STAT474-13S2 (C) Semester Two 2013

Special Topic in Statistics

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 8 July 2013
End Date: Sunday, 10 November 2013
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 21 July 2013
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 6 October 2013

Description

Special Topic in Statistics

Special Topic - Official Statistics

This course provides an overview of the key areas of Official Statistics. The course is suitable to any postgraduate student with an interest, and background, in quantitative methods. You do not need to have taken higher level statistics courses to participate in the course. Official Statistics are used in many areas of public administration and government, and having some knowledge in this area will be a great asset for when you are looking for a job.

We cover topics that include data sources (sample surveys and administrative data); the legal and ethical framework of official statistics; an introduction demography; the collection and analysis of health, social and economic data; data visualisation including presentation of spatial data; data matching and integration; the system of National Accounts.

The course is delivered by lectures using videoconferencing/accessgrid technology between a number of New Zealand universities. This way you get to see the best of the teaching staff in this topic from each university, and come in contact with a wide group of students from around New Zealand. You have a local contact person at each university.

Learning Outcomes

  • In this course students will become familiar with:
  • the key aspects of Official Statistics, as distinct from other branches of statistics;
  • the legal and ethical constraints on organisations producing Official Statistics;
  • the principal methods for data collection, analysis and interpretation of health, social and economic data, including spatial data;
  • methods for presenting and preparing commentaries on Official Statistics;

Course Coordinator

Jennifer Brown

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Assignment 1 20%
Assignment 2 20%
Assignment 3 20%
Assignment 4 20%
Assignment 5 20%


Students will use real data and examples from Statistics New Zealand and elsewhere, and will be expected to use a computer package (such as R or SAS) to perform data analysis, and to present data and analysis results.

The assessment is made up of five assignments of equal value (20%) which will be set at regular intervals through the course.

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading:
Thomas Lumley, Complex Surveys: A Guide to Analysis using R, Hoboken: Wiley, 2010 [QA276.45 R3 L86]
Groves G, Fowler FJ, Couper MP, Lepkowski JM Singer E, Tourangeau R, Survey Methodology, Hoboken: Wiley, 2004 [HA31.2 S963]

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $820.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Mathematics and Statistics .

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