Overview
This course develops statistical methods for analyzing time-to-event data subject to censoring and truncation. Topics include survival and hazard functions, cumulative hazard, risk sets, median survival, right, left, and interval censoring, truncation, Kaplan–Meier estimation, Greenwood standard errors, survival-curve comparison, and log-rank tests.
Students study proportional hazards regression, hazard-ratio interpretation, model diagnostics, proportional-hazards assessment, time-varying effects, stratification, interactions, accelerated failure-time models, parametric survival distributions, competing risks, recurrent events, and selected frailty models. Practical work uses statistical software and authentic datasets to organize follow-up data, produce survival plots, fit and assess models, quantify uncertainty, write reproducible code, and communicate study-design assumptions, estimands, bias, and limitations.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify appropriate time-to-event methods for distinct study designs, censoring structures, and research objectives.
- Explain survival, hazard, cumulative hazard, risk sets, censoring mechanisms, truncation, and their analytical assumptions.
- Estimate and compare survival experiences using nonparametric methods, standard errors, and hypothesis tests.
- Interpret hazard-based and time-based effects from proportional hazards, accelerated failure-time, and parametric models.
- Diagnose model inadequacy through residual analysis, proportional-hazards assessments, influence analysis, and examination of time-varying effects.
- Distinguish estimands, sources of bias, competing-risk processes, recurrent events, and dependence arising from shared frailty.
- Implement reproducible statistical analyses using appropriate software, documenting data preparation, model specifications, uncertainty, and limitations.
- Communicate survival-analysis findings clearly for clinical, public-health, engineering, and social research audiences.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Lab | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Weekly computational exercises (10 × 2%) | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Data analysis report | 20.00% |
| Test | Practical data analysis test | 20.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 40.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.