STATISTICAL EXPERTISE FOR PUBLIC DECISION SUPPORT
Public actors have at their disposal local, national, and even international databases, the multiplication of which has been encouraged by the development of information systems; they therefore need qualified statisticians at the highest level to design, analyze and exploit them. The aim of this specialization is precisely to meet this growing demand for statistical expertise in support of public decision-making.
The curriculum combines advanced concepts in statistics, applied mathematics, economics, econometrics, and computer science. In all these fields, theory is illustrated by numerous examples and practical cases.
Professionalization is at the heart of the Master. A large part of the teaching involves group work and personal work in the form of reports. In addition, most of the courses are taught by professionals in the public statistics system.
The Master’s degree in Data Science for Public Decision-Making includes three majors:
- Statistical Studies (ES)
- Methodology of Public Statistics (MSP)
- Statistics and Data Processing (STD) – not accessible to first-time enrollments in the delayed training program for INSEE statisticians.
European Master in Official Statistics
ENSAI is a member of EMOS (European Master of Official Statistics), a network of higher education institutions offering a Master’s degree in the field of official statistics at the European level: more than 30 programs in some 20 countries.
EMOS was set up to strengthen the collaboration between universities and producers of official statistics and to help train professionals to work with European official data at different levels in the rapidly evolving statistical production system.
EMOS aims to enable students to become familiar with the official statistics system, production models, statistical methods, and dissemination.
Civil servant students can spend their third year (M2 Master Data Science for Public Decision Making) at the University of Rome – La Sapienza to obtain the double degree: Master of Data Science for Public Decision Making at ENSAI/University of Rennes 1 and the MSc in Statistical Methods and Application – EMOS-Official Statistics track.
INTERNSHIP AND THESIS
For continuing education civil servants, the internship is carried out in the department where they are currently working. For all other students, the internship is carried out in an entity whose activity falls within the scope of the Master’s degree.
The purpose of the internship is to put into practice the lessons and skills acquired during the Master’s program in order to respond in a rigorous and scientific manner to the problems of official statistics. It is also an opportunity to disseminate new methods of analysis in the professional world. Finally, the host organizations enrich and complete the students’ knowledge and skills through their professional approach.
Students must write a Master’s thesis linked to the end-of-studies internship, which leads to an oral defense.
Admission
This program is open to students who have completed the first year of the Master’s program and to graduates of an equivalent level. Insee statisticians who have been admitted to the integrated (after two years of initial training) or delayed (during the first five years of professional life) continuing education program may also take the Master’s degree in Data Science for Public Decision-Making.
Under certain conditions, and at the request of their supervisors, program courses may also be followed by Insee statisticians who are not enrolled in the Master’s program as part of their continuing education. These auditors register free of charge for the training courses, subject to availability and according to a schedule specific to each course. They are not evaluated and therefore do not validate ECTS credits for the course.
The different admissions procedures for the Master’s degree in Data Science for Public Decision-making contribute to creating a diverse mix of student profiles each year.
Selection is based on an application file followed by an interview. The program is also open to continuing education and Erasmus exchange students.
Applications are now closed.
Approximate number of students: 30.
For information on admission: admission-statpublique@ensai.fr
Career
The training received prepares graduates for scientific and technical professions centered on statistical engineering, economic and social information systems, and computer professions related to public statistics.
It primarily meets the needs of public services, national administrations, and local authorities. The main ministries (economy, agriculture, sustainable development, health, and social action, etc.), public establishments (notably social security funds and government welfare organizations), consular organizations, and agencies dependent on local authorities are likely to take advantage of the skills graduates.
Graduates may also find opportunities in European (Eurostat) and international (OECD, IMF, World Bank) organizations, as well as consulting firms that provide crucial information to public decision-makers, notably at the local level.
