About the courseThis course is aimed at health professionals and individuals with a keen interest in the development of public health. It is ideal for those who wish to be at the forefront of public health decision-making and who wish to make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of the population.You will learn about common designs of public health studies, and the statistical methods needed to analyses data arising from these designs. Emphasis will be placed on the practical ... READ MORE

About the course

This course is aimed at health professionals and individuals with a keen interest in the development of public health. It is ideal for those who wish to be at the forefront of public health decision-making and who wish to make a positive contribution to the health and wellbeing of the population.

• You will learn about common designs of public health studies, and the statistical methods needed to analyses data arising from these designs. Emphasis will be placed on the practical application of such techniques through the use of the statistical software SPSS.
• This course aims to provide you with the skills required to critically evaluate the inter-relationship between research objectives and analytical methods, as well as the ability to interpret the results of quantitative analysis using statistical software.
• It will facilitate the appraisal and assessment of public health practice and the engagement in critical debate about data analysis methods in public health.

The practical application of statistical methods in a public health context will be covered. No prior knowledge of statistics is assumed, and the focus is on the effective use of statistics using statistical software, rather than the underlying mathematical theory.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is delivered through a range of teaching methods including lectures, tutorial supervision and guided independent study. You will be assessed through one piece of coursework, where you will undertake a detailed analysis of a large data set, using a range of statistical techniques.

Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course. Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

Career support

This short course will assist you to meet the specialist skills and post-registration development requirements stipulated by your employer/professional regulator.