M.Sc. Degree & Course Information

Sections

INTRODUCTION

Statistics is an extremely diverse discipline and can be applied to almost every type of science. The truth is that no applied science is complete without statistical reasoning and support. Statistics offers a wide range of career opportunities in many fields. In general, applied statisticians can easily fit into careers in, Computer Science, Agriculture, Education, Medicine, Economics, and Marketing, to name but a few.

The Department of Statistics conducts a two year part time course leading to a M.Sc. Degree in Applied Statistics. The programme consists of two components; Coursework and Research. After successful completion of the coursework component the students could qualify to do the research component which enables them to obtain the M.Sc. in Applied Statistics if he/she wishes to. However, those who do not qualify to do the research component can still leave with a Postgraduate Diploma, if necessary criteria are met. The course was originally designed and implemented in year 1976, with the assistance from the Department of Applied Statistics, University of Reading, which is a leading University in the UK.

COURSE AIMS

In many institutions in Sri Lanka, raw graduates are recruited as research analysts, officers, statisticians or statistical officers, and most of them have little practical experience in the use of Statistics. This course is aimed at providing training to such persons, as well as to those other fields that demand such experience. The course emphasizes practical work involving real data analysis which would give the students a measure of confidence in handling real life situations.

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course consists of two components; Coursework component (3 Semesters) and Research component (1 Semester). The coursework component consists of course work, practicals, a group-project and examinations at the end of each of the three semesters. Proceeding to the fourth and the final semester is mainly based on the performance of the coursework component. Those who proceed are required to submit a Masters dissertation. The lectures, will be conducted on two evenings per week and on Saturday mornings. The medium of Instruction is English. Students will also have access to University library facilities.

Coursework Component (Part I)

The course work component will include Probability and Distribution Theory, Statistical Methods, Surveys and Sampling, Experimental Design, Industrial Statistics, Linear and Non-Linear models, Data Analysis Using Statistical Packages, Advanced Inference, Computer Intensive Methods, Medical Statistics, Applied Time Series and Multivariate Methods.

All lectures and practicals are compulsory. Students are divided into groups and each group undertakes a project preferably related to their employment, and submits a report in their second semester. A basic training on the use of computers and statistical packages is provided and students will have access to packages such as SAS, R, MINITAB, and SPSS, installed in the department's computer systems.

The Research Component (Part II)

After completion of the coursework component, the qualified students are required to submit a Masters dissertation which is an integral part of the entire M.Sc. programme. This individual project forms a far larger component than the group-project of Part I. Students are expected to spend a considerable time initially on a literature review, data collection, and a few preliminary analyses. Usually, about six months is given to submit the final report, which will be evaluated and be tested orally.

COURSE LECTURERS

PROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Mr.Rushan Abeygunawardana
Senior Lecturer Gr.II
Department of Statistics
University of Colombo
Telephone : 2590111

Courses

Bachelor of Science

Masters of Science

Senior Lecturers

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