Høst 2020

STA-3300 Applied Statistics 2 - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for matematikk og statistikk

Type of course

The course is intended for students who collect and analyze data, and who need to know more about the use of statistics within their own field. The course is normally included in Master's degree programs (and Ph.d. programs) in other subjects than statistics and mathematics. It may also be taken independent of study program upon approval of the Department of mathematics and statistics. Students attending the course should be familiar with the concepts of random variables and distributions, normal distribution, estimation, confidence interval and hypotesis testing.

Course overlap

FSK-3006 Model theory and data processing methods 3 stp

Course contents

Multiple linear regression analysis. Correlations. One- and two-way analysis of variance. Understanding the regression model and the assumptions for the model.Testing significance of the variables. Determining a best-fitting model.Evaluating the model. Using R2, the multiple correlation coeffisient. Examples and exercises with real data from several areas using statistical software.

Application deadline

Applicants from Nordic countries: 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 December for the spring semester. Applicants from outside the Nordic countries: 1 October for the spring semester and 15 April for the autumn semester.

Admission requirements

Bachelor of science degree or equal. Recommended prerequsites is STA-0001 Applied statistics 1 or STA-1001 Probability and statistics. Application code is 9371.

Objective of the course

After the course the student should:

obtain a solid foundation in applied multiple regression analysis and analysis of variance
be able to make an independent judgment as to whether regression- or analysis of variance is an appropriate method for the present data
be able to utilize the program package SPSS in analyzing data

In more detail the student should have knowledge about:

The assumptions for using regression- and analysis of variance.
The two types of independent variables (covariates): measurement- and nominal (categorical) variables.
The concept of confounding between independent variables.
The concept of interaction between independent variables.
Polynomials and transformations of variables.
Criteria (R2, F, Mallow's Cp) and strategies for selecting the best model (forward, backward or stepwise)
Regression diagnostics, such as analyzing residuals to identify possible outliers, checking the model assumptions, colinearity.
One-way and two-way analysis of variance, balanced design, fixed and/or random factors
Interpretation of regression results. The significance and the importance of the selected independent variables in explaining the response variable.

Explaining the regression results to a person who is not familiar with statistical thinking.

Language of instruction

The language of instruction and the syllabus is English. Examination questions will be given in English, but may be answered either in English or a Scandinavian language.

Teaching methods

Teaching: 70 h

Assessment

Written final exam of 4 hours duration, counting 100 %.

Assessment scale: Letter grades A-F.

Postponed examination: Students with valid grounds for absence will be offered a postponed examination early in the following semester.

For further details see: - Utfyllende bestemmelser for eksamener ved Fakultet for naturvitenskap og teknologi (only in Norwegian) - Regulations for examinations at the University of Tromsø

Coursework requirements A passing grade is required on the mandatory homework sets for permission to take the exam.

Date for examination

Written test 10.12.2020

The date for the exam can be changed. The final date will be announced at your faculty early in May and early in November.