Spring 2011 Course Syllabus

Course: Mathematics 8031.002.
Course Title: Probability Theory.
Time: MWF 9:00-9:50.
Place: BB 200.
Instructor: Mehta, Jatinder S.
Instructor Office: Wachman 438.
Instructor Email:
Instructor Phone: 1-7283.
Office Hours: MWF 8:00-9:00.
Prerequisites: A course in Probability (Math 3031 or equivalent) and Mathematical Statistics (Math 3032 or equivalent).
Textbook: You may buy "SOA EXAM MLC POISSON PROCESSES & MARKOV CHAINS: A Study Guide by J. S. Mehta. This study guide is available from Madriver Bookstore and Actuarial Bookstore. No other text book is required for this course. You can download some of the reading material from the SOA website. For example: Multi-State transition models with actuarial applications by James W. Daniel. You can also obtain a copy of Chapter 17 on Simulation from the text From Data to Decisions, second edition by Klugman, Panjer and Willmot. I WILL START THE SEMESTER WITH JAMES DANIEL MATERIAL, followed by Poisson Processes and finally the Simulation chapter.
Course Goals: The topics covered are Markov Chains as provided in Daniel, Poisson Processes and Simulation. This course helps you write the portion of MLC exam which is based on those topics. The graduate students will be assigned some additional problems to be discussed in the class.
Topics Covered: See Above.
Course Grading: There will be three class tests and a comperhensive final. Each class test accounts for 20% of your course grade. The comperhensive final accounts for 40%. If you miss the final, your course grade is an F. If you miss two class tests your course grade is an F. NO MAKE UP TESTS. If you miss one class test your score from the final will be substituted for it.
Exam Dates: Will be announced in the class.
Attendance Policy: Must attend lectures.

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources and Services at (215) 204-1280, 100 Ritter Annex, to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed here.

Students will be charged for a course unless a withdrawal form is processed by a registration office of the University by the Drop/Add deadline date given below. For this semester, the crucial dates are as follows:

• The first day of classes is Tuesday, January 18.
• The last day to drop/add (tuition refund available) is Monday, January 31.
• Spring recess is the week of Sunday, March 6.
• The last day to withdraw (no refund) is Monday, March 28.
• The last day of classes is Monday, May 2.

During the first two weeks of the fall or spring semester or summer sessions, students may withdraw from a course with no record of the class appearing on the transcript. In weeks three through nine of the fall or spring semester, or during weeks three and four of summer sessions, the student may withdraw with the advisor's permission. The course will be recorded on the transcript with the instructor's notation of "W," indicating that the student withdrew. After week nine of the fall or spring semester, or week four of summer sessions, students may not withdraw from courses. No student may withdraw from more than five courses during the duration of his/her studies to earn a bachelor's degree. A student may not withdraw from the same course more than once. Students who miss the final exam and do not make alternative arrangements before the grades are turned in will be graded F.

The grade I (an "incomplete") is reserved for extreme circumstances. It is necessary to have completed almost all of the course with a passing average and to file an incomplete contract specifying what is left for you to do. To be eligible for an I grade you need a good reason and you should have missed not more than 25% of the first nine weeks of classes. If approved by the Mathematics Department chair and the CST Dean's office, the incomplete contract must include a default grade that will be used in case the I grade is not resolved within 12 months.