"Pre-Session" Mathematics & Statistics 2011/12 (ECON60001)
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Introduction
In common with all leading Masters Level programmes in Economics, we require a certain level of knowledge of Mathematics (and Statistics) before embarking on the formal Masters training.
This page provides details of:
- what will be assumed about your background in mathematics, as a minimum requirement; and,
- a "Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics course which builds on the knowledge presumed in (1) above and which is designed to equip you with further technical skills that you will require before starting your Masters programme.
Who's it for?
The "Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics course is compulsory for Postgraduate Students registering for the following programmes administered exclusively by Economics (but see also the notes below):
- MSc Economics
- MSc Financial Economics
- MA Economics
This course will equip you with the necessary quantitative skills so that you can engage fully with compulsory economics and econometrics modules that you will encounter.
Notes:
* We expect that students accepted on to the MSc programmes in Economics & Econometrics and Econometrics will already have acquired the requisite technical skills from their undergraduate programme; but further advice on this will be available from the Programme Director.
** Students accepted on to the joint MSc programmes in Economics: Development Economics & Policy and Finance & Economics, are STRONGLY advised to attend course, which is offered free of charge.
When does the course run?
"Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics is an intensive course running during the first two weeks the semester (exact timetable to be confirmed), and before the formal Masters Level courses begin**. More details will be sent to you prior to your arrival at Manchester, and this information will also be posted on this website.
A summary of the syllabus is provided below.
There is no formal (summative) assessment (or formal credit) for this course, although there will be formative assessment.
In order to attend the course you should plan your travel arrangements to arrive in Manchester no later than the start of the semester. This is 19th September, for the 2011/12 academic session. More semester dates.
The Minimum Requirement in Mathematics
In this section, we outline the minimum requirements (in Mathematics) that we expect of students before they embark on the "Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics course. Taken as a whole, these define a syllabus of topics that most undergraduate students will have covered during a programme of study leading to a degree in Economics, or related discipline (eg business, finance, etc), at a UK University. As such, we will assume that students who apply to Manchester, on one of our Postgraduate Programmes, are equipped with (at the very least) this knowledge.
What you should know before attending the "Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics course
Here we list topics to help you gauge your understanding and plan any revision that you think you will need to undertake. If you have access to it, you might care to follow up the recommending reading which comes from:
Ian Jacques, “Mathematics for Economics & Business”, 5th Edn. (2006), Prentice-Hall.
ISBN: 10 0-273-70195-9
1. Some Notation and Symbols
We know about “equals”, it tells us when two “things” are the same. Here are some more important relations.
We also need to know about Greek letters: alpha, beta, etc.
2. Indices, Powers or Exponents
Reading: Jacques, pp.141-152
Check your understanding of how the rules work and do a quick Multiple Choice Test on Indices.
3. Linear Equations
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 1
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Linear Equations.
4. Non-linear equations and functions
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 2
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Non-linear Equations.
5. Compound Interest and Series
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 3
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Series.
6. Differentiation
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 4
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Differentiation.
7. Partial Differentiation
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 5
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Partial Differentiation.
8. Integration
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 6
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Integration.
9. Basic Matrices
Reading: Jacques, Chapter 7
Now do a Multiple Choice Test on Basic Matrices.
"Pre-Session" Mathematics & Statistics course: September 2010
The above outlines the pre-requisites in Mathemtics that we assume prior to your arrival in Manchester.
Equipped with such pre-requisites, we recommend that you spend some time between now and September studying and familiarising yourself with the course material (detailed below) of the "Pre-Session" Mathematics and Statistics course. This will help you get get the most out of the course when you arrive in September.
Syllabus
We are in the process of reviewing the content for 2011, but it should be similar to that described below:
- The aim of this course is to develop your understanding of key mathematical and statistical techniques that are important to modern postgraduate economics and related subjects.
- At the end of this course students should be able to demonstrate their understanding of basic concepts of sets and functions, calculus techniques for optimisation, including the Lagrangian, systems of linear equation, linear algebra, and integration. Students should also be able to use simple statistical concepts such as random variables, probability distributions, populations, parameters, sampling, hypothesis testing and basic linear regression.
Topics
1. Mathematics
- Sets, Numbers, and Functions
- Univariate Calculus and Optimization
- Linear Algebra
- Multivariate Calculus and Optimization
- Integration
Download Mathematics Booklet (pdf)
2. Statistics
- Random variables & probability distributions
- Expectation, variance and moments
- Normal & related distributions
- Inference: estimation
- Inference: Hypothesis testing
- Bivariate and multiple regression.
Download Statistics booklet (pdf)