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Associate Professor & Head of Department
SE Radloff, MSc, PhD(Rhodes)
Professors To be appointed
Associate Professor
I Szyszkowski, MSc, PhD(Maria Curie-Sklod)
Lecturer
JS Baxter, MSc(Rhodes)
Junior Lecturers
LJ Bangay, BSc(Hons), HDE(Rhodes)
R Bhurtun, BSc(Hons)(Rhodes)
LC Njovane, BSc(Hons)(Rhodes)
Senior Lecturer - Academic Development
HM Coetzee, BA(Hons)(Pretoria), MEd(UOFS)
Senior Instructor (East London Campus)
J Miles, BSc, NHED(Rhodes)
Mathematical Statistics (MST) and Applied Statistics (AST) are four-semester subjects which may be taken as major subjects for the degrees of BSc, BSc(InfSys), BA, BSocSc, BCom, BBusSc and BEcon.
To major in Mathematical Statistics a candidate is required to obtain credit in the following courses: MAT 1 or MAT 1E; MST 2; MST 3. See Rule S.23.
To major in Applied Statistics a candidate is required to obtain credit in the following courses: MAT 1 or MAT 1E; MST 2; AST 3.
The availability of both MST 3 and AST 3 in any year is subject to adequate staffing.
A matriculation pass in mathematics is a prerequisite for admission to all first-year courses in the Department.
If a candidate obtains a pass in a semester-course offered by the Department, but fails to gain an aggregate pass for the full course in the following ordinary or supplementary examination, then that candidate is required to pass the semester-course failed in order to gain the full-credit.
Besides the major courses, the department offers various other courses in Statistics.
Statistics (STA 1) is a two-semester first-year course which may be taken for degree/diploma curricula in the Faculties of Humanities, Commerce and Science.
Theory of Finance and Statistics is a two-semester course comprising a one-semester course: Theory of Finance (STA 140), and a one-semester course: Statistics 1D (STA 130). This course is taken for degree curricula in the Faculty of Commerce.
Statistics 1F (STA 110) is a one-semester course taken primarily for the BPharm and BSc degrees.
Aggregated credit in any one of MAT 101 or MAT 1E1 and in either of STA 110 or STA 130 is deemed equivalent to a two-credit course Mathematics 1C, which is an allowed prerequisite for various other courses in the Faculty of Science and Commerce (see Rule S.23 and C.12 to C.15).
Summer School
The Department normally offers Summer School programmes in Theory of Finance, Statistics 1D and Statistics 1F, but reserves the right not to offer a course in any year should it so decide. Summer Schools are held in mid-January each year. Each school lasts for two weeks. Summer School is intended for preparation for supplementary examinations in courses failed in the previous year.
See the Departmental Web Page http://www.ru.ac.za/academic/departments/statistics/ for further details, particularly on the content of courses.
There are two first-year courses in Statistics. STA 101 is held in the first semester and STA 102 in the second semester. Credit may be obtained in each course separately and, in addition, an aggregate mark of at least 50% will be deemed to be equivalent to a two-credit course STA 1, provided that a candidate obtains the required subminimum in each component. Supplementary examinations may be recommended in either course, provided that a candidate achieves a minimum standard specified by the Department. Adequate performance in STA 101 is required before a candidate may register for STA 102.
STA 101
(One paper of 3 hours)
Graphical representations of data; measures of location, dispersion, skewness
and kurtosis; simple classical probability theory; basic discrete and
continuous distributions; expected values and moments; normal and chi-square
approximations; principles of simple random sampling; point and interval
estimation.
STA 102
(One paper of 3 hours)
Deductive and inductive inference; hypothesis testing; distribution-free
procedures; tests of goodness of fit; measures and tests of association;
contingency tables; linear regression; analysis of variance.
Other first-year courses offered in the Department are as follows:
STA 110 - Statistics 1F
(One paper of 3 hours)
Descriptive statistics, permutations and combinations, elementary probability
theory, Bayes' theorem, random variables and their distributions; hypothesis
testing, inference for means and variances of one and two populations,
inferences for categorical data, rxc contingency tables, distribution-free
methods; regression and correlation, simple and multiple linear regression,
point and interval estimation in multiple linear regression; analysis of
variance.
