Course structure
Michaelmas term: core content
The first term will consist of core topics that form the foundation of learning. Core modules include:
- International Research Ethics: introduces students to the key ethical principles guiding health research in a global context.
- Introduction to Global Health Science: outlines the major causes of premature death around the world.
- Principles of Epidemiology: covers principles of both descriptive and analytical epidemiology, discusses in detail how epidemiological studies are designed and critiqued.
- Principles of Statistics: develops students' understanding of the underlying statistical principles used in population health research and ability to conduct statistical analyses independently.
The first term has a high number of contact hours through lectures, seminars and tutorials. The term will also include the first formative assessments of the course.
Hilary term: optional modules and core content
During the second term students must select four of the following eight options for further study:
- Clinical Trials and Meta-Analysis: covers the design, conduct and statistical analysis of clinical trials and meat-analyses.
- Communicable Diseases Epidemiology: introduces students to the concepts and principles of the epidemiology of communicable diseases.
- Genetic Epidemiology: provides an introduction to the main concepts, principles, approaches, applications and interpretation of human genetic epidemiology.
- Health Economics: introduces students to the fundamental concepts and principles of economics relevant to health, health care and the functioning of the health care system.
- Maternal and Child Health: gives students an overview of maternal and child health from a broad perspective, through normal pregnancy, pregnancy complications and mortality to child health, disability and mortality.
- Non-Communicable Diseases: addresses and examines the burden and risk factors of non-communicable diseases worldwide and covers the challenges faced in studying the epidemiology of these conditions.
- Nutritional Epidemiology: covers key concepts and principles of nutritional epidemiology with particular emphasis on how dietary intake is measured and the importance of diet for the prevention of non-communicable diseases.
- Principles and Applications of Data Science: equips students with practical data science skills to process, analyse, visualise, and ultimately, better understand complex health data, focusing on the practical applications of data science and on understanding the concepts behind the methods.
This term will also continue teaching of the core modules. Towards the end of the second term students will be completing the first summative assessments of the course. Students will also work on their project proposals for their placements.
and long vacation: research placements and dissertation
The third term will involve a twelve-week research placement that leads to a dissertation.
The course is reviewed annually and is subject to minor changes in response to feedback and evaluation.