregation in cell division and inheritance through the germline.

Edward A. Stadtmauer is the Roseman, Tarte, Harrow, and Shaffer Families’ President’s Distinguished Professor of Medicine and director of Hematologic Malignancies Research in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the Perelman School of Medicine. His research focuses on finding new treatment approaches to improve the long-term survival of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma and those undergoing bone marrow transplants. He has been the principal investigator of the Penn Medicine Core Center of the NIH-sponsored Blood and Marrow Clinical Trials Network for 23 years and is the chair of the steering committee. His research has appeared in premier peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine , Journal of Clinical Oncology , Science , JAMA , Nature Medicine , Lancet Oncology , Science Translational Medicine , and Blood . His work has ranged from conducting the definitive study of autologous bone marrow transplant for breast cancer to pioneering clinical trials with cellular immunotherapy, CRISPR genetic engineering, and vaccination for blood cancers. Stadtmauer is being recognized for contributions to medical oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies for malignant diseases.

Shu Yang is a Joseph Bordogna Professor of Engineering and Applied Science in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Yang is interested in the synthesis, fabrication, and assembly of soft and hybrid materials; dynamic tuning of their sizes, shapes, and assembled structures; and use of geometry to create highly flexible, super-conformable, shape-changing, and energy-efficient materials. She worked at Bell Laboratories and at Lucent Technologies as a technical staff member before joining Penn. She is a recipient of the American Chemical Society Langmuir lectureship, the Inventor of the Year award from the Penn Center for Innovation, and the George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research from Penn Engineering. Yang is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Materials Research Society, American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, and National Academy of Inventors. Yang is being recognized by the AAAS for contributions to soft materials, particularly for developing novel approaches to the synthesis and assembly of multi-functional soft composite materials.

Picturing artistic pursuits

Campus & Community

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

Qualifications

What type of people study for the phd.

Doctoral students come from a variety of backgrounds. Their most important distinguishing features are an eagerness to discover new things and an aptitude for research methods in business.

More than half of the students are international. The number of first-year students in each department’s program is small and select. New students interact with doctoral students in all years and also with students in other Wharton departments. Typically, the number of peers with whom a doctoral student interacts and finds common interests ranges from 15 to 30.

Do most graduates enter the academic field?

The majority of students who enter a Wharton doctoral program assume a faculty position at an academic/research institution upon completing the PhD degree program.

How long does a PhD take?

The required coursework for a PhD takes two years, and defense of a thesis proposal, performance of thesis research, and defense of the final thesis usually take 12 to 18 months at a minimum. It is reasonable to expect to take four to five years to complete the PhD.

Can I do it part time? Is there distance learning? Is there an online program?

The Wharton PhD program is full time during the period of coursework. Most students also pursue their theses full time for 12 to 18 months. There are no PhD-level courses offered through distance or online learning.

Do I need prior work experience or business courses?

No, not necessarily. Application decisions depend primarily on an evaluation of the candidate’s ability to handle complex course material and do original research. While experience is helpful, evidence of strong intellectual ability — as indicated by test scores, course grades, or letters of recommendation — is the most important factor.

Will prior graduate work help? Can I transfer prior graduate work and have it apply to the PhD?

Up to one year of graduate credits may be transferred (maximum of eight credits), but any transfers are usually less than the maximum, because students are required to take the core courses for the doctoral program here at Wharton. Prior work can shorten the time for required coursework a little, but its main advantage will be to provide a better background for dealing with the rigorous core courses.

Application Requirements

What is the deadline for tests.

All tests must be taken no later than December 15th. You may self-report your unofficial scores on the online application in order to meet the deadline. Official scores must also be sent from ETS/GMAC in order to complete your application.

We do not accept late test scores. Please plan in advance to ensure that scores and materials are submitted by the December 15th deadline.

As states on our website, please submit your application by December 15th, 11:59PM EST.

What code should I use to send official scores?

Please use the following codes to send official test scores:

GRE:  2954-5199 or 2954-0000

TOEFL: 2954-02 or 2954-00

GMAT: G56-97-12

If you are unable to find the exact codes for the GRE/TOEFL, as long as you use the Wharton School code (2954), we will be able to confirm your scores.

What tests should I take? Is there a minimum score?

All applicants must take either the GRE or GMAT, depending upon department/program admission requirements. While there is no minimum test score required to apply, good performance on one of the tests can offset lower scores on other portions.

As each department’s requirements on standardized tests vary, please see the Admissions Requirement page for details on test requirements by department.

The average GRE scores for doctoral students entering in fall 2023:

Verbal: 161 Verbal %: 85 Quantitative: 168 Quantitative %: 90 Writing: 4.5 Writing %: 69

The average GMAT scores for doctoral students entering in fall 2022:

Verbal: 40 Verbal %: 86 Quantitative: 42 Quantitative %: 47 Total: 673 Total %: 74 Writing: 5 Writing %: 54

The ETS codes for requesting to have your scores sent to the Doctoral Program are: GRE: 2954-5199 or 2954-0000 GMAT: G56-97-12

We will accept GMAT and GRE scores that are up to 5 years old. If your test scores are more than 5 years old (taken prior to July 2018), you will have to take the test again and submit the new scores. Please see the GRE and GMAT websites for further information on taking those tests.

GRE/GMAT test scores CANNOT be waived. There are no exceptions unless outlined by the department. Failure to provide required application materials will result in your application’s rejection. Please note that certain programs will accept only the GRE.

See  Application Requirements for specific information.

