About Statistics, Graduate Diploma - at Trinity College Dublin
Diploma in StatisticsThe Department of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin offers, in each academic year, a part time course leading to the postgraduate Diploma in Statistics. The course provides a broad introduction to the statistical ideas and methods relevant to data gathering and analysis in a wide variety of research areas as well as business and administration. The intention is to provide participants with a practical grasp of statistics based on a sound knowledge of the underlying ideas and concepts. Graduates of the course should be well placed to apply the ideas and methods to which they have been introduced in their own work. To this end, all the material is presented in the context of practical examples from a wide range of applications.
The course covers most of the usual topics included in any of the standard elementary texts. In dealing with these, however, more emphasis than is usual in such textbooks is placed on the idea of an underlying statistical model. It is hoped that this emphasis will develop insight into the essential unity of the methods and avoid the all-too-common impression of there being a cookbook full of different statistical recipes for every possible occasion!
Course Philosophy The emphasis is on statistical thinking rather than mathematical techniques, consequently statistical or mathematical theory are not discussed. The conceptual basis of the methods is emphasised; the aim is to develop an intuitive understanding of how the methods work. Underlying assumptions of the standard methods and what can be done when these assumptions are invalid are discussed. While it is likely that most participants will have some previous exposure to statistics as undergraduates, the course does not assume prior knowledge of statistical ideas and methods. Accordingly it is taught as a first level course. However, because all participants are graduates, the coverage is more sophisticated than most undergraduate first level courses.
For Whom is the Course Intended? The course is intended for graduates who want to develop and deepen their knowledge of statistical methods for solving problems involving data arising in business and industry, in public service agencies or in research agencies. Applications will be considered from degree level graduates in any discipline. While the mathematical level of the course is kept to a minimum, some background in mathematics is essential; Leaving Certificate mathematics is an acceptable standard.
