New level sets holders on course to attain PStat^®

Jeff Myers, ASA Public Relations Coordinator

The American Statistical Association has launched a new “preparatory level”—called Graduate Statistician, or GStat—to its voluntary, individual statistician accreditation program, announced ASA Executive Director Ronald L. Wasserstein recently.

The newly unveiled accreditation is an entry-level accreditation designed for individuals who have attained the education requirements necessary for the Professional Statistician (PStat^®) level, but do not yet possess the experience and expertise required for that higher level. It is similar in design to the preparatory accreditation level offered by national societies for statisticians in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom with which the ASA is partnering on the development of its accreditation programs.

“GStat is an entry-level accreditation and is preparatory for the higher-level PStat^® accreditation,” said Wasserstein. “The ASA added this new level of accreditation to introduce early-career statisticians to accreditation, encourage them to become accredited, and to work actively toward achieving the PStat^® accreditation.”

Eligibility requirements for GStat include ASA membership, attainment of an advanced degree in statistics—a master’s or doctorate—from an accredited university, and signing and adhering to the ASA’s Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice. The new GStat accreditation is granted for seven years.

“The GStat program will be valuable for statisticians with a master’s or doctorate degree who are just starting their career in the statistical science field, particularly individuals working in business, industry, government, or private consulting,” said Wasserstein. “Further, individuals who are working as statisticians, but whose degrees are not in statistics, will find GStat status useful for determining what additional educational credentials they will need to achieve PStat^® status.”

GStat holders are granted access to the same benefits as PStat^® holders, including free access to LearnSTAT OnDemand online professional development courses—and reduced registration for the annual Joint Statistical Meetings and the ASA’s Conference on Statistical Practice. Additionally, GStat holders can ask the ASA Accreditation Committee to review their progress toward meeting PStat^® requirements.

An application for GStat accreditation requires the following items:

• Applicant’s name and contact information (phone, email, mailing address)
• A résumé or CV in PDF format
• A list of degrees earned and statistics courses taken at university/college
• Demographic information (optional)

To apply, candidates should log into the ASA Members Only portal on the ASA website and click on the PStat^® button in the lower, left-hand corner of their personalized members-only page. While there is no application fee, there is an annual $40 fee to maintain the GStat designation.