IS 327
Fall 2026 All Classes
Credit: 3 hours.
A dramatic increase in computing power has enabled new areas of data science to develop in statistical modeling and artificial intelligence, often called Machine Learning. Machine learning covers predictive and descriptive learning, and bridges theoretical and empirical ideas across disciplines. We will focus on concepts and methods for predictive learning: estimating models from data to predict unknown outcomes. Model types will include decision trees, linear models, nearest neighbor methods, and others as time permits. We will cover classification and regression using these models, as well as methods needed to handle large datasets. Lastly, we will discuss deep neural networks and other methods at the forefront of machine learning. We situate the course components in the "data science life cycle" as part of the larger set of practices in the discovery and communication of scientific findings. The course will include lectures, readings, homework assignments, exams, and a class project. Most of the course activities will use Python with the Pandas library, which students should already be proficient using. Students will learn how to use the scikit-learn Python library for machine learning during this course.
Prerequisite: Statistical tools that are fundamental for financial modeling, analyzing financial data and further studies in financial engineering. Topics include summary statistics, statistical plots, point estimation, accuracy and precision, confidence interval, Monte Carlo simulation, maximum likelihood estimation, normal mixture, resampling, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression, multiple linear regression, variable selection, regression diagnostics, autocorrelation, moving average models, filtering, autoregressive models, ARIMA, forecasting, and selected additional topics. Implementations are done using R. Course Information: Credit is not given toward graduation for: Credit is not given for both IE 522 and SE 524. Prerequisite: IE 300 and MATH 461. Restricted to Sophomore, Junior, or Senior standing.