Statistics

A statistics degree teaches you how to translate data into meaningful insights, a desirable skill for many companies and organisations

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Actuary
• Civil Service fast streamer
• Data analyst
• Data scientist
• Financial risk analyst
• Investment analyst
• Market researcher
• Operational researcher
• Statistician

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Business analyst
• Chartered accountant
• Economist
• Financial manager
• Financial trader
• Geographical information systems officer
• Insurance underwriter
• Machine learning engineer
• Palaeontologist
• Research scientist (maths)
• Tax adviser

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

Many statistics courses include a year's placement, but if yours doesn't, you may be able to find placement opportunities in industry by checking the websites of individual companies. In Scotland, it's possible to apply for a statistics placement through The Data Lab, which is part of The University of Edinburgh.

Internships, graduate schemes and apprenticeships are available with the Office for National Statistics, the UK's largest independent producer of statistics, and in companies across the following sectors:

• banking
• financial services
• market research
• operational research.

It's also useful to join the Young Statisticians' section of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) as this provides opportunities to network and learn about a career in statistics.

Being able to put your statistics knowledge into practice in real-life situations is great experience, but any type of work experience or voluntary work can be useful for developing your communication, problem solving and teamworking skills. Universities often have opportunities to volunteer or work with local organisations and charities.

Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.

Typical employers

The main employer of statisticians is the government. Statisticians work across most UK government departments. For a list of areas you can work in, see the Government Analysis Function, a network for all civil servants working in government analysis and statistics.

The Civil Service Fast Stream Government Statistical Service Scheme is a useful route into statistics for graduates.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is another key employer and is the UK's largest independent producer of official statistics.

Your knowledge and skills are useful in many fields such as agriculture, economics, education, engineering, medicine and transport. Typical employers include:

• financial and banking companies
• insurance and accountancy firms
• IT companies
• logistics and transport companies
• the NHS and private health companies
• market research organisations
• not-for-profit organisations and think tanks
• pharmaceutical industries
• universities and other education bodies.

You can find information on employers in accountancy, banking and finance, business, consulting and management, public services and administration and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

A degree in statistics equips you with strong data analysis and manipulation skills, as you will collect data, complete numerical measurements, undertake project work and give presentations.

These key subject-specific skills will be valuable for your statistics career:

• using analytical research methods
• interpreting results, drawing conclusions and recommendations from data
• identifying and working with patterns in data
• problem solving and logical thinking
• applying abstract mathematical concepts to practical problems.

You also develop general skills that all employers expect, including:

• communication
• presentation
• information management
• organisation and planning
• teamwork
• time management.

Further study

Some statistician jobs require a Masters degree. Options at postgraduate level include:

• applied statistics
• data analytics
• medical statistics
• operational research
• statistics.

Masters courses in statistics that are accredited by the Royal Statistical Society allow you to apply for the RSS professional membership grade of Graduate Statistician (GradStat).

A PhD is essential for a career in academia. If you're considering a career as a pharmaceutical statistician, many employers will expect an MSc or PhD.

Professional short courses are also available for statistical software packages such as SAS, SPSS, Stata and Minitab.

For a career in the financial sector, you'll usually need to study for professional qualifications. These are often achieved part time as part of your employment. Chartership and/or professional accreditation are available in areas such as accountancy, banking, insurance and actuarial work, and are vital for career development.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search for postgraduate courses in statistics.

What do statistics graduates do?

The top five occupations for statistics graduates are actuaries, economists and statisticians (21%), finance and investment analysts and advisers (11%), programmers and software development professionals (10%), IT business analysts, architects and systems designers (5%) and data analysts (5%).

For a detailed breakdown of what statistics graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.