Department History

The Department is currently writing a definitive history of its activities. Please check back here soon. In the interim, a brief timeline of significant events is provided below.

Brief Timeline

1987: We were established as a free-standing Duke institute — the Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences (ISDS) – with a Ph.D. program only.

1990: ISDS became a unit of Arts & Sciences.

2007: We established the undergraduate major and minor in statistical science, which corresponded with a name change to the Department of Statistical Science. 

2014: We established the Masters’ program in statistical science.

For more history on our department, please see the video from our 25th anniversary conference in 2012.