MAST 679
Topics in Statistics and Probability
Fall 2026 · Topics in Statistics
Topics
- Multi-armed bandit problems
- Markov decision problems
- Dynamic programming
- Tabular Monte Carlo and temporal-difference methods
- Policy gradients
- Approximation methods
- Deep reinforcement learning
- Reinforcement-learning programming in R
Readings
- Miguel Morales. Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning. Manning.
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): R. S. Sutton and A. G. Barto. Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, 2nd edition. MIT Press. http://incompleteideas.net/book/the-book-2nd.html
Fall 2026 · STAT 497
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
Winter 2026 · Design of Experiments
Topics
- Experimental design and analysis of variance
- Single-factor experiments
- Randomized blocks and Latin squares
- Factorial designs
- Two-level factorial designs
- Blocking and confounding
- Fractional factorial designs
- Additional factorial-design analysis
- Data analysis in R
Readings
- W. John Braun and Duncan J. Murdoch. A First Course in Statistical Programming with R, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press.
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): Douglas C. Montgomery. Design and Analysis of Experiments, 10th edition. John Wiley, 2020.
- Reference (not explicitly required): S. R. Searle. Linear Models. John Wiley, 1971.
Winter 2026 · Introduction to Neural Networks
Topics
- Predictive analytics, supervised learning and cross-validation
- Numerical overflow and underflow
- Feed-forward networks and universality
- Classification and regression architectures
- Objective functions and parameter estimation
- Gradient descent, backpropagation and Hessian computation
- Initialization and adaptive learning rates
- Regularization, augmentation and noise injection
- Recurrent and long short-term memory networks
- Convolutional networks
- Python or R implementation and applications
Readings
- Reference (not explicitly required): C. C. Aggarwal. Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Textbook, 2nd edition. Springer, 2023.
- Reference (not explicitly required): C. M. Bishop and H. Bishop. Deep Learning: Foundations and Concepts. Springer, 2024. https://www.bishopbook.com/
Winter 2026 · Statistical Learning
Topics
- Cross-validation
- Regression, generalized linear and generalized additive models
- Variable selection
- Ridge regression and LASSO
- Classification and nearest neighbors
- Linear and quadratic discriminants
- Logistic regression and support vector machines
- Tree-based methods
- Introductory neural networks
- Unsupervised learning
- K-means and hierarchical clustering
- Principal-component analysis
Readings
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): G. James, D. Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani. An Introduction to Statistical Learning. Springer. https://www.statlearning.com/
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani. The Elements of Statistical Learning. Springer Series in Statistics. https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/ElemStatLearn/
Winter 2026 · MACF 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2026 · STAT 380
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2026 · STAT 385
Readings
- Neural networks and deep learning: a textbook, C.C. Aggarwal, 2nd Edition, Springer, 2023.
- Deep learning: foundations and concepts, by C.M. Bishop and H. Bishop, Springer.
Winter 2026 · STAT 497
Readings
- A. E. Kyprianou, Introductory Lectures on Fluctuations of Levy Processes with Application, 2nd edition, Springer.
- A. E. Kyprianou, Gerber-Shiu Risk Theory, Springer.
Fall 2025 · Topics in Statistics
Topics
- Introduction to sports analytics
- Sports-analysis tools and development environments
- Big data in sports
- Types of sports data
- Data-collection methods and technologies
- Practical analysis of sports data
Fall 2025 · MACF 491
Readings
- A First Course in Bayesian Statistical Methods, by Peter D. Hoff, Springer.
- Bayesian Data Analysis, by Andrew Gelman, John B. Carlin, Hal S. Stern, David B. Dunson, Aki Vehtari, Donald B. Rubin, 3rd Edition, CRC Press.
- An Introduction to Bayesian Analysis: Theory and Methods, by Jayanta K. Ghosh, Mohan Delampady, Tapas Samanta, Springer, 2009.
Fall 2025 · STAT 497
Readings
- A First Course in Bayesian Statistical Methods, by Peter D. Hoff, Springer.
- Bayesian Data Analysis, by Andrew Gelman, John B. Carlin, Hal S. Stern, David B. Dunson, Aki Vehtari, Donald B. Rubin, 3rd Edition, CRC Press.
- An Introduction to Bayesian Analysis: Theory and Methods, by Jayanta K. Ghosh, Mohan Delampady, Tapas Samanta, Springer, 2009.
Winter 2025 · Introduction to Stochastic Processes
Readings
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): Gregory F. Lawler. Introduction to Stochastic Processes, 2nd edition. Chapman & Hall/CRC, 2006.
- Scheduled textbook sections: 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1–3.3, 4.1–4.3, 5.1–5.6, 8.1–8.8, 9.1–9.8.
Winter 2025 · ACTU 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2025 · MACF 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2025 · MACF 491
Readings
- Neural networks and deep learning: a textbook, C.C. Aggarwal, 2nd Edition, Springer, 2023.
