Welcome to MATH3085/6143: Survival Models.
Note that MATH3085 and MATH6143 are double-badged. This means that the course content of the two modules is the same but some of the assessment differs.
The purpose of this webpage is to explain the syllabus, assessment and support.
MATH3085/6143 introduces some of the fundamental ideas and issues of lifetime and time-to-event data analysis, as used in actuarial practice, biomedical research and demography. The module content will be introduced in 16 chapters (listed below).
Introduction
Statistical Models
The Survival Distribution
Distributions for Survival Models
Survival models: parameter estimation
Non-parametric Survival Estimation
Survival Regression Models
Multistate Survival Models
Inference for Multistate Models
Modelling Human Lifetime
The Life Table and Life Expectancy
Interpolating a Life Table
Life Table Models
Exposure to Risk
Comparing Mortality Rates
Graduation
These chapters can be partitioned into 6 parts (labelled A to F), each of which corresponds to a problem sheet and a quiz. The table below shows which chapters are associated with each part and quiz.
| Part | Chapters | Problem sheet | Quiz |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1-4 | 1 | 1 |
| B | 5-6 | 2 | 2 |
| C | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| D | 8-9 | 4 | 4 |
| E | 10-13 | 5 | 5 |
| F | 14-16 | 6 | 6 |
MATH3085/6143 has been given a timetable with the following slots.
| Day | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1700-1800 | 2/1089 |
| Thursday | 1700-1800 | 2A/2077 |
| Friday | 1400-1600 | 2/1089 |
During the lectures, I will explain the content and fill in the gaps.
Once I have completed each part, I will use the lecture time to go through the exercises on the associated problem sheet.
On Blackboard, under Lecture notes there are two sets of notes:
The skeleton notes have gaps in them which corresponds to mathematical detail. In the complete notes, the text corresponding to the gaps is blue.
You will be provided a hard copy of the course notes with gaps in Week 1.
The notes are supported by 6 problem sheets allocated to chapters according to the timetable above. The problem sheet for each chapter can be accessed under Problem sheets on Blackboard. Here you can find a PDF of the problem sheet, a PDF of the solutions.
The statistical software package R is used to model real survival data. To support using R for survival analysis, I have created a self-paced tutorial. This can be accessed via Survival models in R in Blackboard.
The self-paced tutorial features quizzes and more substantial exercises. You do not need to start the tutorial until after you have studied Chapter 7.
If you are new to R or would like a refresher then we have also re-purposed some self-paced R tutorials which is used in other modules. These are also found under Survival models in R in Blackboard. There are also instructions on how to install R and RStudio on your own machine.
There will also be drop-in support for R. More details will be given when they are available.
The basic module assessment breakdown is
The data analysis project will consists of a small number of tasks where you will be required to perform survival analysis of datasets using R.
The project will be made available on Monday 12th December 2021 and the deadline will be Tuesday 10th January 2022 (provisional plan).
More details will be given towards the end of the semester.
It will be a 2 hour closed book (no notes) in-person exam in the period of 16th - 27th January 2023.
There will be a formula sheet provided. The exam rubric (front page) will be made available on Blackboard at the same time as the formula sheet.
The exam will be similar in style and content to previous exams.
You are allowed a calculator although there are some restrictions.
There will be six short quizzes throughout Semester 1. Each quiz corresponds to material covered by each of the problem sheets. They do not contribute to your final marks.
Each quiz will involve answering a question similar to those found on the problem sheets. The quizzes are found under Quizzes tab on Blackboard. You can attempt as many times as you want.
For any problem, please come to my Office Hour: Thursday 10:00-11:00 AM (during Semester 1), Room 54/9001.
Additional support can be accessed on demand by sending an email to me at chao.zheng@southampton.ac.uk.