A degree in Mathematics and Statistics equips you with the skills required for developing and implementing these methods, and provides a fascinating combination of deep and mathematically well-grounded method-building and wide-ranging applied work with data. The Department of Statistics at Oxford is an exciting and dynamic place to study, with teaching and research strengths in a wide range of modern areas of statistical science. Many of its academic staff work in the development of fundamental statistical methodology and probability. There is a strong new research group working on statistical machine learning and scalable methods for Big Data. The department’s world-leading team working on population genetics and evolution applied new statistical methods to huge genetic data sets to unlock the secrets of human genetic variation and disease. Other groups work on applied probability, network analysis, and medical, actuarial and financial applications. All over the world, human beings create an immense and ever-increasing volume of data, with new kinds of data regularly emerging from science and industry. A new understanding of the value of these data to society has emerged, and, with it, a new and leading role for Statistics. In order to produce sensible theories and draw accurate conclusions from data, cutting-edge statistical methods are needed. These methods use advanced mathematical ideas combined with modern computational techniques, which require expert knowledge and experience to apply.