- Deep learning: foundations and concepts, by C.M. Bishop and H. Bishop, Springer.
Winter 2025 · MACF 491
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
- Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning, by Miguel Morales, Manning Publications.
Winter 2025 · STAT 380
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2025 · STAT 385
Readings
- Neural networks and deep learning: a textbook, C.C. Aggarwal, 2nd Edition, Springer, 2023.
- Deep learning: foundations and concepts, by C.M. Bishop and H. Bishop, Springer.
Winter 2025 · STAT 497
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
- Grokking Deep Reinforcement Learning, by Miguel Morales, Manning Publications.
Fall 2024 · Multivariate Statistics
Topics
- Matrix algebra and random vectors
- Sample geometry and random sampling
- Multivariate normal distribution
- Inference for mean vectors
- Comparisons of multivariate means
- Principal components
- Factor analysis and structured covariance matrices
- Canonical correlation
- Discrimination and classification
Readings
- Listed textbook (requirement not stated): R. A. Johnson and D. W. Wichern. Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis, 6th edition. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007.
- Reference (not explicitly required): C. R. Rao. Linear Statistical Inference and Its Applications, 2nd edition. Wiley, 1973.
Winter 2024 · ACTU 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2024 · MACF 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2024 · MACF 491
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
Winter 2024 · STAT 380
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2024 · STAT 468
Readings
- Design and Analysis of Experiments, 10th Edition, by Douglas C. Montgomery (John Wiley, 2020).
- Linear Models by S.R. Searle (John Wiley, 1971).
Winter 2024 · STAT 497
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
Winter 2023 · MACF 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2023 · STAT 380
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2023 · STAT 452
Readings
- Introduction to Stochastic Processes, 2nd Edition, by Gregory F. Lawler, Chapman & Hall/CRC (2006).
Fall 2022 · STAT 465
Readings
- Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis, 6th Edition, by R. A. Johnson and D. W. Wichern, Pearson Prentice Hall (2007).
- Linear Statistical Inference and Its Applications, 2nd Edition, by C. R. Rao, Wiley (1973).
Winter 2022 · MACF 491
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2022 · STAT 380
Readings
- An introduction to statistical learning, by G. James, D Witten, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer.
- The elements of statistical learning, by J. Friedman, T. Hastie and R. Tibshirani, Springer series in statistics.
Winter 2022 · STAT 468
Readings
- Design and Analysis of Experiments, 10th Edition, by Douglas C. Montgomery (John Wiley, 2020).
- Linear Models by S.R. Searle (John Wiley, 1971).
Fall 2021 · MACF 491L
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
Fall 2021 · STAT 465
Readings
- Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis, 6th Edition, by R. A. Johnson and D. W. Wichern, Pearson Prentice Hall (2007).
- Linear Statistical Inference and Its Applications, 2nd Edition, by C. R. Rao, Wiley (1973).
Fall 2021 · STAT 497
Readings
- Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction, by R.S. Sutton and A.G. Barto, 2nd Edition, MIT Press.
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Fall 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2026
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2026
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Fall 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2025
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2025
- Syllabus or course outline ↗Fall 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2024
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2023
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2023
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2023
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2022
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2022
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2022
- Historical course outline ↗Winter 2022
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2021
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2021
- Historical course outline ↗Fall 2021
- Fall 2026 outline. Course header explicitly lists MACF 491, STAT 497, MAST 679, MAST 729, MAST 881. Morales is explicitly an optional reference. The first-page header includes MAST 729, although subsequent footers omit that code.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Winter 2026 outline. Course header explicitly lists STAT 468, MAST 679, MAST 881. Braun and Murdoch is identified as a useful reference for R. Additional graduate self-study readings are mentioned without bibliographic details.
- Winter 2026 outline. Course header explicitly lists MACF 491, STAT 385, MAST 679. Explicitly no required text; these books will be used as references.
- Winter 2026 outline. Course header explicitly lists ACTU 491, MACF 491, STAT 380, MAST 679.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Fall 2025 outline. Course header explicitly lists MAST 397, STAT 497, MAST 679. Explicitly no assigned textbook. Weekly readings will be provided later; no named weekly readings appear in the public outline.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Winter 2025 outline. Course header explicitly lists STAT 452, MAST 679, MAST 872. The outline gives textbook section numbers but does not name detailed topics. No detailed topic titles have been inferred from the textbook.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Fall 2024 outline. Course header explicitly lists STAT 465, MAST 679, MAST 881.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.
- Historical source. Generic Textbook/References headings remain requirement-unspecified. Bibliographic editions and years are retained as printed; source inconsistencies may remain. Automated extraction with conservative filtering; distinct bibliography strings screened for false positives; entire syllabus not manually reviewed.