Course Information for Stat 8501
Stochastic Processes and Their Applications
Spring Semester, 2018
Lectures: M,W,F 11:15 AM - 12:05 PM.
Room: Lind Hall 320, TCEASTBANK


Course website: http://users.stat.umn.edu/~jiang040/185101_Spring.html
Instructor: Tiefeng Jiang.

E-mail: jiang040@umn.edu.

Phone: 612-624-3850.

Office Hours: 1:30 pm-2:30 pm Mon. and Wed. at Ford Hall 365.
Credits: 3

Prerequisite: Basic Probability knowledge, say, in the level of Sta5101.

Contents : Markov chains in discrete and continuous time, Poisson processes, martingales, Brownian Motions, random matrices.

Textbook: Essentials of Stochastic Processes (Springer Texts in Statistics) by Richard Durret 3rd ed. 2016.

Homework Assignments:

 Homework assignments will be due every other Fri. in class. Homework will count 30% of your course grade. There is a 20% penalty per day for late homework - unless you provide a written medical excuse for not handling in homework on time.
Grading Policies:

Exams: There will be a midterm and a final in this course. These will be closed book but you will be allowed one sheet of paper (8.5 in x 11 in) on which you can write anything you like on both sides (no maginifier is allowed though).

Grading: Your final grade will be determined by a weighted average of homework and examination scores: the homework weights 30%, the midterms counts 30% and the final is 40%

Missing Exams: If you miss a midterm for a legitimately documented reason, such as illness confirmed with a written excuse, the midterm score will be replaced by your final score. If you can not attend the final for a legitimately verifiable reason, you must provide a written excuse to receive an incomplete. See the School of Statistics policy on incompletes below. Otherwise, if you miss the final, you will receive a zero for the exam. Note that social/vacation plans are not legitimate reasons for missing an exam.

Incompletes: According to U of M grading policies, ``The I shall be assigned at the direction of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the student was prevented from completing the work of the course on time. The assignment of an I requires a written agreement between the instructor and student specifying the time and manner in which the student will complete the course requirements during the student's next period of enrollment.'' In this course an I grade will be given only in cases of extreme hardship. Poor performance in the course is not grounds for an incomplete.

Examination Dates:

  • Midterm: Fri, Feb 23, same meeting time and location as usual.

  • Final Exam: 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 12, same location as usual.