... Fundamental Tools for Applications

Stat 433: Introduction to Stochastic Processes (Spring 2017)

WARNING: Major Changes for Spring 2018

There will be so many changes in the course that the previous versions are irrelevant to what will happen in Spring 2018.

In a formal sense, the topics are the same, but the new emphasis will be intensively computational. We will use the R Statistical Programming Language and the text "Introduction to Stochstic Processes with R" by Robert Dobrow.

You will want to have some good programming experience behind you and will need some substantial knowlege of linear algebra. The emphasis will be on programming, homework, and projects. This kinds of activity take time.

I will discuss some proofs and derivations in class, and you will have to master the careful understanding of mathematical definitions. You will not be asked to "prove" anything in class or on homework, but our algorithms will be a complete mystery unless you have some honest comprehension of the underlying theory.

This is a course for people who have some professional need for an understanding stochastic processes. It is not a survey course or a gentle introduction. It is an in-the-trenches experiece for people who anticipate a career in the quantitative sciences and their business and engineering applications.

If you have not had Statistics 430 (or ESE 301 or a graduate equivalent) you are not permitted to take Statistics 433. About 1/3 of the students in the class will be graduate students, and all students are expected to meet the same standards. If you are "worried" about a class like this, then it will be much less stressful for everybody if you can find a more comfortable alternative. Not every student is right for every course.

Other information about grading, TA, office hours, etc. will be posted during the Fall term before course selection time. The currently posted information is NOT RELEVANT.