Following the recent announcement regarding changes to our GradStat standards, the RSS Professional Affairs Committee is pleased to announce further plans to not only help RSS members develop their statistical skills and knowledge, but also gain professional recognition for those skills as they move through their career.
Throughout the summer, further details will be announced about each of these four steps:
- New criteria for GradStat-accredited courses: The recent changes to the GradStat standards will now be applicable to universities seeking RSS Graduate Statistician (GradStat) accreditation for their courses. The criteria will be based on newly defined GradStat learning outcomes that can be achieved by completing ‘quality marked’ units of study.
- A new ‘competency-based route’ to GradStat status that’s based on skills rather than qualifications, for individuals who don't have an accredited degree but have relevant work experience.
- A new 'RSS Quality Mark' accreditation scheme for degree modules and smaller courses as well as entire degree courses. This will widen the range of courses that the RSS can accredit, including statistics modules that are included in non-statistics degrees such as biology or geography.
- Subject to approval at the upcoming RSS Annual General Meeting (AGM), the RSS plans to introduce a new ‘Data Analyst’ category of professional membership. Awarded on an individual basis, this will recognise RSS members who have completed modules/courses accredited with, or that meet, the new RSS Quality Mark. In conjunction with new industry-wide professional standards being developed for data science as a profession, the new category will provide a clear definition of what a data analyst is, to help educate the profession and employers about the skills they should expect from those with the accreditation.
Professional pathway
Competency framework
