MGSC 312 (Statistics for Business and Economics II) is a three-credit, second-level introductory course in statistics, designed as a continuation of MGSC 301 (Statistics for Business and Economics I). Together, these courses provide students with basic concepts and methods of statistical analysis. The course and the textbook are tailored to meet the needs of students in administrative studies. All the application problems are borrowed from business and economics, with many exercises based on real data. Completion of MGSC 301 or MATH 215 is required to register into this course and there is a challenge for credit option if students are interested.
Students should note that MATH 315 (Methods in Applied Statistics) is a precluded course, meaning that MGSC 312 may not be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for MATH 315.
Statistics for Business and Economics II is made up of eight lessons, with the marks made from two assignments weighing twenty percent each, a midterm examination that weighs thirty percent, and a final examination worth thirty percent. The eight units within this course cover topics such as index numbers, forecasting, simple linear regression, statistical methods for quality control, and more. Completing the two assignments is mandatory and students are strongly encouraged to complete the assignments before writing the exams. If you do not complete an assignment, you will not be able to finish the course until you do so. To receive credit for this course, students must submit both assignments, achieve a minimum grade of fifty percent on each of the two examinations (midterm and final), and achieve a minimum overall grade of a “D” (fifty percent) for the entire course. Both examinations for this course will be written in the traditional pen and paper format.
Ashly Tchir enrolled at Athabasca University in January of 2016 and is currently taking the Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting program. When asked to provide us with a bit of background on herself, she states “I was forced to switch careers due to health issues. I used to be an environmental consultant for five years, where I would carry out remediation site assessments all over Alberta and Saskatchewan. Nine months ago, I started working full-time as an accountant at a small construction company. My new job is awesome, and it makes me excited to finish my degree and get my CPA designation. I’m from Edmonton, Alberta. I grew up just outside of Edmonton. In my spare time I like to be hiking in the mountains, walking my dog, fishing, and spending time with my husband.”
When asked to explain MGSC 312 to students, she states “MGSC312 is the second business statistics course. It only covers eight chapters of material and it follows the format of MGSC301 very closely. Students should be aware that this course uses the same textbook as MGSC 301.
As for the structure of the course, Ashly states “The structure of the course is very straight forward. I read the chapters, highlighting as I went, then completed the assigned questions. There are two assignments, both of which are around thirty multiple choice questions. There is a midterm and a final examination, and both are multiple choice format. The midterm had thirty questions. Reading the chapter was essential to completing the course. The exams follow the assignments very closely. It is best to focus on the questions that are on the assignments when studying for the exams.
Ashly would recommend this course, stating “It was a straightforward course, it was quick, and I found it easy. I found lesson six to be the hardest of them all.”
When asked if she had any tips or tricks on completing the course, she states “Make sure to complete all the assigned questions, as well as the excel questions. Also, make sure that you understand the assignments.”
As for communications with her tutor, she explains that “Communication with my tutor has been good. They respond usually in one business day and the assignments are marked immediately. My exam was marked in a week. The exams are paper, so it took a few days to be mailed. Only complaint is that there was no feedback provided for the exams.”
Whether MGSC 312 is a degree or program requirement of yours, or the topics discussed above are of interest to you, this course will have you learning interesting material surrounding statistics for business and economics.
