Lewis Waterfield
Senior Lecturer in Public Health
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Epidemiology and Statistics
Key Facts
Updated 03/11/2025
Updated 03/11/2025
Overview
This Level 7, 20-credit module examines the history and scope of epidemiology as the ‘basic science of public health’. Underpinning principles such as making judgements about causality, exploring disease frequency, relative risk, odds ratios, bias and confounding are introduced. Consideration is given to epidemiological methods, such as describing and analysing data, critically appraising study designs, and reflecting on different public health issues in society.
Highlights
- Can use credits to build towards MSc Public Health.
- Opportunity to explore health and disease statistics.
- Explore a variety of disease topics and apply their learning and knowledge to new scenarios within a health environment.
- Learn and discover the basic foundations of research study design in public health.
Entry Requirements
Applicants will normally hold a recognised First- or Second-class Honours degree in a subject area that demonstrates applicability to public health practice including:
- Dentistry, pharmacy, biology, medicine, public health, nursing, environmental health, biomedical health/science, podiatry, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, psychology, microbiology, biochemistry.
- Homeopathic Medicine (including degrees in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery).
- Zoology and most medical/health background undergraduate degrees. This includes degrees such as BSc Profusion Technology and BSc Radiology.
Applications listing degrees not shown above may be referred to the course tutor to assess suitability. We will need to see evidence of:
- Degree transcripts with exact modules studied.
- Evidence of experience in public health (if applicable).
- References for suitability.
What You'll Learn
This course is delivered over six taught days (one day per week) at our Waterside Campus.
Indicative course content:
- History and philosophy of epidemiology study design.
- Components of epidemiology.
- Surveillance techniques, measures of disease frequency and association, relative risk and odds ratios interpretation.
- Causation, outbreak identification, risk management, control of spread.
- Statistical association and cause-effect relationships.
- Morbidity and mortality data.
- Epidemiological study designs (case-control studies; cohort studies; cross-sectional studies; intervention studies; ecological studies).
- Antimicrobial resistance epidemiology.
- Evaluating the roles of bias, confounding and chance.
- Descriptive statistics.
- Social epidemiology.
- Ethical issues related to health and well-being of individuals and populations; research and epidemiological approaches.
Fees and Funding
2025/26 Tuition Fees
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 25/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- Module costs: £945 per 20 credit module
Please contact Karen Edwards for further information about fees for this module.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 24/25 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
- Module costs: £920 per 20 credit module
Staff
Puremeluan Major
Senior Lecturer in Public Health
