This course provides a strong foundation in epidemiological and statistical methods required for public health. The course assumes no prior knowledge of epidemiology or statistics, and students will be guided through the major techniques used to measure and analyse the health of populations, including the use of statistical software such as RStudio and STATA. Students will be supported to interpret and critically appraise literature in public health, providing a firm foundation for advanced study in the area.

Asynchronous material delivered over ten weeks.

None

Assessment 1: Written Essay (50%) - approx. 1500 words [ILO 1, 2, 4]

Assessment 2: Practical Skills (50%) [ILO 1, 3, 4]

This course aims to introduce students to the key concepts underpinning fundamental epidemiological and statistical methods used commonly within public health, and to support students to develop the practical skills in designing studies, analysing data, and critically appraising literature relevant to public health.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically assess the role of epidemiology and statistics within public health.

2. Critically appraise key concepts in epidemiological design.

3. Critically appraise and apply key statistical methods.

4. Critically appraise and evaluate the concept of causality within public health literature.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.