Professional Development is offered through the Professional Master of Art in Statistics program. The resources provided throughout the program will help you prepare for a career in the field of statistics. Workshops will be run throughout the academic year to help you prepare for a career in statistics. Alumni will also be available to share their experiences in the program and help you gain insight into the industry.

MA Statistics students may sign up for individual appointments with their advisor. Appointments can be made here

Professional Development Offered

Where Do I Start?

Step 1: Prepare

Resume

Once accepted to the program you will be asked to send your resume to the MA Program Coordinator for review. The MA Program Coordinator will give you feedback on areas to improve, how to avoid common mistakes, and what recruiters are looking for.

Useful Resume Tools Can Also be Found Below

Berkeley Career Engagement: Resume and Cover Letter Writing

Berkeley Career Engagement: Peer Advisors

Professional Networking

Set up a LinkedIn profile. "LinkedIn is the largest business-oriented networking website geared specifically towards professionals. It has over 500 million members, in over 200 countries." (LinkedIn, 2018)

LinkedIn

Handshake

Berkeley Career Engagement's powerful recruiting platform for UC Berkeley students and alumni.

Handshake Login

 

 

Step 2: Search For A Career

Job Search Tips

1. Set Up Job Alerts: Not only can you tailor the alert to the exact position you are looking for, but alerts will give you a real-time updates when new jobs are posted that might interest you. The early bird gets the worm and many postings wills close once a certain number of applications are met.

2. Read Everything: Don't judge a posting based on the title alone. By reading through the description you may discover that you're a prefect fit for what they are looking for.

Where to Look?

A career can be found in the most obvious place or in one you were least expecting. The list below should help you start your search.

• Handshake
• LinkedIn
• Google Jobs
• Indeed
• American Statistical Association

 

Step 3: Networking & Interviewing

Networking

Berkeley Career Engagement hosts multiple career fairs and events throughout the academic year to help you meet new people and explore different industries. In the Statistics Department we connect you with alumni who work at some of the top companies in the world.

Berkeley Career Engagement has an excellent page about Networking which includes how to introduce yourself, using LinkedIn and the Berkeley Career Network (BCN), and informational interviewing.

As a student in the MA Statistics program you will be invited to join a LinkedIn group of over 460 Statistics Ph.D and MA alumni!

Research, Research, Research

Why do you want to work for the organization? Why do you want to work in this industry? What is the organization doing? Who are the other players in the industry? Research who is interviewing you.

How can you conduct your research:

• Company website
• Company social media platforms
• Events
• Connect with employers/alumni via Berkeley Career Network
• LinkedIn

Interviewing

Practice makes progress. This is the chance to show the recruiters and/or hiring managers your skills. Research is key to having a successful interview. Practicing will help you improve your communication skills to be able to be more confident in your interviews. The career center has a great breakdown on interview preparation and tips.

Career Center: Interviewing

 

Step 4: Job Offers

Negotiating

Just received a job offer? How exciting! You might be so excited that you accept the first offer put in front of you. But wait, take a breath, make sure this offer is right for you. After conducting some salary research you will be able to confidently accept of confidently negotiate an offer that works for you. The UC Berkeley Career Center has excellent information on salary negotiation which can be found using the following link: UCB Career Center: Negotiate

References

• Choose Wisely: Select references who know your work well.
• Ask Permission: Always get permission before listing someone as a reference.
• Keep Them Informed: Provide details about the job you're applying for.
• Provide Contact Info: Include accurate contact details for each reference.
• Follow Up: Confirm your references were contacted and thank them.
• Stay Grateful: Express gratitude to your references for their support.
• Update Regularly: Keep your list of references updated.
• Be Selective: Tailor your list of references to each job application.
• Maintain Professionalism: Ensure your references represent you positively.
• Reciprocate: Offer to serve as a reference for others.
• Share Success: Inform your references when you land a position with their help, keeping them updated on your career progress.

OPT (Optional Practical Training)

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is 12-month work authorization available to F-1 international students who have been full-time students for at least two consecutive semesters and plan to seek employment in the United States in their fields of study. Learn more about OPT eligibility and when to apply: Berkeley International Office: OPT

For assistance completing the OPT application see the BIO OPT Tutorial

Students typically begin submitting their OPT application to the MA Program Coordinator in January.

 

Many of our former MA students are now in senior positions in industry and return to the department to recruit current students. The department’s Industrial Alliance Program also brings representatives of local firms to the department and creates recruitment opportunities for students. See the list below for more details on where our graduates are after completing the program.

Job & Internship Opportunities in Handshake

Where Do Our Graduates Work After Completing the Program?

