STAT 440Computational Inference
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Statistics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduction to and application of computational methods in statistical inference. Monte Carlo evaluation of statistical procedures, exploration of the likelihood function through graphical and optimization techniques. Topics include expectation-maximization, Bootstrapping, Markov Chain Monte Carlo, and other computationally intensive methods.
Prerequisites
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 5592 | 0 / 40 | MW 13:00–14:20 |
| LEC 701 | 2224 | 14 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
25% liked it8% easy50% useful
From 8 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
This course could have been so interesting and helpful, but the desire to learn transformed into the desire to pass with this Prof.
This course was also split with the graduate version. After I got my final marks, I noticed the professor didn't deduct the extra graduate student marks from my denominator. Even though I still passed, it's still unfair.Apr 2021 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Everything is okay until the expectation maximization and Monte Carlo MCMC, take a bit of time to figure out what's going on. The midterm was easy but the final was somewhat more difficult and unexpected. Don't underestimate the difficulty of these exams in this course even though you do okay on the assignments. The exams are more theory-based rather than application-based. Be ready to write a lot of R as well.
Aug 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
No idea what was going on in that course.
Sep 2019 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
182 posts and comments in 144 threads mention STAT 440, December 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
Easiest Faculty of Mathematics Course for Engineering AI option 5 points, 7 comments
u/Agishan: “… \- Computational Vision (0.50) STAT341 \- Computational Statistics and Data Analysis (0.50) STAT440 \- Computational Inference (0.50) STAT441 \- Statistical Learning - Classification (0.50) STAT444 \- Statistical Learning - Advanced Regression (0.50) From this site: …”
Course selection: should I take STAT 441/841 and 444/844 in the same term? 3 points, 5 comments
u/Not_So_Deleted: “… I'm also looking at STAT 440/840 and STAT 442/842, but for what I'm doing, the statistical learning courses make most sense to take.”
Easy 300/400 STATS courses for Winter 2025 term? 5 points, 4 comments
u/FewEntertainment1066: “… STAT 430 - Experimental Design STAT 431 - Generalized Linear Models and their Applications STAT 440 - Computational Inference STAT 443 - Forecasting STAT 444 - Statistical Learning - Function Estimation I hope to take a stat course that is relatively simple and easy to get high …”
Spring 2024
Deciding between STAT 440, STAT 443, and STAT 444 7 points, 1 comment
u/jjjsun: “… For Spring 2024 term, the prof for both stat 440 and 444 is Alex Stringer, and the prof for stat 443 is Jeremy VanderDoes. …”
Winter 2024
stat440 or stat444？ 4 points, 2 comments
u/EsabellaGranger: “I am a stats student and I am looking to pursue the MDSAI ( masters of data science and AI) program at waterloo or related fields elsewhere , which one do you recommend taking this spring? BTW, both courses are taught by Stringer, has anyone taken his 440 or 444? …”
u/positivity_nerd: “I took stat 444 with Prof Alex. He is exceptional in teaching. The class size was small and everyone was interested to learn the content. Stat 440 is his expertise so i know he is biased towards that 😂.”
Fall 2023
I don’t know what to do with my degree 1 point, 14 comments
“I'm in my 2A term as a math student and my initial plans were to get into data science, but due to my average being lower than the cutoff that did not happen. …”
u/EurasianZaltpetre: “… Also you can learn some of the more theoretical courses which can give you a big advantage in AI/ML/DS jobs such as CO 367 and STAT 331,341,440,441,442,444. In my opinion it’s easier to find material for CS courses online than there are material for the STAT or CO courses. …”
2B Course Load 1 point, 1 comment
“A little backstory: I just got admitted to DS after finishing 2A (I took MATH 235, MATH 237, MATH 239 + elective). …”
u/ak5492: “… 348, CS 486, STAT 330, STAT 331 + electives 4A - CS 451, STAT 341 + electives 4B - CS 448, STAT 440, STAT 442 + electives I'm overloading in 3A”
Spring 2023
STAT Courses Coding Prep 1 point, 2 comments
u/Impossible_Ebb2433: “… I am really interested in STAT 440, 441, 443, 444 but I heard all of these courses are coding heavy, and I was wondering how I should learn the necessary coding skills to overcome the coding challenges in those courses. …”
Course Recommendations: MATH major :p 5 points, 5 comments
u/ComfortableEastern51: “… I'm hesitant to take MATH 237 because I didn't enjoy calculus much, but I know that several stats courses require it (STAT 341/440/441/442). …”
Worst Exams Taken 40 points, 15 comments
u/IKOBGaming: “With grades coming out and the recent exam crying threads, what were some of your worst exam stories? For me was leaving my Stat 440 exam half blank and left an hour early praying I passed Hopefully the semester went well for you guys tho!”
u/CliffRouge: “I saw someone leave the STAT 440 exam early… I thought they were a mega genius cause I wasn’t even a quarter done LOL”
Winter 2023
STAT 440, 441, 442, 444 5 points, 11 comments
u/Ebb_Novel: “Gotta choose 3 outta the 4. Which do you think is the most practical or worth the time”
Data Science/Stat Requirements 2 points, 2 comments
u/l33mh01: “… For Data Science, STAT 440-444 are listed as options; if I take two of the STAT 44X courses, do those count both towards the Data Science requirement AND the Stat requirement? Or would I have to take two other 400-level STAT courses as well? …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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