units

EPM5002

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Monash University

Postgraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

LevelPostgraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitDepartment of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
OfferedAlfred Hospital First semester 2014 (Off-campus)
Alfred Hospital Second semester 2014 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)Professor Gary Glonek

Synopsis

Core topics in algebra and analysis, including polynomial and simultaneous equations, graphs, concepts of limits, continuity and series approximations, including Taylor series expansions. Calculus is used to describe techniques of integration and differentiation of vector expressions. Study of probability, concepts of probability laws, random variables, expectation and distributions. Essential topics in matrix algebra relevant to biostatistical methods. Essential numerical methods, including Newton-Raphson method for solution of simultaneous equations and concepts of numerical integration.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate a broad understanding of the mathematics underlying key statistical methods;
  2. demonstrate an understanding of basic algebra and analysis, and the ability to manually differentiate and integrate algebraic expressions, and perform Taylor series expansions;
  3. understand the basic laws of probability, and the calculus basis of expectation and distribution theory;
  4. perform matrix manipulations manually;
  5. understand the numerical methods behind solutions of equations regularly encountered in methods in biostatistics.

Assessment

Written assignments (100%)

Chief examiner(s)

Prohibitions

This unit is only available to students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters of Biostatistics.

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at: