STAT8088 Statistical practicum (6 credits, Semester 1, 2, and Summer Semester of 2024-25)

This course is designed for students of the Master of Statistics Programme. To be eligible, students should be undertaking a statistics-related or risk-management-related practicum with no less than 160 hours (lunch hour excluded) in at least 20 working days spent in a paid or unpaid position, in the academic year of 2024-25. Part-time students in their first year are not eligible for this course.

 Enrolment Procedures

1. Students should first have secured a job themselves or via the Department's Internship/Job Online-application System. Part-time students are allowed to enroll in the course with their own job if the job/project nature is related to Statistics or Risk Management.
2. Submit a completed course registration form with a copy of employment contract or any other evidence of employment for the course coordinator's consideration. Part-time students using their current position for enrolment must provide written consent from the employer with details of the tasks/project allocated for the course*. Students who use a newly found position for the course are advised to apply for this course once the job is secured, as post-applications are normally not allowed.
3. Students will be notified by email of the registration result afterwards and, if applicable, the exact timeline of work submission.

Please note that full-time students could only enroll in the course starting from the Semester 2 of the first year of study, while part-time students could only enroll in the course starting from the second year of their study.

Students will NOT be allowed to withdraw the enrolment, if successful, of this course under normal circumstances.

* Example 1: A Statistics Officer describes in the written consent and the registration form that he/she would analyse data for a particular team/project, and perform data management from Jan-Mar 2025 around 20 hours per week. The written consent also includes a statement indicating the employer's agreement to supervise the student on the tasks concerned. The student obtains the employer' endorsement of the written consent and submit the signed consent with the registration form.

* Example 2: A Secondary School Teacher teaching Physics describes in the written consent and the registration form that he/she would initiate a project analysing data on the school's yearly student performance for around 10 hours per week. The written consent also includes a statement indicating the employer's agreement to supervise the student on the project concerned. The student obtains the employer's endorsement of the written consent and submit the signed consent with the registration form.

Please note that STAT8088 and STAT8089 are mutually exclusive. Students who take or have taken STAT8088 are not allowed to take STAT8089, and vice versa.

 Assessment

Upon completion of the practicum, the student is required to submit a written report and to give an oral presentation on his/her practicum experience. Assessment of this course is on a Pass or Fail or Distinction basis with the following three criteria:

NB Students are encouraged to present from memory rather than relying heavily on notes, as excessive reliance on them may result in a deduction of marks for your presentation.

Students should complete the above mentioned according to the timeline below. Late submissions may not be accepted.

Failure in fulfilling any of the 3 criteria satisfactorily would lead to a "Fail" grade in the course.

Please also note that if at the end the job turns out to

1. be less than 160 hours; or
2. be fewer than 20 working days; or
3. have actual job duty irrelevant to Statistics/ Risk Management,

 Tentative Timeline of Work Submission

Please note that this is a tentative timeline and may be subject to changes.

Note 1: If students are approved to take STAT8088 with a practicum across Semester 1, 2, and Summer Semester, the oral presentation and grading will normally be conducted in the semester during which the job will end, instead of the semester during which you apply for the course. Nevertheless, please be reminded that the Supervisor's Evaluation Form should always be submitted by the end date of the practicum.

Note 2: Whether the practicum spans both semesters or just Semester 2 or Summer Semester, the end date of the practicum should not be later than July 19, 2025. Otherwise, registration for enrolment in this course will not be accepted.

 Additional Information and Reminder

Any changes of the practicum details, including practicum period and job nature (subsequent to successful registration for enrolment in STAT8088), may render the registration invalid or may even lead to a "Fail" grade in the course. Students should immediately inform the Department of any changes for course coordinator's consent.

Students who are successfully registered for the course are also reminded to collect information during the practicum, if necessary, for completing certain required work/forms, e.g. Written Report.

Please be reminded that the ultimate responsibility of ensuring the course requirements as well as graduation requirements fulfilled should rest with students.

 Forms for Download

Please note that different forms may have different requirements, e.g. submission method, etc. Please complete and submit the forms according to the instructions as prescribed in each individual form.

 For Enquiry