Statistics is the science of decision making in the face of uncertainty, and finds application in such diverse fields as gambling, life insurance, design and analysis of surveys, design of factorial experiments, quality control and analyses of reliability of complex systems, to name but a few. Statisticians find employment in commerce and industry, research institutes and government departments where they are in demand not only for their specialised training, but also for their logical approach to diverse scientific and technical problems.

Training in statistics is essential for would-be actuaries, and prospective social and biological scientists are well-advised to include at least one course in statistics in their curriculum. Mathematical Statistics provides the theory and the tools for Statistics and also for the study of dynamic phenomena which can be described in terms of the laws of chance, such as queues, inventory systems, communication systems, time series, quantum mechanics, etc.

The Department of Statistics at Rhodes offers a two-year major course in Statistics starting in the second year after a credit has been obtained in Mathematics.

The course is aimed at providing both a sound foundation in statistical mathematics and competence in the practice of certain areas of statistics. To meet these objectives the department has highly qualified teaching staff and a modern computer laboratory. This supports some of the major statistical packages, in which user instruction is given.

Student numbers in the second and third year courses are small and classes, tutorials and practicals in Mathematical Statistics are conducted in a friendly and relaxed small group atmosphere.

Students have almost unlimited access to their teachers and to excellent computing facilities. The department also offers a general first year course in statistics for students in the Humanities and Sciences. This course is not a pre-requisite for studies in Statistics but it is a valuable course which may be taken either before or concurrently with the Statistics courses.

For more information: Statistics

Last Modified: Fri, 28 Jul 2017 11:59:47 SAST