Grad school in different discipline?

[bernabee4]

I have a bachelors in economics and am playing with the idea of returning to school for applied math or statistics. What would I have to do to get into graduate school? Would I have to return to school as an undergrad and get a second bachelors? Or is it possible to just take a few upper level math classes for recommendations and then take the subject GRE?

I only took up to differential equations and would have a lot to learn but I always regretted not switching majors. Thanks!

 

[chiro]

I have a bachelors in economics and am playing with the idea of returning to school for applied math or statistics. What would I have to do to get into graduate school? Would I have to return to school as an undergrad and get a second bachelors? Or is it possible to just take a few upper level math classes for recommendations and then take the subject GRE?

I only took up to differential equations and would have a lot to learn but I always regretted not switching majors. Thanks!

Hey bernabee4 and welcome to the forums.

In Australia many masters courses require a bachelor in a related field with a specific mark cutoff.

I have noticed for statistics courses as long as you have a calculus sequence and an introductory statistics sequence, then you can get into a Masters of Statistics provided you meet other entry requirements (like overall GPA for example).

I remember there was a discussion about this very issue and one poster said that in the US you can actually get into graduate courses from a different background, so it might be beneficial for you to do a search for these topics.

Personally I think you have a good chance if you have done a calculus sequence and an intro stats sequence (probability and estimation/hypothesis testing), but to be absolutely certain it is probably a good idea to go to the university website and check the requirements.

I don't know anything about the GRE though, so I can't comment on that.

As for upper level classes, many graduate programs do the same sort of material as upper level classes, but the difference is in some programs that you will have to go into depth a lot more and prove things in a graduate courses, whereas the equivalent upper level undergraduate offering may not require this level of coursework. Also in the graduate offering you may have to do a mini project or thesis that is not part of the undergraduate offering.