Go ahead, I stole it from somewhere else.  :-p

I'm majoring in physics and engineering. Statistics are not that difficult to produce. in fact many of the formulas in higher physics involve statistical caluculations to determine the likelyhood that an event on the sub-atomic or macro levels will occur.

Applied physisists are completely different than Theoretical. Theoretical Physasists deal sole with predictions and statistics to recreate or produce phenomena mathmatically. Therefore, they would be more than qualified to analyize sales data, however, the likelyhood that they have less important things to theorize about is very unlikely.

 Have you taken a stat class?  I'm guessing no since they generally aren't required for engineering majors unless you're taking it just to get out of something equally boring (forgot the class I weaseled out of to take a stat class).  The math in stat may be incredibly simple but the things you do in stat class and physics are completely different.  Any physics major should be able to do anything in any stat class with ease, that's not the case though, the thing is they are just completely different methods and slightly different ways of thinking and looking at things.

i graduated with an engineering degree (land survey/civil engineering) and statistics was a required course for getting said degree- not that i even use statistics at work, mostly i use plane geometry while using a cad program..

There are also completely different ways of looking at and reproducing answers for Pharmacology Math and Algebra but either method you use still wind up at the same amswers.

The point is that mathmatics (and you should know this) has many different ways of arriving at the same answer that's why there are a ton of different fields that use different versions of the same thing. I'm not saying that it would be easier for a physist to produce statistical data than it is for a statisist but it can be done using either method.

most physicists, even at the undergrad level, knows some statistics, even if they haven't taken a course in statistics, "statistical mechanics" is likely mandatory for all physics majors.  and mathematical physics classes do cover some statistics.  and, i don't see how the math in stat is "incredibly" simple.

MBA's have horrible reputations.  anybody who throws around a degree is bad enough, anybody who throws around an MBA degree is downright hilarious.  i don't even see MBA as something to be proud of; it's merely something you can get a great job with.

I have to take a structrual statistics class for my Engineering degree, and differential equations which (by my understanding I haven't taken it yet) has to do with estimating the limits of irational numbers. Somethig that is accomplished by averages and statistics. Like I said I haven't taken it yet but that's what I gathered from some friends who took it.

Hmm, well then where I went to undergrad (SMU) stat wasn't required, only an option in one of the easy those easy category classes.

At my school (small elite liberal arts college, so this probably isn't that representative):

Up until next year, Physics majors are only required to take Differential Equations and Linear Algebra (and anything leading up to those). Any other math is taught in the class necessary.

Starting two years from now (actually trialing it next year, but it won't be required then) the department is making a special "Math for Physicists" class that will basically teach all the useful parts of the above classes along with extra math for quantum, advanced EM, etc.

No Stats :-/

Then again, it is a liberal arts school - not many people in my school like applying knowledge all that much (i do though, which makes it sad when I get really into something and noone else does)