Established in 1963, the Department of Statistics has a proud history spanning over half a century, supported by a strong alumni network of more than 10,000 graduates. The Department currently offers both undergraduate and master’s programs, maintaining a steadfast commitment to academic excellence and industry relevance.
The undergraduate program consists of two classes, enrolling approximately 120 students annually. At the graduate level, the Department offers two master’s programs: the Master’s Program in Applied Statistics, which admits 12 students each year, and the Master’s Program in Data Science, with an annual intake of 12 students.
Key Milestones
- 1963 Established the Night Division of Statistics under the Department of Accounting and Statistics
- 1965 Established the Day Division of Statistics under the Department of Accounting and Statistics
- 1973 Renamed the Day Division as the Department of Statistics
- 1974 Renamed the Night Division as the Department of Statistics
- 1997
– Launched the Master’s Program in Applied Statistics
– Suspended the Night Division
– Expanded the Day Division to four classes - 2000 Reorganized the program into three classes for the Day Division and one class for the Continuing Education Division
- 2017 Launched the Master’s Program in Big Data Analytics and Business Intelligence
- 2021
– Launched the Master’s Program in Data Science
– Suspended the Master’s Program in Big Data Analytics and Business Intelligence - 2025 Renamed the Department of Statistics and Data Science
Department Chairs (Past and Present)
The following individuals have served as chairs of the Department of Statistics:
- Pao-Kung Jui (1973–1975, Day Division)
- Ho-Fuh Chi (1974–1977, Night Division)
- Fu-Sin Chou (1975–1978, Day Division)
- Liang-Yuh Ouyang (1977–1980, Night Division)
- Tien-Wen Chen (1978–1980, Day Division)
- Liang-Yuh Ouyang (1980–1981)
- Horng-Jinh Chang (1981–1984)
- Liang-Yuh Ouyang (1984–1986)
- Kuang-Nan Lin (1986–1992)
- Chiu-Chuan Wu (1992–1998)
- Jong-Wuu Wu (1998–2004)
- Tzong-Ru Tsai (2004–2010)
- Bor-Shyh Wen (2010–2012)
- Shu-Fei Wu (2012–2014)
- Jyh-Jiuan Lin (2014–2016)
- Shuo-Jye Wu (2016–2018)
- Hsiu-Mei Lee (2018–2020)
- Wen Yang (2020–2024)
- Pai-Ling Li (2024–present)
Departmental Emblem Introduction
In 1988, students of the Department of Statistics personally designed the department’s first emblem. Its outer frame incorporated the gear motif from the Tamkang University emblem, symbolizing the spirit of the TKU motto — Simplicity, Truthfulness, Firmness, and Perseverance — while keeping pace with the times. At the center, a normal distribution curve was included to emphasize the department’s professional identity and academic foundation in statistics.
In 2025, following the department’s renaming to the Department of Statistics and Data Science, the emblem was redesigned to integrate data science elements with the department’s statistical tradition. Inspired by the university commons’ bamboo tablet statue — representing books (Tzu Juan) and the TKU motto — the design takes the form of a bar chart symbolizing knowledge accumulation and the growth of wisdom. By combining statistical imagery with neural network symbols, the emblem reflects the transformative power of technology and encourages students to explore the unknown. Its colors, Wisdom Purple and Beyond Blue, symbolize data as the foundation and wisdom as wings, embodying the aspiration to surpass previous generations.
