Study Design in Etiologic Research (online)

This course is a core component of any Master’s degree in Epidemiology, and is also key to being able to follow specialized courses in epidemiology. It is focused on observational studies for etiologic research. Its aim is for you to learn about the principles and practice of cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies. We will discuss design, data collection and validity issues, as well as the major advantages and disadvantages of the different study designs. The emphasis will be on the application of observational study design in etiologic research.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• explain the principles, design and validity aspects of a cohort study, a case-control study and a cross-sectional study
• interpret the measures of frequency and association from cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies
• calculate the corresponding measures of frequency and association, and explain these calculations
• explain special designs used instead of the classical case-control study (e.g. case-cohort study or case-crossover study)
• explain the methods of data collection in the different study designs
• explain the specific aspects of study design in veterinary epidemiology as compared to human epidemiology (e.g. clustering of animals and the effects this has on study design, measurement of exposure status, disease status and confounders, and the selection of the study population)
• appraise scientific abstracts and papers on the choice of study design, and debate the relevant validity aspects
• design an appropriate study to be used in a specific situation or to answer an etiologic question

Are courses are aimed at clinical researchers, nurses, general practitioners, and other health professionals who want to improve their skills in epidemiology, statistics and (clinical) research.

6 weeks, 14 hours per week

Even though you can manage your own time our courses are not intended as individual education. We offer personalized online learning with lots of interaction with peer students, the E-moderator and lecturers. Flexibility from students, a positive attitude towards teachers and peers and the willingness to learn together and help each other is invaluable to our courses. To experience maximum interaction, we advise you to log on several times per week.

Note that the starting dates of courses, interim deadlines, and dates of exams are fixed, but you can choose when and where you want to watch web lectures and work on assignments. The e-moderator of the course will inform you about the beginning of the course and about deadlines during the course.

The average required study workload for the courses of MSc Epidemiology Postgraduate Online is 14 hours per week. You will need this time to study, to keep up with the assignments and course material.