Criteria for Accreditation as AStat

Accreditation as an Accredited Statistician is based on a combination of formal qualifications in statistics, relevant practical experience and demonstration of professional competence. At the time of application for accreditation, candidates must be members of the SSA as well as actively involved in the practice of statistics. Holders of the Accredited Statistician qualification must meet at least one of the following requirements.

1.   A pass degree of equivalent with a Statistics component equivalent to that of second or third level Statistics subjects or Mathematics majors in Australian universities, plus six years practical experience in applying statistics; or

2.   A first or second class honours degree or equivalent in Statistics or in a subject containing substantial coverage of statistical methods or theory, plus four years practical experience in applying Statistics.

Applicants need to be current members of SSA.

Graduate Diplomas in Statistics, depending on their origin, may fulfil the degree requirement under one or other of the above two categories. In the course requirements in 1. or 2. above, the Accreditation Committee shall judge the acceptability of the standard and level. Under exceptional circumstances applicants may be accredited who do not fulfil either of the degree requirements above, but who can demonstrate both

- a breadth of knowledge and understanding of both theoretical and applied Statistics equivalent to at least
   the degree requirement of the second category above, and

- at least ten years practical experience applying statistics. 

The application fee for AStat accreditation application is $240. Once AStat accreditation has been granted there is an ongoing annual accreditation fee of $55 which is paid in addition to the membership fee when the membership is renewed. Accreditation status is lost when a membership lapses.  AStat Accreditation is granted for five years, but members can apply for reaccreditation at no additional cost. The Reaccreditation form can be accessed here.

Another requirement is maintenance of the skills required of Accredited Statisticians.  An AStat accredited statistician will be asked every five years to provide a summary of her or his activities, including Continuing Professional Development activities, over the previous five years to demonstrate continuing contact with statistics and the practice of statistics, plus the name of a referee to be contacted if the Accreditation Committee desires.

It is recommended that potential applicants check out our “Handy Hints” and Checklist before considering submitting an AStat Accreditation application. To see a sample AStat application form please click here.  To apply for AStat accreditation, please click here.

Criteria for Accreditation as GStat

The current process for accreditation as a Graduate Statistician (GStat) is based on an educational criterion only, provided that no more than eight years have elapsed since the award of the degree or equivalent on which the application is based. The educational requirements are:

1. A pass degree from an Australian university, or equivalent qualification.

2. A minimum of 25% of a year's study in Statistics in total at second year level, and a minimum of 50% of a year's study in Statistics at third year level.

3. The applicant holds a four year Honours degree in Statistics, or the applicant has achieved a minimum average grade of 65% (that is, a credit average or equivalent) in their Statistical major at third year level or in the Statistics postgraduate coursework in the degree that forms the basis of their application.

4. Units involving statistical inference, data analysis, statistical communication skills and the use of a statistical package.

5. Several units covering material from the following list: probability and distribution theory, linear models, design of experiments, sampling methods, multivariate analysis, analysis of categorical data, time series, survival analysis, statistical consulting, statistical graphics, databases.

6. A current membership with SSA.

Applicants who have completed programs that have been assessed by the Statistical Society of Australia as meeting the breadth requirements for GStat status will only need to verify that they have satisfied criterion 3. 

The application fee for GStat accreditation application is $75. There is no ongoing annual accreditation fee for GStat accreditation. Accreditation status is lost when a membership lapses.

To apply for GStat accreditation, please click here.

A sample GStat Accreditation application form can be downloaded here. 

Criteria for Accreditation of University Courses

The criteria for the Accreditation of University Courses can be viewed here.
 

Recognition of Professional Accreditation by other Societies

Financial members of the SSA who have been awarded Professional Statistician (P.Stat) status by the American Statistical Association (ASA) or Chartered Statistician (C.Stat) status by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and whose professional accreditation is current, and members who have been awarded P.Stat status by the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC) within the past five years are automatically eligible to become an Accredited Statistician with the SSA. 

The ASA and the SSC also recognise our A.Stat award as equivalent to P.Stat. For further information and to apply to the ASA see http://www.amstat.org or to apply to SSC see https://ssc.ca/en/accreditation/information-about-accreditation.