STA 130 - Statistics 1D
(One paper of 3 hours)
Collection and tabulation of statistical data; approximation and limits of
accuracy; graphs and diagrams; frequency distributions; measures of central
tendency; dispersion; shapes and parameters of classical distributions
(normal, binomial, Poisson); permutations and combinations; binomial theorem;
elementary probability; conditional probability; analysis of time
series;
index numbers; correlation; sampling theory; sampling methods; confidence
limits; significance tests based on the normal curve.
STA 140 - Theory of Finance
(One paper of 3 hours)
Simple interest and discount, compound interest and discounting, simple and
complex annuities, loans, depreciation, securities, linear programming,
elementary differentiation.
There are two second-year courses in Mathematical Statistics. MST 201 is held in the first semester and MST 202 in the second semester. Credit may be obtained in each course separately and, in addition, an aggregate mark of at least 50% will be deemed to be equivalent to a two-credit course MST 2, provided that a candidate obtains the required subminimum in each component. A supplementary examination may be recommended for MST 201, provided that a candidate achieves a minimum standard specified by the Department. No supplementary examination will be offered for MST 202.
Credit in Mathematics and/or Statistics (at least two semester credits in MAT 101, MAT 102, MAT 1E1, MAT 1E2, STA 110 or STA 130) is required before a student may register for MST 201 or MST 202. Adequate performance in MST 201 is required before a student may register for MST 202.
MST 201
(One paper of 3 hours)
Axiomatic probability theory; conditional probabilities; random variables and
standard univariate distributions; jointly distributed variates and
distributions of functions of random variables; moments; characteristic
functions; correlation; regression and correlation ratios.
MST 202
(One paper of 3 hours)
Univariate normal sampling theory; point and interval estimation; tests of
hypotheses; contingency tables; linear regression.
There are two third-year courses in Mathematical Statistics. MST 301 is held in the first semester and MST 302 in the second semester. Credit may be obtained in each course separately and, in addition, an aggregate mark of at least 50% will be deemed to be equivalent to a two-credit course MST 3, provided that a candidate obtains the required subminimum in each component. No supplementary examinations will be offered for either course.
Credit in Mathematical Statistics (MST 2) and in Mathematics (MAT 1 or MAT 1E) is required before a student may register for MST 301 or MST 302. Note that full credit in Mathematics 1 is not required for entry into MST 201 or MST 202, but is required for entry into MST 301 and MST 302. Adequate performance in MST 301 is required before a student may register for MST 302.
MST 301
(Two papers of 3 hours each)
Distribution theory; normal sampling theory, multivariate normal distribution,
the general linear model, analysis of variance and covariance; principal
components analysis, discriminant analysis, non-linear regression.
MST 302
(Two papers of 3 hours each)
Limit Theorems; elementary stochastic processes; point and interval
estimation; hypothesis testing;
Bayesian inference; financial statistics.
Applied Statistics 3 is comprised of the two third-year courses MST 301 and AST 302.
MST 301 is held in the first semester and AST 302 in the second semester. Credit may be obtained in each course separately and, in addition, an aggregate mark of at least 50% will be deemed to be equivalent to a two-credit course AST 3, provided that a candidate obtains the required subminimum in each component. No supplementary examinations will be offered for either course.
Credit in Mathematical Statistics (MST 2) and in Mathematics (MAT 1 or MAT 1E) is required before a student may register for MST 301 or AST 302. Note that full credit in Mathematics 1 is not required for entry into MST 201 or MST 202, but is required for entry into MST 301 and AST 302. Adequate performance in MST 301 is required before a student may register for AST 302.
AST 302
(Two papers of 3 hours each)
A selection of topics from statistical quality and process control; elements
of econometrics and time series analysis; sample survey theory and techniques.
The degree may be taken with a bias towards Mathematical Statistics or Operations Research and may, at the discretion of the Head of the Department, include topics from Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, or Computer Science. Prospective candidates should consult the Head of the Department, who will guide them in their choice of topics.
Suitably qualified students are encouraged to proceed to research degrees under the direction of the staff of the Department. Requirements for the MSc and PhD degrees are given in the General Rules. The Master's degree may be taken either by examination or by thesis, or by a combination of examinations and a thesis, or examinations and extended essays, as directed by the Head of the Department. A candidate may also be required to take an oral examination.
Master's in Operations Research
This degree may be taken either by examination or by thesis, or by a combination of examinations, extended essays and projects as agreed on jointly by the Heads of the Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics (Pure and Applied) and Statistics.
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