Application deadline

External applicants: Application deadline is 1 December for Spring semester and 1 June for Autumn semester. Application code 9303 in Søknadsweb.

If admittd to the course you have to register for class and exam in Studentweb by 1 February for Spring semester and 1 September for Autumn semester.

PhD students and students at the Medical Student Research Program at UiT - The Arctic University of Norway go directly to Studentweb to register for class and exam.

Type of course

Admission requirements

PhD students, masters students at a Medical Research Program, or holders of a Norwegian master´s degree of five years or 3+ 2 years (or equivalent) may be admitted. Valid documentation is a statement from your institution that you are a registered PhD student, or master student at a Medical Student Research Program or a Master´s Diploma with Diploma Supplement / English translation of the diploma. PhD students are exempt from semester fee.

For more information regarding PhD courses at the Faculty of Health Sciences go to: http://uit.no/helsefak/forskning/phd/emner

Mandatory requirement: HEL-8012/HEL-8024 Quantitative Research Method or equivalent.

Course content

Objectives of the course

The student will be able to:

• contribute with extensive knowledge of epidemiology in research on incidence, causes and prevention of diseases and health problems in populations.
• assess use, advantages and limitations of epidemiological study designs and methods.
• plan epidemiological research projects both on a national and an international level.
• assess and interpret epidemiological literature and write scientific articles. 
• identify relevant research ethical problems in a research project and know how to obtain the necessary approvals.
• explain results from research and developmental projects in a satisfactory way.
• participate in national and international debates on epidemiological issues. 

Language of instruction and examination

Teaching methods

The course runs over two semesters. It starts in the Autumn semester (October/November) and ends with an exam in the Spring semester (May).

Autumn semester This semester starts with a one-day introductory seminar, followed by four student led colloquiums every second week until the end of the semester.

Spring semester The spring semester consists of three on-campus sessions, each lasting three days  and approximately one  month in between each session.

The course has multiple teaching approaches (lectures, seminars, work-shops and presentations), and active use of the Learning Management System Fronter is mandatory.

Assessment

Work requirements:

Attendance to seminars, colloquiums and workshops are mandatory.

The following requirements must be approved before students can sit for the exam:

• Two written home assignments (one after each of the two first sessions), each   home assignment 5-6 pages long (Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing). Estimated time to work on each assignment is two weeks. The assignments  are graded: approved / not approved.

The assignments can be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. 

Examination and assessment:

Home exam: An essay of  12-15 pages (Times New Roman 12 pt, line spacing 1.5, maximum 20 references) allowing the students to demonstrate their ability to apply acquired knowledge in relation to their own doctoral project. The exam has a timeframe of about two weeks. 

The exam is graded passed / failed.

The exam can be written in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

A re-sit examination may be arranged in the subsequent term. Registration deadline for the re-sit exam is August 15th.

Recommended reading/syllabus

Mandatory curriculum:

Bhopal Raj. Concepts of epidemiology. Oxford University Press. Second edition. ISBN 978-0-19-954314-4. Ca. 380 pages.

Szklo & Nieto: Epidemiology beyond the basics. Jones & Bartlett publishers. Third edition. ISBN 978-1-4496-0469-1. Ca. 420 pages.