Statistics Undergraduate and Graduate courses

Undergraduate Courses and Programs:

The following two courses, which have no calculus prerequisites, are intended for students in all disciplines other than mathematics and statistics.

MATH 203A,B Basic Principles and Methodology of Statistics I
MATH 204B Basic Principles and Methodology of Statistics II

These two courses are intended to supply a sufficient understanding of basic statistics in order to comprehend statistical components of journal articles, and to design and analyse the statistical aspect of experiments.

Undergraduate Programs in Probability and Statistics:

For students in mathematics and statistics, there are three programs:

Honours Program in Probability and Statistics,
Faculty Program in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science,
Minor Program in Statistics.

The minor program is open to any student in any program in the Faculty of Science.

These programs consist of compulsory and elective courses from the following list, as well as complementary courses in mathematics and other disciplines.

MATH 323A,B Probability Theory
MATH 324A,B Statistics
MATH 356A Probability (Honours version of MATH 323)
MATH 357B Statistics (Honours version of MATH 324)
MATH 423A Regression and Analysis of Variance
MATH 425A Sampling Theory and Applications
MATH 447B Stochastic Processes
MATH 523B Generalized Linear Models
MATH 524B Nonparametric Statistics
MATH 556A Mathematical Statistics I
MATH 557B Mathematical Statistics II
MATH 587A Advanced Probability Theory I
MATH 589B Advanced Probability Theory II

For additional information, see the McGill Undergraduate Programs Calendar 2000/01.

Graduate Courses and Programs:

Admission Requirements:

Master's Program The normal entrance requirement for the master's degree program in statistics is a Canadian honours degree in mathematics and statistics, or its equivalent; in particular, a strong background in calculus (including introductory real analysis), linear algebra, and the equivalent of the above set of 300- and 400-level courses in probability and statistics. Applicants deficient in this background may have to make up some of these requirements before being admitted to the Master's program.

Doctoral Program Students normally enter the Ph.D. program after completing a Master's degree program in statistics with high standing. Approval of the department is needed even after successful completion of the Master's degree program at McGill.

Program Requirements:

Master's Program Students must choose between the thesis option, which requires a thesis (24 credits) and six approved courses (for a total of at least 22 credits), and the project option, which requires a project (15 credits) and eight approved courses (for a total of 30 credits). In either case, students are required to take courses MATH 556 and MATH 557; if they intend to continue in a doctoral program, they should also take MATH 587 and MATH 589.

Doctoral Program To complete a Ph.D. program, students must

pass twelve one-semester courses beyond the Bachelor's level (including courses MATH 556,557,587,589), approved by the student's advisory committee,

pass a comprehensive examination consisting of a written Part A, concerned with general mathematical and statistical background, and an oral Part B concerned with two topics at an advanced graduate level,

demonstrate facility in reading statistical articles in English and French,

submit a thesis judged to be an original contribution to knowledge, and

defend that thesis orally before a committee of experts.

Graduate Courses offered by Our Department:

MATH 523B Generalized Linear Models

MATH 524B Nonparametric Statistics

MATH 556A Mathematical Statistics I

MATH 557B Mathematical Statistics II

MATH 587A Advanced Probability Theory I

MATH 589B Advanced Probability Theory II

MATH 671B Applied Stochastic Processes

MATH 674 Experimental Design

MATH 676 Multivariate Analysis

MATH 678 Applied Statistical Methods and Data Analysis I

MATH 679 Applied Statistical Methods and Data Analysis II

MATH 680 Computation Intensive Statistics

MATH 681 Time Series Analysis

MATH 682 Matrix Theory with Statistical and Other Applications

MATH 683B Linear Models

MATH 686A Survival Analysis

MATH 789D Seminars in Statistics and Probability

Courses with a MATH 5xx number may be taken for credit by both undergraduate and graduate students. From time to time, additional specialized courses and seminars are offered by staff members and visitors.

Additional Graduate Courses

There are graduate statistics and mathematics courses offered at other locations in Montreal, which with approval, may be taken for credit as part of the Master's or Ph.D programs. The School of Computer Science offers Probabilistic Analysis of Algorithms. The Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill offers a number of courses in statistics. Moreover, the Mathematics/Statistics departments of the four Montreal Universities (McGill, Concordia, University of Montreal, and University of Quebec at Montreal) coordinate their graduate programs through the Institut des Sciences Mathematiques de Montreal (ISM), and graduate students at any one institution may take for credit certain selected courses from the other three institutions.