The average GPA of accepted applicants generally falls within the upper tenth percentile.

Is the TOEFL required? Can it be waived if I have lived or studied in an English-speaking country?

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL. You may request a TOEFL waiver if you have earned an undergraduate or master’s degree (or will receive the degree by June 2024) in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction.

To waive the TOEFL, you must submit your request under the  optional essay  section of the application  and  have it documented that your medium of education was English. Your transcripts may serve as documentation that English was the language of instruction.

TOEFL scores are valid for two years. If your TOEFL test was taken prior to July 2021 you will need to submit new scores.

Ask the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to report your test scores using the following Wharton Doctoral Programs’ ETS codes: · TOEFL: 2954-02 or 2954-00

Please note, we do not accept IELTS scores in place of TOEFL scores.

What is the average TOEFL score? Do you keep scores submitted in prior years?

Generally, the better the test score, the more likely a student will succeed in the program. We do not keep scores submitted in prior years, unless an applicant submitted an application. Applications and all supplemental materials (including test scores) are kept on file for one year after the year of application, and then destroyed.

The average iTOEFL scores for doctoral students entering in fall 2023:

Reading: 29 Listening: 29 Speaking: 25 Writing: 28 Total: 109

The ETS codes for requesting to have your scores sent to the Doctoral Program are: TOEFL: 2954-02 or 2954-00

Can I request an interview when applying?

Interviews are not granted prior to decisions. Accepted candidates are generally invited to visit at Wharton’s expense before they make a decision on whether to attend.

Can the application fee be waived?

Applicants from the following fellowships can waive the $80 application fee: McNair , Fulbright , IDDEAS, Leadership Alliance, and GRE Fee Reduction recipients . ​There are no other exceptions for offering application fee waivers.

Can I pay the application fee by credit card?

You can pay the $80 application fee by credit card when you submit your online application.

Admissions Process

When should i apply.

We will begin accepting applications in September for the following year’s admission period. The deadline for applications and supporting documentation (letters of recommendation, transcripts, and test scores) is December 15.

When and how will I be notified of the committee's decision?

The admissions committee meets in late February and again in early March, and the departmental programs make their final decisions by late March. Admission notification is made by April 15.

You will be notified of departmental decisions via the e-mail address you provide, so be sure to check your email regularly and to notify the Doctoral Office of any changes in your contact information.

Can you provide a paper application — I would rather submit a paper application than the online application?

Unfortunately, we no longer offer a paper application. All applications must be submitted using the online system.

How many applications do you receive each year, and how many do you admit?

The number of completed applications is usually between 800 and 1300. Less than 5% of applicants are offered admission, and usually 30 to 40 students matriculate.

Can I defer admission?

An offer of admission with financial support is made for the upcoming academic year only. Acceptance of the offer may not be deferred. An accepted applicant who must postpone acceptance of an offer of admission may reapply for consideration the following year. The applicant must follow the December 15th deadline to submit their application for review.

Can I request feedback on my application if I am not offered admission?

The admissions committee cannot offer feedback on individual applications.

Can I apply as a transfer student from a PhD program at a different school?

All applicants must complete an application with all required materials by the December 15 deadline regardless of their status at another school.

Can I apply to more than one Wharton PhD program?

No. It is for the benefit of both the applicant and Admissions Committee for an applicant to apply to one program only.

You are welcome to apply to separate schools at Penn (i.e. Arts & Sciences, Med). Please note you will be required to submit separate applications, materials and application fees.

Can I re-apply to a Doctoral Program?

Yes. Candidates who submitted an application to a Wharton Doctoral Program and were not offered admission may re-apply but not for the same academic year, e.g., an applicant who was not admitted for fall 2018 may re-apply for fall 2019. See Reapplication Process for more information.

Which programs are STEM-designated?

STEM-designated programs are denoted on our Programs of Study page .

Online Application

I'm having trouble accessing the online application. what is the problem.

You must have a Login Account to access the Online Application. To get a Login and Password please visit our online application, available in September.

My password will not work. Why?

You may be entering the incorrect password. A common problem is passwords are case sensitive. Be certain you are entering your password with the same capitalizations and lower cases as appear in your confirmation e-mail.

To have your login and password information re-sent to you, click the login link and follow the directions to have the information re-sent to you.

If all else fails, please email the doctoral office for assistance:  [email protected] .

When should I check the system after submitting the application?

You should allow at least three weeks for processing for your online account to truly reflect the status of your application.

Will I receive an e-mail when decisions are made? How will I know when to check the system?

You will receive an e-mail each time your status changes; this includes when we release a decision. Once you receive an e-mail, you need to check your status online. The e-mail only indicates there is a change to your application; it does not indicate what the change is.

Letters of Recommendation

Do you accept letters of recommendation through interfolio.

Yes, please follow the instructions from Interfolio: https://product-help.interfolio.com/en_US/about-dossier-accounts/dossier-quick-start-guide

Assistance for applicants or the Interfolio agent can write to [email protected] .

Financial Aid

What about financial aid are international students eligible.

All admitted Wharton doctoral students receive a fellowship that covers the cost of tuition and health insurance, and provides a stipend. It is expected that a similar level of financial aid may be awarded for up to 5 years. All financial aid awards are contingent upon a student’s satisfactory academic progress.

The number of students accepted in any department is therefore determined by the amount of financial aid available.

Annual Security & Fire Safety Report

Where can i find the annual security & fire safety report for the university of pennsylvania.

To read the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report, click here.