UMass Boston

Center for Statistical Computing

The Center for Statistical Computing (CSC) is a professional service and research unit supported by the Office of Graduate Studies at UMass Boston. CSC offers comprehensive support for research, training, and consulting in data science to faculty, staff, and graduate students through one-on-one consultations and training workshops.

Types of Statistical Consulting Services:

CSC offers guidance on statistical challenges throughout the research process, including study preparation, data analysis, and result interpretation. It also assists in the preparation of data analysis sections for inclusion in grant preparation, such as writing analysis sections of grants, sample size planning, development of research-specific aims and hypotheses, and designing statistical approaches to research aims. It also assists with manuscript revisions related to statistical issues. Assistance is available for statistical issues arising at any stage of the research process. Services offered by CSC include:

• Data management
• Sample size estimation and power calculation
• Data analysis and modeling
• Design of experiments
• Interpretation of results
• Preparation of reports
• Collaboration with faculty for grant and contract proposals, leading to subsequent statistical analysis and publications

Specialized statistical expertise in areas including:

• Applied Probability
• Statistical Learning
• Simultaneous Inference and Monte Carlo Methodology
• Scan and Spatial Statistics (Clustering Detection and Spatial Modeling)
• Linear and Nonlinear Modeling
• Hierarchical Linear Models
• Survival Data Analysis
• Bayesian Statistics
• Missing Data Analysis
• Time Series Analysis
• Event-Study Regressions
• Latent Variable Modeling (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling, Latent Class Modeling, etc.)

Statistical Software: 

CSC provides support for using a range of statistical software, including SPSS, AMOS, SAS, Stata, Matlab, R, Python, and WinBUGs. We also offer programming support and training workshops. Please click here for more details about licensed software.  

Choosing the Right Software:

Many people ask us which statistical software package is the best, but there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The choice depends on the analyses you want to perform, as well as your statistical and programming background. Feel free to contact our staff to discuss the best software for your specific situation.

Statistical Workshops

CSC offers a variety of workshops, including those on statistical software (SPSS, SAS, Stata, Excel, R, and Python), and in applied statistics. These workshops are offered free of charge to members of the UMass Boston community, but due to limited space, we do ask that you register in advance. For more details about the workshops, please refer to our workshop descriptions and schedules:

Basic Statistical Workshop Descriptions and Schedule (Fall 2024)

Applied Statistical Workshop Descriptions and Schedule (Fall 2024)

Workshops in Using Statistical Software:

• SPSS I and SPSS II
• SAS I and SAS II
• Stata I and Stata II
• Statistical Analysis Using Excel
• An Introduction to R for Statistical Analysis
• Introduction to Python in Statistics with SAGE Campus
• Introduction to the SAGE Campus
• Introduction to RStudio with SAGE Campus
• Statistics using ChatGPT

Workshops in Applied Statistics:

• Structural Equation Modeling (AMOS & R) I & II
• Introduction to HLM (Mixed Models) using SPSS
• Sample Size Estimation and Power Calculation using SAS
• Missing Data Analysis using SAS & Stata
• Introduction to Survival Data Analysis (Event History Analysis) using SPSS
• Spatial Regression (R)
• Introduction to Time Series Analysis (R)
• Event-Study Regression using R
• Propensity Score Analyses
• Introduction to Statistical Learning (R)
• Introduction to Practical Bayesian Modeling using WinBUGS
• COVID-19 Data Analysis Using R

How to Register

Seats and handouts are limited. Please register in advance.

• Find the detailed workshop schedule above.
• Click the 'In-Person Register' or 'On-Zoom Register' link under ‘Registration’.
• Fill up all information requests and submit your registration.
• Join the workshops via Zoom link in the confirmation email or attend in-person session for in-person workshops.

In person Statistical workshops will be held in the Green Lab or Gold Lab on the upper level (UL) of Healey Library.

How to Obtain Statistical Consulting Services

To schedule an appointment for statistical consulting services, please check our office hour below and make an appointment prior to your visit. If you want to make an appointment outside our office hour, or if you have any other issues, please contact us at csc@live.umb.edu.

Register via our online booking                         

or scan the QR Code below for your registration

Office Hours:

Our Staff

Senior Statistician

• Jie Chen, Ph.D. (jie.chen@umb.edu)

Graduate Assistants

• Zihan Li (zihan.li001@umb.edu)

• Inal Mashukov (inal.mashukov001@umb.edu)