Master of Statistics - Leuven Statistics Research Centre · KU Leuven has a tool for plagiarism detection: every master thesis is checked by Turnitin Learn to use appropriate citation!

Master of StatisticsOne-year reduced track

Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences

(QASS)

2018-2019

Faculteit Wetenschappen2

Welcome! You’ve made a good choice !


QASS track

Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences (QASS)

• Reduced track (60 ECTS) within MSc in Statistics (120 ECTS)

• 1 year

• Predominantly evening/weekend programme

• Separate admission procedure

• Admission requirements: Master diploma or 4-year Bachelor diploma

Structure of QASS?


Compulsory courses (26 ECTS):

•From Problem to analysis

•Sampling Theory

•Survey methodology

•Multilevel analysis

• Loglinear analysis, latent class and logistic

regression

Electives (12 ECTS)

•Concepts of multilevel, longitudinal and

mixed models

•Structural equations

•Event History Analysis

•Official statistics

•One course from Master of Statistics (to be

approved)

•Capita Selecta in Statistics (NEW)

Master thesis (22 ECTS)

Quantitative analysis in social sciences (QASS)


Compulsory courses: (26 ECTS)

Semester 1 (12 ECTS)

• From Problem to Analysis

(6 ECTS)

• Log Linear Analysis, Latent Class

Analysis and Logistic Regression

(6 ECTS)

Semester 2 (14 ECTS)

• Sampling Theory

(4 ECTS)

• Survey Methodology

(4 ECTS)

• Multilevel Analysis

(6 ECTS)


Electives ( 12 ECTS)

1st semester

• Event History Analysis (6 ECTS)

• Official Statistics (4 ECTS)

• Select courses for at least 12 ECTS from

2nd semester

• Concepts of Multilevel, Longitudinal and Mixed

Models (4 ECTS)

• Capita Selecta (New, 4 ECTS)

• Structural Equations (6 ECTS) (R is used,

contact An Carbonez if interested in R course

notes + weblectures)

• One course from the Master of Statistics (contact Prof. M. Swyngedouw for approval)


NEW Capita selecta : Big Data for Social Scientists

• Collect data from internet

• Analyse data using supervised learning

• Analyse data using unsupervised learning

• Link machine learning methods to relevant

social science questions

With the use of Python

Prof. Neal Caren, University of North

Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA

• 4 ECTS

• 2nd semester


All students need to follow Ethics session

One session on ‘Ethical Aspects of Statistical Consulting’ will be organised in the

Spring 2019. This is mandatory for all students. (Prof. G. Molenberghs)

Thursday, February 28, 2019, 9.00-11.30



Procedure:

1. Write a thesis proposal . Hand in by 1 November.

2. Approval of thesis topic and allocation of promoter(s) by 15 November.

3. Intermediate presentation (mid March)

4. Submit thesis (June 1st)

5. Defense of thesis (end of June)

New Milestones Tool for project from 2018 onwards!



New Milestones tool in Toledo (Pilot project of KU Leuven)

Extra session on Milestones Master thesis will be organised at the end of October

2018!


Master thesis (22 ECTS): Thesis presentation

Regular students: June session or September session

There is a session in January but only for those students who have

followed the intermediate thesis defense the (academic) year before and

...

under the condition that only (and maximum) two courses of the first

semester are fulfilled/passed by then. If you want to graduate in January,

you have to submit a request via this link.

https://wet.kuleuven.be/studenten/mastersthesis/graduating-in-january


NEW Library session: Identify & locate resources

• Good search strategy

• LIMO

• Web of Science

• Reference Manager

Be there!

Dates (you only have to follow 1 session):

• Monday, October 1st : 4 – 6 pm

• Monday, October 8th: 2 – 4 pm

• Friday, October 12th: 10.30-12.30 am

Location:

De Le Ville, Arenberg Library, W. De Croylaan

6, Heverlee


Exchange Program with UNL

• UNL = University of Nebraska Lincoln

• For successful students QASS

• Survey research and Methodology Program (SRAM)

• UNL-responsible professor: Prof. Dr. Larry Williams

• KU Leuven: Marc Swyngedouw

• Second semester of academic year

• Exchange programme to be accepted by KU Leuven programme director QASS

and profile responsible QASS : Molenberghs & Swyngedouw

• No entrance fee to be paid


Exchange Program with UNL

• Travel cost + cost of stay + … for participating student

• Application procedure:

For full-time one year students

Directly after module 1: exam paper

For part-time students

Second year

Send email expressing interest to Prof. Marc Swyngedouw

Will receive detailed info

Make proposal for study program at UNL


Individual Study Program (ISP)

1. Application available from 6 September onwards.

2. Select courses that you intend to follow this year (2018-2019) (Toledo !) Usually between 54 and 66

ECTS.

3. Indicate the track/profile that you choose !

4. Make sure there are no clashes in the individual exam schedule (IER) of the courses that you

select.

5. (Apply for possible exemptions )

6. Submit your ISP by October 10th.

Web application in KU Loket( see http://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/studyroute/isp)

http://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/studyroute/isp


Example: ISP for QASS student, compulsory


Example: ISP for QASS student


Individual Exam Schedule (IES/IER)

Remark :

For oral exams (and master thesis defense), professors can make schedule with

individual time slots (do not rely on generic times)! Be aware that the date mentioned

in IER is subject to individual planning (for oral exams)!

From now :

Individual exam schedules are available for the courses from your phase.

More information:

http://icts.kuleuven.be/docs/at/cm/ve/manual.

http://icts.kuleuven.be/docs/at/cm/ve/manual


Remarks on ISP

In case you want to

• Apply for credit contract

• Ask for an exemption

• Interuniversity student

• Permission to graduate in January

See https://wet.kuleuven.be/english/request-forms for request and

permission forms.

