MOOC Econometrics

What do I need to follow this course?

Knowledge in mathematics
For this MOOC, you need some background knowledge in mathematics, in particular some elements of
matrices, probability theory, and statistics. The Building Block module explains these topics, with three
lectures on matrices, two lectures on probability, and two lectures on statistics. You can find these lectures
on the website, under Week 8.
Some further mathematical background is needed that is not discussed, especially some elements from
calculus, such as differentiation, integration, and the exponential and logarithmic functions. You certainly
do not need any tough calculation skills on these topics, and it suffices that you know their meaning and the
core ideas of their application.
If you have a background in engineering or the natural sciences, then you certainly have enough knowledge
to start this course. If you have a background in economics, business, or the social sciences, then it may be
helpful to consult the Building Blocks to check if you manage what is needed for this course.

Statistical software (regression)

To make some of the exercises of this MOOC, you will need some statistical software, mainly to run regressions
to compute coefficients and their standard errors and t-values. You can use any package that is available to
you, for example, SPSS, Stata, EViews, or similar packages.
If you have no software available, then you can download free packages from the internet, for example, PSPP,
or R, or similar packages. You can find these free packages by browsing the internet.