Course details

Summary

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is Otago's most flexible undergraduate degree programme, enabling students to study from a selection of more than 40 arts and social science subjects, as well as papers offered elsewhere in the University. Academic breadth is complemented by in-depth knowledge gained through majoring in one or two subjects with the option of minors in one or two others.

Students are taught by research-active scholars, are expected to undertake a diverse range of learning tasks and are challenged to develop their intellectual independence. Graduates of the programme are well-informed, versatile, independent thinkers with the information literacy, communication, research and interpersonal skills necessary for a career or further academic study. The completed BA is an entry qualification for the PGDipArts in the major subject of the degree.

Statistics

Statistics as a field of study is concerned with the collection, analysis and interpretation of numerical data. The main emphasis is on the role of random variation in observations that are made, which is why statistical theory is built on the concepts of probability.

Although the study of statistics in any depth requires some proficiency in algebra and calculus, it is not just another branch of mathematics. The use of statistical methods requires skills in problem formulation, computing and the assessment of evidence that are not always closely related to mathematical ability. Furthermore, a key ingredient for being a successful statistician is the ability to communicate complex ideas to other people in written and verbal reports.

Statistics can be studied at all undergraduate levels at the University of Otago. Many students take a first year Statistics paper as a prerequisite for their main subject of interest, or just because it is generally useful to have some knowledge of basic quantitative methods. Often these students then continue the subject with papers at 200-level and 300-level while majoring in disciplines like Botany, Ecology, Economics, Finance, Geography, Marketing Management, Psychology or Zoology.

Other students study Statistics as their major subject because they:

• are looking for a practical and useful application of their mathematical abilities, with good employment prospects
• would like to work with researchers, in a wide range or disciplines, in solving important problems
• want a job which involves them in contributing to policy or management decisions for government or private industry
• have a concern for social or environmental issues and want to use their skills in biological, environmental or medical research.

Programme Requirements

100-level

Statistics - STAT 110 Statistical Methods or STAT 115 Introduction to Biostatistics; MATH 160 Mathematics 1; MATH 170 Mathematics 2

or

Applied Statistics - STAT 110 Statistical Methods or STAT 115 Introduction to Biostatistics; MATH 160 Mathematics 1; MATH 170 Mathematics 2

200-level – Statistics: STAT 261 Probability and Inference 1; Two further STAT papers at 200-level or above; MATH 202 Linear Algebra or MATH 203 Calculus of Several Variables

or; Applied Statistics; STAT 241 Regression and Modelling 1; Two STAT papers at 200-level or above

300-level – Statistics; STAT 362 Probability and Inference 2; STAT 380 Statistical Computing. Two further STAT papers at 300-level or above

or Applied Statistics - STAT 341 Regression and Modelling 2; STAT 380 Statistical Computing; Two STAT papers at 300-level or above.

Plus

• Either 162 (Statistics) or 180 (Applied Statistics) further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above.
• Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Arts
  

Entry criteria

The minimum requirement for students is the completion of a high school qualification plus satisfactory completion of one year's study at an approved tertiary institution or successful completion New Zealand Foundation Year programme.

We also accept the following International qualifications: International Baccalaureate: IB Diploma with a minimum of 26 points; GCE Advanced Levels: minimum grade of 8.

English Language Requirements:

IELTS score of 6.0 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); Internet-based TOEFL Score of 80 (writing 20); Paper-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 (TWE 4.5); CIE Cambridge International Examinations Grade E or better in AS English; Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); GCE 'A' Level or 'AS' Level English Language or English Literature - grade C or higher; GCE 'AS' Level General Paper (English) - grade C or higher; APIEL (Advanced Placement International English Language) Examination - grade 3 or higher; IB International Baccalaureate - English at Higher or Standard level in Language A: literature, Language A: language and literature, or at Higher level in Language B; Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50.