1. Applying to be a Chartered Statistician
Dr Paul D Baxter CStat (Feb 2010)
Division of Biostatistics, University of Leeds
Secretary – RSS Leeds / Bradford Local Group
Secretary - RSS Young Statisticians Section
RSS Council Member – 2009 to 2012
With thanks to Dr Gerald Goodall
RSS Director of Education and Professional Affairs

2. What is a Chartered Statistician
CStat is the RSS’s highest professional award
Provides formal recognition of an individual's statistical qualifications and professional training
Requires approved degree and professional training / experience of at least five years.
Those without the professional training apply for GradStat status
For full details see

3. What is a Chartered Statistician
CStats pay an additional subscription but application process is free. CStat and GradStats enjoy discounts on registration at society events
CStats are required to abide by the Society's code of conduct. They must adhere to the Society's CPD policy
CStats are eligible to apply for Chartered Scientist status

4. What is an approved degree
Require at least BSc 2:2 honours or better with content equivalent to RSS Graduate Diploma
For syllabus, see:
Many university courses are already approved (subject to choice of modules)
For list of approved courses see:
For other courses a transcript is required

5. What is an approved degree
Some broad “rules of thumb” to guide whether degree likely to be approved:
Includes both theoretical and applied statistics at final year undergraduate or masters level
At least half of final year spent studying statistics
Overseas qualification accepted, guided by UK NARIC ( Sometimes MSc level considered equivalent to UK BSc level

6. What is approved professional experience
Judged in confidence by RSS Professional Affairs Committee
PhD study counts as one year of professional experience
Guided closely by comments from referees you nominate
Choose referees that can speak confidently about your statistical work
Must be statisticians and not line managers
Choose referees that are Cstat where possible

7. My Career to Date Univ. Essex, 1997-2000 Univ. Essex, 2000-2004
BSc (1st class honours) Mathematics with Economics
Univ. Essex,
40% of final year studying statistics
PhD Statistics “Extraction of fade slope profiles from radiocommunications data using wavelets”
Univ. Essex,
Also studied some MSc and BSc statistics modules during this period
Lecturer in Statistics
Univ. Leeds, Department of Statistics,
Senior Research Fellow in Biostatistics
Univ. Leeds, Division of Biostatistics, 2009-Present

8. How to make an application
Download form and notes for guidance:
Form divided into sections:
Section 1 “Academic Qualifications”
Section 2 “Practical Statistical Experience”
Section 3 “Professional Experience, Training and Development”
Section 4 “Additional Considerations”
Section 5 “Referees”

9. Academic Qualifications
Requires full transcript of degree listing modules taken and results
Also requires transcript for any higher degrees, e.g. MSc, PhD
Must sign to allow RSS to contact University registrar to confirm your qualifications

10. Practical Statistical Experience
List all periods of statistical experience, including brief job title and job description, e.g.

11. Professional Experience
Submit a description of experience and training for each period of statistical experience
Suitable professional experience can include:
Managing a statistics section
Leading projects with a substantial amount of statistical analysis or modelling
Undertaking statistical analysis of data and reporting on the results
Having responsibility for the interpretation and presentation of statistical information
Designing statistical databases and reporting systems
Teaching statistical theory and methods, and their applications to UK honours degree level
Unsupervised statistical consultancy

12. Professional Experience
I choose to split under headings
“Research”, “Teaching”, “Citizenship and Administration”
Required to list the statistical techniques you use and how frequently you use them, e.g.
Required to indicate levels of statistical responsibility, e.g.

13. Professional Training and Development
Suitable professional training can include:
Publications, refereed.
Publications or presentations at conferences.
Internal organisation reports.
Internal presentations.
Training material, internal or external.
Extramural statistical work (this might include appropriate service on committees).
Should keep as a CPD portfolio (may be requested by committee)

14. Professional Training and Development
Required to list both on-the-job and formal training, e.g.

15. Additional Considerations
Any other relevant considerations
Examples might include organising statistical meetings, attending or presenting statistical material at conferences, or publishing statistical material.
I used it to list:
“Publications” “Presentations” and “Funding Applications”

16. Referees
Must comment on statistical aspects of your work, professional experience and training
Must span the entire period on which the application is based (2 will often suffice)
Must be statisticians, preferably CStat
I chose:
My PhD supervisor
My probationary mentor when I arrived at Leeds
My current Head of Division

17. Timescales I submitted my application form 22 October 2009
In November 2009 I was asked to provide:
a scan of my BSc transcript and certificate
a scan of my PhD certificate
my PhD title and abstract
In January 2010 I was asked to clarify if the taught modules I took during my PhD were assessed
Notified of successful award in 24 February 2010

18. Chartered Scientist Status
CSci is an award of the Science Council
Cstats are entitled to apply for CSci status
From the Science Council website, CSci:
“reflects best practice in science”
“sets at a benchmark level throughout the science professions”
“is vital for scientists to have professional recognition that is applicable across a range of scientific disciplines”

19. Continuing Professional Development
From the code of conduct mandated for professionally qualified fellows:
“Fellows shall seek to upgrade their professional knowledge and skill and shall maintain awareness of technological developments, procedures and standards which are relevant to their field, and shall encourage their subordinates to do likewise”
Currently Maintained Professional Certificate recognises CPD, CStat is a lifetime award.
Moving towards CPD portfolios as a compulsory part of CStat (as already required by many employers, e.g. government and pharmaceutical sectors)
Online CPD recording soon to be available

20. GradStat Mentoring Scheme
Guidance in respect of professional development needed for GradStats to move towards successful CStat applications
Advice provided by volunteer mentors who are themselves CStats.
To register and for further details see: