This course introduces probabilistic models and statistical methods used in the analysis of reliability problems. Half of the course will examine probabilistic models for the lifetime of a system of components, and the other half will consider statistical methods which can be applied to a data set of survival times. Several specific goals include:

1. Provide a (quick) review of probability and statistics;
2. Explore the common distributions used to model failure rates and develop necessary skills in choosing these models;
3. Determine lifetime characteristics of a product using both graphical and quantitative analysis methods;
4. Examine case studies containing censored and uncensored data to learn how to correctly handle a wide variety of data structures commonly found in reliability;
5. Use Minitab and perhaps other statistical software packages to solve reliability problems;
6. Understand reliability theory at the level of the current archival literature. You will read articles from Journal of the American Statistical Association, IEEE Transactions on Reliability, Technometrics, Journal of Quality Technology, and Management Science.