Sam Houston State University Undergraduate Catalog 2006-2008
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DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS

Chair: Mark L. Klespis, (Interim) (936) 294-1577; klespis@shsu.edu

Coordinators: John Snow (Mathematics), Max Coleman (Mathematics Education), Cecil Hallum (Statistics)

Faculty: Ferry Butar, Max Coleman, Beth Cory, Tom Davis, Rebecca Garcia, Cecil Hallum, Jaimie Hebert, John Huber, William Jasper, Jackie Jensen, Julie Jones, Jodie Kirk, Mark Klespis, Harry Konen, Brian Loft, Dave Luning, Glen Mattingly, Joseph O’Brien, Wesley Sanders, John Short, John Snow, Mary Swarthout , Jianzhong Wang

Website: www.shsu.edu/~ mth_www/

Mathematics is a powerful tool for solving practical problems, combining logic and precision with intuition and imagination. The basic goal of mathematics is to reveal and explain patterns – whether the pattern appears as electrical impulses in an animal’s nervous system, as fluctuations in stock market prices, or as fine detail of an abstract geometric figure.

Mission

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics provides an environment that is conducive to and promotes the understanding of mathematics and statistics by all students, encourages community and institutional service, and encourages and supports continued faculty development and scholarship.

Academic Programs

  • BA in Mathematics
  • BS in Mathematics

Highlights

  • Host for annual mathematics conference on teaching of mathematics
  • Numerous grants with government and education agencies
  • Home of Reeves Center for Mathematics Education
  • Undergraduate student presentations at MAA meetings

Career Opportunities

  • Accounting and Finance
  • Computer Programming
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Management and Related Positions
  • Actuarial
  • Computer Systems Analysis
  • Engineering
  • Statistics
  • Mathematics
  • Operations Research
  • Modeling
  • Academic Positions – High School or College

Suggested Minors

Chemistry, Computer Science, Music, Physics, Pre-Med/Biology, Secondary Education, Statistics

Student Organizations

  • Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
  • Pi-Mu-Epsilon Mathematics Honor Society
  • Ruth Lane Math Society

Internships

Possible internships exist with NASA, National Security Agency, Actuarial Firms, Oil Industry

Scholarships

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics offers several scholarships each year and Sam Houston State University offers additional, university-wide scholarships. For information on departmental scholarships, contact the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Information on University scholarships may be obtained from the Office of Academic Scholarships website at www.shsu.edu/~sfa_www/scholarship.html or telephone (936) 294-1672.

Program Specific Requirements

Anyone considering a degree in Mathematics should consult an advisor in the Mathematics department prior to registering for any courses.

Curriculum

Curriculum outlines below are typical, but modifications may be made to meet individual student needs. Although study plans usually begin with MTH 142, other courses such as MTH 163 or 170 may sometimes be more appropriate. Students who have completed extensive high school mathematics may be eligible for advanced placement.

 

Minor in Statistics

Requirements are adjusted to accommodate program emphases.

Emphasis on Statistical Theory
STA 379, 380, 471, 472, and two courses elected from STA 381, 470, 473, and 474.

Emphasis on Statistical Method
STA 379, 380, 381, 474, 473, and one course elected from STA 470, CS 477, MTH 394, and MTH 396.

A concentration of twelve semester hours is appropriate for students who need an understanding of statistics to augment study in another field but who do not require a minor in statistics. A typical concentration might consist of STA 379 and 380 with two additional courses selected from STA 381, 470, 471, 472, 473 and 474.

Statistics Course Descriptions

STA 169 Elementary Statistics. [MATH 1342] This is a survey course in elementary statistics designed to acquaint students with the role of statistics in society. Coverage includes graphical descriptive methods, measures of central tendency and variation, the basic concepts of statistical inference, the notion of estimators, confidence intervals, and tests of hypotheses. Also offered as MTH 169. Prerequisite: Two years of high school algebra. Credit 3.

STA 379 Statistical Methods in Practice. Topics include organization and presentation of data; measures of central tendency, dispersion, and position; probability distributions for discrete and continuous random variables, sampling techniques, parameter estimation, and hypothesis testing. Emphasis will be given to the use of the MINITAB statistics package. Also offered as MTH 379. Prerequisites: Three semester hours of mathematics and consent of instructor. Normally offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer I. Credit 3.

STA 380 Statistical Design and Analysis of Experiments. Topics include sampling designs and hypothesis testing in analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and regression analysis. Design characteristics, model diagnostics, and hypothesis testing will be emphasized and work will be required on real data. The MINITAB and SAS statistics packages will be applied. Prerequisite: STA 379 or equivalent. Normally offered in the Spring semester. Credit 3.

STA 381 Sample Survey Methods. The course treats principles needed in planning and conducting sample surveys. Topics include random, stratified, systematic, and cluster sampling methods as well as sub sampling techniques. Prerequisite: STA 379 or equivalent. Credit 3.

STA 470 Special Topics in Statistics. This course is designed to accommodate independent study and research with content determined by mutual agreement of student and supervisor. However, it may also be taught as a special organized class when there is sufficient student interest in a particular project. Such topics as statistical quality control, modeling and analysis, time series analysis, Monte-Carlo techniques and bootstrapping may be included. This course may be taken for Academic Distinction credit. (See Academic Distinction Program in this catalog.) May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Six semester hours of advanced statistics and consent of instructor. Credit 3.

STA 471 Theory and Applications of Probability and Statistics I. Topics include basic concepts and properties of probability, random variables, statistical distributions, measures of central tendency, variance, covariance, correlation, functions of random variables, sampling distributions, and the Central Limit Theorem. Also offered as MTH 471. Prerequisite: MTH 143. Normally offered in the Fall semester. Credit 3.

STA 472 Theory and Applications of Probability and Statistics II. Topics include multivariate, conditional and marginal distributions, point and interval estimation, theory of estimation, maximum likelihood estimates, hypothesis testing, likelihood ratio tests, contingency analysis, and nonparametric statistics. Also offered as MTH 472. Prerequisites: MTH 244 and STA 471. Normally offered in the Spring. Credit 3.

STA 473 Nonparametric Statistics. Topics include chi-square goodness-of-fi t testing and inferences concerning location and scale. Specific tests include the sign test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, tests for randomness and trends, and contingency analyses. Prerequisites: STA 379 and consent of instructor. Credit 3.

STA 474 Regression Modeling and Analysis. Topics include model estimation and testing, model diagnostics, residual analysis, variables selection, and multicollinearity. Work will be required on real data with the use of the MINITAB and SAS statistics packages. Prerequisites: STA 379 and consent of instructor. Credit 3.