| Epidemiology Homepage
This Epidemiology introductory course introduces students to the field and practice of epidemiology, and provides foundational knowledge as well as practical skills. All components of this training are free, including registration,
learning, testing, and a certificate of completion. This course is intended for undergraduate- and graduate-level students of health sciences or public health.
This epidemiology course was developed in partnership with the University of the Incarnate Word,
the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research,
and the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Like all NextGenU courses, it is competency-based, using competencies from the
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region, and uses learning resources from world-class academic and governmental organizations, such as the University of California, Berkeley, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the
World Health Organization. The course developer is Ashlee Shaw, MPH, with major contributions from Lindsay Galway, PhD and Eric Mintz, PhD. We also gratefully acknowledge the contributions of: Michael Beckett; Keenan Federico, BA; and Kaylin Woods, BSc, MPH, MD.
For a publication on this course’s efficacy, see “Building Public Health Capacity through Online Global Learning,” (2018), Open Praxis, to see more research related to NextGenU.org’s
educational model, check out NextGenU.org’s publication page. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future updates, new courses, and to be part of our community.
There are 8 modules to complete through online study and peer activities, which provide:
- An overview of core topics in epidemiology, such as descriptive epidemiology, study design, and critical evidence review, among other topics;
- Skills to measure indicators of mortality and morbidity, association and causation;
- An introduction to applied epidemiology.
Approximate time for completion of this course is 124 hours at an average reading rate of 144 words/minute.
Before you begin the course, please take a moment to take the short knowledge Pre-test below. It allows us to assess various aspects of the course itself and is mandatory to receive your certificate upon completion of the course.
The course requires completion of peer activities. At the end of each lesson, there is a practice quiz. At the end of the course, after you’ve completed each lesson, quiz, and activity, you’ll have access to a final exam, and a chance to assess the training.
Once you’ve passed that last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations (listed above). We keep all of your personal information confidential, never sell any of your
information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes, and we are also happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request. We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning
experience, and we count on your feedback to help us improve this training for future students.
Engaging with this Course:
You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment; there are no requirements.
To obtain a certificate
- Show in the registration fields that you have the appropriate prerequisites to be certified. This course requires the learner to have already obtained a college level degree.
- Take the brief pre-test.
- Complete all the reading requirements.
- Complete all quizzes and pass with a 70% with unlimited attempts.
- Complete 10 peer activity and associated certification quizzes.
- Successfully complete the final exam with a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts.
- Complete the self and course evaluation forms.
To obtain credit
- Complete all requirements listed above for the certificate.
- Your learning institution or workplace should approve the partner-university-sponsored NextGenU.org course for educational credit, as they would for their learner taking a course anywhere.
- NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:
- a link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the cosponsoring universities and other professional organization cosponsors;
- your grade on the final exam;
- your work products (e.g. peer and mentored activities), and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;
- your evaluations -- course, self, and peer assessments;
- a copy of your certificate of completion, with the cosponsoring universities and other organizations listed.
To obtain a degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org contact us.
We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.
Next Steps
- Complete the registration form.
- Take the short knowledge pre-test below. It allows us to assess various aspects of the course itself.
- Begin the course with Module 1: Introduction to Epidemiology. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, and take the corresponding quizzes.
Required readingsOptional readingsPeer ActivitiesQuizzesAssignmentsDiscussionsQuestionnare |