Why learn inferential statistics?

Whether it's descriptive or inferential statistics, knowledge of this field can be beneficial for professionals and organizations. A robust understanding of measurement, survey methodology, hypothesis testing, and confidence intervals can help individuals to:^{Footnote 5}

• Effectively perform research

• Read and interpret technical literature

• Improve critical thinking and analysis

• Know when to seek additional statistical assistance 

Additionally, inferential statistics training applies to all kinds of industries and fields. Through this kind of measurement and testing, businesses and organizations can draw conclusions about everything from customer preferences and user trends to voter turnout.

Inferential statistics course curriculum 

The curriculum for an online statistics course may depend on the goal of the course. For example, a statistics for data science class could focus on different concepts and applications than an introductory inferential statistics tutorial. Topics covered in a fundamentals of inferential statistics course may teach learners how to:

• Setup and perform hypothesis tests

• Interpret p-values

• Perform linear, multiple linear, nominal, and ordinal regression tests

• Calculate confidence intervals

• Perform parametric and non-parametric tests

The individual concepts of inferential statistics can apply to many industries. For example, email marketers perform A/B testing, a form of hypothesis testing also known as split testing. A/B testing entails sending two or more iterations of an email to random samples of registered recipients to determine what changes to the emails increase engagement. While this process can glean results without statistical analysis, an online course could provide context and skills to perform stronger, more robust kinds of tests.^{Footnote 6}

Explore jobs that use inferential statistics  

Examples of inferential statistics in the workplace can be found in fields as diverse as government, tech, healthcare, research and development, marketing, and more. Whether they are using descriptive or inferential statistics, statisticians perform many duties as part of their roles across industries. Some of those tasks include:^{Footnote 7}

• Identifying problems

• Determining what data may help solve those problems

• Designing methods of collecting data

• Conducting experiments to acquire data

• Interpreting the data

• Communicating results to different audiences

Many statisticians have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in mathematics, which may also be complemented by other fields of study depending on the type of statistics performed. For example, someone interested in data science and statistics may complete a data science boot camp. 

Alternatively, someone interested in process improvement, particularly the Six Sigma methodology, may have a statistics certification such as the Six Sigma Yellow Belt Certification or the Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, which can be earned by taking an online statistics course.^{Footnote 8}

How to become a statistician online

There are ample opportunities to take an inferential statistics online course and earn a statistics certification. Classes may provide an in-depth study of descriptive or inferential statistics, different types of inferential statistics methods and theories, or more specialized training like statistics for data science or Six Sigma process improvement. 

For many who already have experience in statistics, it may be appealing to get a masters in data science or take a data science boot camp to further unlock the combined power of data science and statistics. Alternatively, someone may have a bachelor’s in data science and take a deeper dive into statistics for data science.