ISI

The Indian Statistical Institute

The Indian Statistical Institute, known widely as ISI, was founded in 1931 by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Growing out of a small Statistical Laboratory set up by Professor Mahalanobis in the Presidency College in Kolkata, the Institute soon moved into its present campus at Baranagar on the northern outskirts of Kolkata. Ever since that humble beginning, over the past eight decades, the Institute has undergone phenomenal growth and is now widely regarded as one of the leading institutions in the world as a centre for research and training in Statistics and related sciences. In recognition of the importance of the Institute in the development and application of Statistics, the Parliament of India, in 1959, enacted the Indian Statistical Institute Act, declaring it an Institution of National Importance and empowering it to grant degrees and diplomas in Statistics. In 1995, this Act was further amended, empowering the Institute to grant degrees and diplomas also in Mathematics, Quantitative Economics, Computer Science and other subjects related to Statistics as may be determined by the Institute from time to time. The headquarters of the Institute is located in Kolkata. However, centres of the Institute have come up over the years in other major cities. At present, the Institute has four centres operating at Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Tezpur. In addition, the Institute has a branch at Giridih devoted to agricultural and sociological research and also a network of units at Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune, that are involved in activities related to Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research.

Scope

This two-year programme offers advanced-level training in the theory, methods and applications of Statistics along with specialised training in selected areas of Statistics and allied fields. On successful completion of this programme, students will be able to pursue an academic/research career in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science and allied fields, depending on their chosen area of specialization. They will also be able to work competently as Statisticians and specialists in research institutions and scientific laboratories, government departments or industries. This programme is being offered this year at Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

  • A three-year Bachelor’s degree or a BE/B Tech degree with Statistics as a subject, or
  • A B Math degree from ISI, or
  • A Post-Graduate Diploma in Statistical Methods with Applications from ISI. Selection Procedure Students with B Stat (Hons) degree from ISI are offered direct admission to this programme without any selection test or interview. For all other eligible candidates, including students with a B Stat (Pass) degree from ISI, selection for admission to this programme is based on performance in written admission tests and subsequent interview. Past academic records may also be taken into consideration. The written admission test is designed to assess competence in the theory and methods of Statistics and comprehension in Mathematics, and has two parts:
    • Multiple-choice questions in Statistics and Mathematics at the undergraduate level in the first part, and
    • Short-answer questions in Statistics and Mathematics at the undergraduate level in the second part.

Students with B Stat (Hons) degree from ISI who are directly admitted to this programme study their first year in Kolkata. Other selected candidates study their first year in either Delhi or Chennai as decided by the institute.

Scope

This two-year programme offers advanced-level training in Mathematics. On successful completion of the programme, students will be able to pursue a research/ academic career in Mathematics. Depending on the choice of the optional subjects, the students will also be able to work in the fields of Probability Theory and Theoretical Computer Science. This programme is offered in alternate year at Bengaluru or Kolkata. This year it is being offered at Bengaluru.

Eligibility In order to be eligible for admission to this programme, an applicant must have

  • A three year Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, or
  • A BE/B Tech Degree, with Mathematics as a subject, or
  • A B Stat degree from ISI.

Selection Procedure Students with B Math (Hons) degree from ISI are offered direct admission to this programme without any selection test or interview. For all other eligible candidates, including students with B Math (Pass) degree from ISI, selection for admission to the programme is based on performance in written admission tests and subsequent interview. Academic records may also be taken into consideration. The admission tests will comprise multiple-choice questions in Mathematics in the first part and short-answer type questions in Mathematics in the second part. The questions will be on Mathematics at a level corresponding roughly to the Mathematics Honours/Major of Indian universities.

For more please visit ISI website