• Once you have submitted the ISP, you cannot make any changes yourself!!

• Approval before November 15th

• Changes for 2nd semester can be made at the beginning of the 2nd semester

If you have problems with the ISP, please come to the ISP open office hour of An

Carbonez on October 4 (9.00-11.00), Celestijnenlaan 200 B, 02.08

https://wet.kuleuven.be/english/request-forms


Exam regulations

Take a look at :

https://www.kuleuven.be/education/regulations/2018/

Implementation is very strict!!

Article 81. Criteria for succeeding in a master programme (Paragraph 2)




Exam regulation: Successfull completion of a master’s programme

Students pass a Master's programme

a) pass all courses of the programme (at least 10/20);

b)

• they obtain for the programme as a whole 68%;

• and

- they obtain only one fail mark of 9/20 for a course in the academic year they

graduate (not the Master thesis or internship).


Exam regulation: Exam periods

• 1st exam period: January 2019 (for 1st semester courses)

• 2nd exam period: June 2019 (for 2nd semester courses)

For courses failed in January and/or June there is

• 3rd exam period : August-September 2019

You have to register for this 3rd exam period (see

https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/student/examinations/third-exam-

period )

https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/student/examinations/third-exam-period


Exam regulation: Refusal of registration (Blocking)

For every course, you have 2 years (credit contract ) or 3 years (diploma

contract) to pass that course.

Otherwise: refusal of registration for 5 year for all courses leading to this

degree.

https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/student/studyprogress/Refusalregistr

ation/refusalexamopportunities

https://www.kuleuven.be/english/education/student/studyprogress/Refusalregistration/refusalexamopportunities


Exam regulations: Do not commit plagiarism

Plagiarism is any identical or lightly-altered use of one's own or someone else’s

work (ideas, texts, structures, images, plans, etc.) without adequate reference to

the source.

http://www.kuleuven.be/plagiarism/avoidance.html

KU Leuven has a tool for plagiarism detection: every master thesis is checked by

Turnitin

Learn to use appropriate citation!

http://www.kuleuven.be/plagiarism/avoidance.html


Plagiarism appears in different ways

• The literal or near-literal use of someone else’s text(s) (or parts of these)

irrespective of the source (including digital sources, whether or not through

the internet) without indicating a citation (for example, through quotation

marks) and / or without adequate reference to the source

• Copying images, diagrams, graphics, figures, sound or image fragments,

etc., without adequate reference to the source

• Paraphrasing someone else’s arguments without adequate reference to

the source

• Translating texts without adequate reference to the source


Plagiarism

Plagiarism damages the quality of a paper and thus can be interpreted as fraud.

Other forms of fraud lean towards plagiarism and are just as intolerable, such as:

• Commissioning or having papers revised (whether or not for pay), and

passing this off as one’s own work

• The re-use of one’s own work and passing it off as a new paper

• Simulating or falsifying research data


Ombuds person 2018-2019

Martial Luyts

Location:

L-Biostat (second floor),

Kapucijnenvoer 35,

3000 Leuven

E-mail: [email protected]

Tasks: Contact the ombuds prior to any exam(s) for

which you want to withdraw from, reschedule for,...

1. Rescheduling an exam

2. Withdrawing from (an) exam(s) and/or paper(s)

3. Mediating between students and professors

4. Support and referral

5. Information of the examination regulations

6. Spread of examinations

7. Alternative examination arrangements


Questions from former students

1. Dear Martial, I would like reschedule my exam of

“Advanced Time Series” due to sickness. Attached

you can find the attest of the doctor. Is this possible?

2. Hi Martial, I just received a full-time contract and this

starts on the 22nd of August. However, I still have one

exam to pass, which is scheduled on the 25th of

August. Is it possible to reschedule the exam before

the 22nd of August?

3. Hi Martial, I would like to reschedule my exam of

“Support Vector Machines”. I booked a travelling

ticket and will return to Belgium on the 16th of August.

However, the exam is scheduled on the 11th of

August, which is not in the official exam period of the

faculty of Science. Can I reschedule my exam to a

later date?


In case of doubt

YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT THE OMBUDS,

SO DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS!!


POC (Permanent Educational Committee)

Meets 2-3 times a year

Members:

• Programme director

• Programme coordinator

• Representatives from all 6 specialisations + QASS

• Ombudsperson (Martial Luyts)

• 6 student representatives (From 1st phase (2), from 2nd phase (2) and from

QASS(2))

Are you interested to take part ? Let us know


Information & contact

• Our website:

http://lstat.kuleuven.be/masterBologna/Statistics-welcome

• Jobs: http://lstat.kuleuven.be/jobs/Jobopportunities

Program Director:

Prof. G. Molenberghs

QASS Responsible

Prof. M. Swyngedouw

Program Coordinator:

Prof. A. Carbonez

Administrative Support :

Eveline Declercq

Ombuds person:

Martial Luyts

http://lstat.kuleuven.be/masterBologna/Statistics-welcome

http://lstat.kuleuven.be/jobs/Jobopportunities


KU Leuven Datathon is fun !

Save the date:

February 23, 2019

• datamining competition at KU Leuven

• Students work in team

• Prizes to win

• Participation is free

See http://datathon.cs.kuleuven.be/

http://datathon.cs.kuleuven.be/


Glad you’ve joined our group !

Documents

Master of Statistics - Leuven Statistics Research Centre · KU Leuven has a tool for plagiarism detection: every master thesis is checked by Turnitin Learn to use appropriate citation!