See also: Stats at Otago Interested in a specific area?You can check out studying maths with a certain flavour here:Algebra Calculus Applied Maths 
Life at OtagoA not too serious look in pictures at life as a Maths or Stats student:Click here! |
Maths at OtagoWhat is Mathematics?The short answer is that Mathematics is the study of quantities and how they are measured, combined, related, and operated upon. Mathematics investigates things like how the prime numbers are distributed, the properties of geometric figures, how dependent variables change, and what happens when you add up infinitely many terms.Some of those ideas may be “pure” mathematics, but studying them lays invaluable foundations for using mathematics to solve real-life problems. We use mathematics for such practical things as organising the arrival of raw materials on a building site in order to reduce storage, wiring telecommunications cables to minimise interference, encrypting and decrypting internet messages, modelling blood flow through a damaged heart, and predicting the break-up of ice floes. These are all mathematics in action — mathematics making a real difference to the world we live in, and mathematics that you have at your finger tips with a Mathematics degree. Some reasons for studying Mathematics
Career opportunitiesCareer options for Mathematics graduates are much wider than you might think. Many students take jobs where mathematics is not the main focus of the business, and yet their mathematical skills are their greatest asset. That is because mathematics and the analytical and logical thinking that it teaches are vital in understanding and solving all manner of quantitative problems, from electricity generation to data compression, from weather forecasting to the study of bone density loss.Mathematics graduates, especially those with a well-rounded background in mathematical, statistical, and computer skills, have a qualification that integrates perfectly into the modern, technology-based world. Applied mathematicians are in demand wherever employers need deterministic models, for example, in seismology and the earth sciences, meteorology, the chemical and forensic industries, health, ecology and conservation, transportation and scheduling, engineering, and computing, to name a few. And for those with both applied Mathematics and Statistics, i.e. a background in both deterministic and stochastic models, one can add to the above list the areas of social science, financial services and insurance, epidemiology, quality assurance, economics, policy, government, and many others. Background requiredTo enter our mainstream programme you need sufficient achievement in either of the two NCEA Level 3 Mathematics subjects. However, if your mathematics background is only to Sixth Form or Fifth Form, then you can still progress in Mathematics at Otago by taking the preparatory paper MATH 151 General Mathematics.What do I study?If you wish to major in Mathematics for a BSc, you must begin with the 100-level papers MATH 160 Mathematics 1 and MATH 170 Mathematics 2, which are a mix of algebra and calculus, providing a vital basis for more advanced papers.200-level papers focus more on specialised fields of Mathematics, such as matrix algebra and linear systems, the calculus of functions that depend on several variables, and how to solve differential equations. These are expanded at 300-level with a wide variety of papers giving students the opportunity to complete a well-rounded degree in Mathematics. Honours degrees and combined degreesAble students are encouraged to take Honours. This degree takes four years, and is entered at second year. The Honours programme is more intensive than the ordinary degree, and there is no doubt that it is a much stronger qualification. The final year includes a supervised project on some agreed topic. Some students combine Mathematics with another subject, such as Physics, Finance, Genetics, or Computer Science, to give a Combined or Double Honours degree. In this case the final year project usually combines both subjects.How do I study?Most Mathematics papers at Otago involve several lectures a week, usually 50 minutes long. You need to take notes based on the material presented, although in some papers part of the material is already available in outline notes that are followed closely.There will also be tutorials that are really advice sessions, where you can go along and ask for help with weekly exercises or with understanding course material. Some papers have compulsory tutorials, others have open tutorials where you can go as many times as you wish. Apart from the final examination, you are assessed internally based on exercise marks, a mid-semester test, or a series of computer tests. Papers differ but in all cases your internal assessment is an important part of your overall grading. Stats at OtagoIn our daily lives we hear the word statistics mentioned everywhere. At every ball game there are statisticians compiling various statistics. There is even a Government Statistician at the government department Statistics New Zealand. So, what are statistics? To most people statistics are just numbers and statisticians are those boring people who tabulate and summarise lots of numbers. This is an unfortunate misconception. Statisticians certainly work with numbers. However, the two most important tasks that a statistician looks at are:
To major in Statistics, you have to start with STAT 110 Statistical Methods or STAT 115 Introduction to Biostatistics (there is no formal mathematics prerequisite for either paper), MATH 160 Mathematics 1 (this requires sufficient achievement in either of the two NCEA Level 3 Mathematics subjects) and MATH 170 Mathematics 2.
There are two first year statistics papers you can choose from; they both cover some of the same ground but from a different perspective. The main distinction between the two papers is that STAT 115 Introduction to Biostatistics is aimed at Health Science students while STAT 110 Statistical Methods is designed for students in all other areas such as Biological and Social Sciences, Law, Physical Education or Surveying.
The two MATH papers 160 and 170 are required for continuing onto the Theory stream in Statistics, STAT 251 Probability & Inference 1 and STAT 362 Probability & Inference 2, which are the core papers for a Statistics major. However, at the 200-level, three Applied Statistics papers STAT 241 Regression & Modelling 1, STAT 251 Design of Research Studies 1, and STAT 242 Multivariate Methods are available for anyone that had only completed either STAT 110 or STAT 115 without any MATH paper. A further three Applied Statistics papers STAT 341 Regression & Modelling 2, STAT 351 Design of Research Studies 2, and STAT 352 Applied Time Series are available at the 300-level (no MATH requirements for these papers either). Many non-Statistics majors have found the Applied Statistics papers useful for their areas of studies (nowadays, everyone needs to collect data and hence to use statistics). It is also possible for you to do a combined programme including Statistics and another subject area, such as Ecology, Economics, Finance, Genetics, Marketing, Pharmacology, Psychology, or Zoology. This is desirable as you will be ready to apply statistics to a particular area you are interested in. Just like detectives, statisticians try to solve other people’s problems. | |
STUDY AT OTAGO
