to The Japan Times
The ability to analyze and interpret data in all their varied forms is indispensable in today's increasingly technological society. But the mere existence of departments of statistics on university campuses is no assurance that the goal will be achieved, as Takamitsu Sawa, president of Shiga University, assumes. The situation in the United States serves as compelling evidence.
Although almost all universities in the U.S. have a department of statistics or its equivalent (e.g. actuarial science), they have not had nearly the success that is expected. According to a report from UCLA, nearly 60 percent of students planning to major in engineering and science end up switching to other subjects, or fail to get any degree at all.