<p>Hi, I am an undergraduate student at a large state school. My school offers a major in statistics and I am very interested in this field, so I have decided to declare this as my major. My school also offers a dual degree program so I can get my Bachelor's and Master's in four years. I am just wondering if this is worth it? My school's statistics department is in the top 50, so is it worth it to get my Master's there or should I apply to a more prestigious program later? My only concern is cost. I also hope to get a PhD as well, and it would be my dream to earn that degree from a university abroad. Any advice? I'll have the chance to talk to my adviser over the summer if that helps at all. Thanks.</p>
<p>If you are interested in a PhD and work hard to build up a strong CV, then a masters degree is not necessary; you can apply to PhD programs straight out of undergraduate school in the U.S. (I’m not familiar with PhD programs abroad; you would need to look into their specific requirements). </p>
<p>Definitely talk to your advisor. It helps to make your interests in graduate school known as soon as possible so that you don’t miss any opportunities for research, internships, and other good experiences to add to your CV/resume. Discussing plans with professors also helps build more of a relationship with them so that you can later get good letters of recommendation, especially from those willing to let you in on some projects.</p>
<p>What degrees you want depends on what career you want. So tell us, what career do you want?</p>
<p>I would only advise getting a PhD is you want to go into academia, or go into pure statistics research.</p>