Where you can study
International students
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Specialise in Statistics for your Diploma in Arts at Massey
Statistics provides tools vital for the collecting, analysing and presenting of data. Statistics is much more than the organisation and display of data. Careful analysis of underlying questions and critical examination of the sources of data are part of the art of statistics. Modelling the variability in data to calculate the reliability of answers is part of its science.
Statisticians use computers extensively to do calculations, draw graphics and bring new insights. With increasing use of technology, people with data handling skills have become highly sought after in the workplace. More and more professions, from the every day to the exotic, depend on data and numerical reasoning.
A Diploma in Arts in Statistics is a good fit if you:
- like working with numbers or data
- are confident with modern information technology.
Planning information
If you study full-time you’ll take eight 15-credit courses (120 credits) in one year, or 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school.
If you later proceed to the Bachelor of Arts degree, all of the courses in your Diploma of Arts can be transferred to the Bachelor of Arts.
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Courses you can enrol in
Course planning key
- Prerequisites
- Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
- Corequisites
- Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
- Restrictions
- Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Core courses for the Diploma in Arts
As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.
Statistics courses
Compulsory courses
Course code: 161250 Data Analysis credits 15
Biology, psychology, and other sciences require statistical methods for analysing and visualising data. This course is designed to be accessible to students from any discipline, first building a deeper understanding of fundamental statistical concepts, then teaching a range of practical approaches for exploring statistical relationships, testing hypotheses, evaluating models, and presenting conclusions.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161251 Regression Modelling credits 15
Common data analysis and regression techniques for application in science, business and social science. Topics include simple and multiple regression; linear models with categorical explanatory variables; model diagnostics; inference for linear models; polynomial regression; models for time dependence; methods for variable selection; non-linear and weighted regression.
View full course detailsSubject courses
Course code: 161101 Statistics for Business credits 15
An introduction to the presentation, analysis and interpretation of quantitative data. Topics include the construction of charts and summary statistics, probability, sampling, hypothesis testing, regression, time series analysis and quality management.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161111 Applied Statistics credits 15
Statistical literacy, the ability to understand and reason with statistics and data, is becoming increasingly important as our world becomes more and more data-rich. This course focuses on developing statistical literacy in real-world contexts. We teach students to use software (Excel and RStudio) to summarise, display and analyse data. We explore data collection techniques including sampling methods and experimental design. We introduce statistical inference methods (confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and regression) with an emphasis on communicating results in context.
View full course detailsCourse code: 297101 Statistical Data Science credits 15
An introduction to computer programming and statistics for transforming, visualising and modelling data to discover information and support decision making. A practical approach to analysing New Zealand data includes data cleaning, statistical summaries, data wrangling, visualisation and predictive modelling. Includes an exploration of the statistical ideas of sampling, probability and inference as well as modern programming tools emphasising reproducibility.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161304 Statistical Modelling credits 15
This course covers the ideas underlying statistical modelling, its implementation through computational methods, and links to practical applications. Topics include probability and random variables, models for discrete and continuous data, model selection, model fitting and goodness of fit, model inference, and introduction to stochastic processes.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161323 Multivariate Analysis credits 15
This course teaches methods to understand patterns and structures inherent in data sets containing many variables. The fundamentals of data visualisation, clustering, and dimension reduction with examples taken from a range of applications.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161324 Data Mining credits 15
A practical approach to data mining with large volumes of complex data; prepare, cleanse and visualise data; supervised and unsupervised modelling; ensemble and bundling techniques; use of leading software tools.
View full course detailsCourse code: 161331 Biostatistics credits 15
Sciences such as biology and medicine yield data that require a wide range of statistical techniques, including standard linear models and their extensions. Case studies are used to demonstrate topics such as nonlinear regression, linear models for binary and count data, and mixed effects models. Emphasis is placed on application of appropriate statistical techniques through extensive use of statistical software.
View full course detailsEntry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
There are no specific entry requirements for this qualification, outside of university admission regulations.
English language requirements
To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
If you have already completed a bachelor degree
If you have already completed a bachelor degree you may replace 230111 Tū Kupu: Writing and Inquiry or 230112 Tū Arohae: Critical Thinking with courses of your choice. You will need to apply for replacement courses via a Special permission request in your portal and you will need to attach evidence of your completed degree with the request.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Can't meet the entry requirements?
If you need to do a course before you start your qualification, there may be options for you in Summer School.
Fees and scholarships
Fees, student loans and free fees scheme
Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.
There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
- Get an estimate of the tuition fees for your qualification
- View a list of non-tuition fees that may be payable
Already know which courses you're going to choose?
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.
Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.
- Student loans (StudyLink)
- Fees Free
- Student portal
Scholarship and award opportunities
Search our scholarships and awardsFees disclaimer
This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.
Careers and job opportunities
Jobs might not always be advertised specifically for a statistician, but very often the small print under a research officer advertisement will mention statistics or data analysis as a prime requirement. The ease with which computers capture data means that most organisations find they need someone able to organise and interpret it intelligently.
Those with knowledge of statistics can find employment in a remarkably wide variety of areas, including:
- commerce (particularly finance and marketing)
- environmental management
- quality improvement
- research science
- social sciences
- teaching
- technology and industry.
Related study options
Statistics – Graduate Certificate in Arts
With the Graduate Certificate in Arts (Statistics), you can study statistics without completing a second bachelor’s degree.
Statistics – Bachelor of Science
Learn how to make sense of the information that surrounds us with Massey’s Bachelor of Science (Statistics).
Statistics – Bachelor of Arts
The quantitative skills that you’ll gain from a Massey Bachelor of Arts (Statistics) can set you apart from other graduates when applying for jobs.
Statistics – Master of Science
Learn from experts the key theories of statistics and the quantitative skills to conduct robust statistical analyses that are effective in the real world.
Statistics – Graduate Diploma in Arts
With Massey’s Graduate Diploma in Arts (Statistics) you’ll learn the key theories of statistics, and gain the quantitative skills to conduct robust statistical analysis that’s effective in the real world.
Useful planning information
Key information for students
Compare qualifications and academic information across different New Zealand institutions. Learn more on careers.govt.nz