Statistics
Office: 131 Kerchof Hall
Phone: (434)924-3222
| Statistics courses apply toward fulfillment of the College area requirement in Natural Science/Mathematics. |
The Department of Statistics offers three introductory statistics courses: STAT 110, STAT 212, and STAT 311.
STAT 110 is aimed at liberal arts students who have little or no science/math background, students who plan to major in the physical sciences or premedical/pre-dental programs, and students who are searching for a course to apply toward the College area requirement in Natural Science/Mathematics. Students in STAT 110
study applications of probability and statistics. The course emphasizes the ubiquity and importance of basic statistics in public policy and everyday life; it uses a case-studies approach based on current chance events reported in daily newspapers (e.g., The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal) and current scientific publications (e.g., The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, and Science).
STAT 202 (Statistics for Biology and Medicine) is an introductory statistics course, specifically designed for students with an interest in biological sciences and/or medicine. Topics to be covered will include different ways to summarize and display data, an introductory treatment of probability, experimental design, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Numerous applications from biology and medicine will be used to illustrate and motivate. Students who have credit for STAT 110 or STAT 112 may also earn credit for STAT 202. Students with credit for STAT 212 or other statistics courses may not earn credit for STAT 202.
STAT 212 (Introduction to Statistical Analysis) focuses on graphical displays of data, relationships in data, design of experiments, causation, random sampling, probability, inference, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression. Generally, a Math SAT II score above 570 on the Level I test or a 520 on the Level II test indicates a student is ready for STAT 212. STAT 212 satisfies the requirement for the Commerce School; STAT 110 does not fill this requirement.
STAT 322 (Introduction to Regression) is suitable for anyone interested in taking "another" statistics course, following any of STAT 112 (AP credit fine), STAT 212, MATH 312, APMA 311, or APMA 312. (A previous calculus course would be helpful, but is not required.) Regression is one of the most widely used statistical techniques, and provides a means to estimate relationships between explanatory variables and an outcome variable. Regression models can be used to help explain relationships and to predict actual outcomes. In this course we will see how linear regression models work and use software computer to implement them.
The Department of Statistics offers an Interdisciplinary Major in Applied Statistics, with degree options in Econometrics, Biostatistics, Engineering Statistics, and Mathematical
Statistics. Students interested in this major should consult the Department website.