HEL-8013 Epidemiology - Introduction and Deeper Understanding - 9 stp

Mandatory requirement: HEL-8012 Quantitative Research Methods

To take PhD courses you need at a minimum a master¿s degree or equivalent, or admission to a Medical Student Research Program.

For information about how to apply for admission, go to: http://uit.no/helsefak/forskning/phd/emner

The student will be able to:

• contribute with extensive knowledge of epidemiology in research on incidence, causes and prevention of disease 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.
• contribute to the development of new knowledge, new theory and new methods within the field.
• 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. 

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.

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 e 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 continuation examination may be arranged in the subsequent term. Application deadline for continuation exam is August 15th.

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.