See the list of companies that employ our graduates.

• [24]7, Speech Scientist Intern
• Acumen LLC, Data and Policy Analyst
• Adobe, Marketing Campaign Analyst, Senior Data Scientist
• AIG, Senior Risk Technical Expert
• Aiooki USA Inc., Intern
• Alibaba, Senior Risk Advisor
• Amazon, Data Scientist
• Amazon Web Services AI, Applied Scientist II
• American Airlines, Analyst, Operations Planning & Performance
• Amgen, Senior Associate Data Scientist
• AppLovin, Senior Data Scientist
• Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI), Risk Analyst III
• Banco de México, Deputy Manager, Financial Specialist, Risk Analyst
• Bank of the West, Quantitative Analyst Senior, AVP
• BCG, Data Scientist
• Blue Shield of California, Data Specialist
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economist
• CBS Interactive, Business Intelligence Intern
• Citi, ML Researcher
• Clover Health, Senior Data Scientist
• CNA, Associate Research Analyst
• Coursera, Data Scientist, Machine Learning
• Customer Marketing Group, Analyst Intern
• Deloitte, Analytics Advisory Consultant
• Democracy Prep Public Schools, Data Fellow
• Discover Financial Services, Associate
• Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, Data Scientist
• DNV GL, Analyst
• Drawbridge Inc., Data Analyst
• Dyson, Analytics Engineer
• E&J Gallo Winery, Statistician
• Encore Capital Group, Data Analyst
• ESPN, Sports Analytics Associate
• FICO®, Analytic Science - Scientist I, Lead Consultant
• Fiddler Labs, Data Scientist
• Fruition Sciences, Data Scientist

 

• General Mills, Consumer Insight Data Scientist
• Genentech, Analytic Data Scientist
• Ghiradelli Chocolate Company, IT Business Analyst
• Google, Quantitative Analyst, Software Engineer
• Grant Thornton, Associate
• Grid Dynamics, Data Scientist
• Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Strategic Analyst
• Houzz, Quantitative Analyst
• HP Inc., RFQ Cost Analyst / Business Planning, Data Scientist
• IBM, Data Scientist & Software Developer
• IBM China, Data Scientist
• IBM DemandTec Solutions, Retail Modeling Statistician
• IHiS (Integrated Health Information Systems), Systems Analyst
• Jackson Lewis, Statistician
• Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), Information Management Analyst
• JP Morgan, Associate
• JP Research, Inc., Research Analyst
• Kaiser Permanente, Data Reporting and Analytics Consultant, Programming II
• Korea Institute of Finance, Intern
• KPMG China, Consultant
• LeanTaaS, Data Engineer
• Leidos, Biostatistician I
• LinkedIn, Senior Data Scientist
• Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Postdoc
• Meta, Data Communications Research Associate Manager, Data Scientist, Research Data Scientist
• McKinsey & Company, Analyst
• Microsoft, Data & Applied Scientist II, Software Engineer II
• MITRE, Data Scientist
• Moloco, Senior Data Scientist, Data Scientist I
• Moffett.AI, Machine Learning Software Engineer
• Natera, Data Scientist
• Neiman Marcus Group, Data Scientist
• Nielsen, Statistician

 

• Palantir Technologies, Deployed Computational Engineer
• PayPal, Risk Management Specialist, Senior Data Scientist
• Pinterest, Product Analyst
• Proctor & Gamble, Scientist
• Quick Bridge Funding, Data Scientist
• Schneider Electric & INRIA, PhD Student
• Shanghai Rosefinch Investment & Development Center Partnership Ltd., Quantitative Analyst
• Spotify, Data Scientist
• State Farm, Life/Health Actuarial Analyst II
• Strava, Machine Learning Engineer
• Ten-X, Data Scientist
• Tencent, Research Data Scientist
• Tesla, Data Scientist
• TrueCar, Inc., Lead Product Analyst
• Uber, Statistician
• Unify Consulting, Senior Consultant - Data Science
• Verisk Analytics, Analytic Scientist
• VigLink, Data Science Intern/Researcher
• Virtual Pediatric Systems, LLC, Data Analyst
• Visa, Sr. Data Scientist
• Walmart, Data Analyst, Global People Analytics
• Walmart eCommerce, Global Customer Insights and Analytics Intern
• Walmart Global Tech, Data Scientist III
• Wayfair, Technical Analyst
• Waymo, Software Engineer
• Wells Fargo, Senior Marketing Database Analyst, Risk Management
• Wish, Risk Data Scientist

*Updated as of Spring 2024