The Aberdeen Short Course in Epidemiology is an online intensive course which provides a complete overview of key considerations in epidemiological research methods.
Held remotely two days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays) over three weeks, this course will furnish you with the skills and knowledge that you need to undertake study in the field of epidemiology. Upon completion you will better understand epidemiological research methods, aspects of descriptive epidemiology, study design, analysis, and how to conduct and appraise epidemiological studies.
Based on our well-established Intensive Course in Applied Epidemiology, the course draws on the expertise and knowledge of course organisers Professors Gary Macfarlane and Gareth Jones, who have over 50 years' combined of experience in epidemiology teaching.
No prior epidemiological training is required, and the course aims to take delegates up to the level of an epidemiological module within a typical MPH programme.
Booking for our 2026 course is now closed, however some additional places may be available. Please contact epidemiology@abdn.ac.uk if you wish to discuss late registrations for this year's course.
If you would like to receive updates about our 2027 course please complete our pre-registration form to receive notifications as these become available.
Find out more about ASCE 2026
- Who is our course for?
-
This course is for anyone looking to ground themselves in the key concepts, study design and methodological considerations in epidemiological research.
While we will cover the principles of epidemiological analysis, how different approaches should be employed for different study designs, and how these should be interpreted, it does not cover advanced statistical analysis techniques.
The course covers methods common to all chronic disease epidemiology, although is particularly suited to clinicians, researchers and other practitioners in pain and musculoskeletal disease, due to the specific research expertise of our faculty members.
- What you'll learn
-
What the course covers
The course covers all the key skills you will need to embark upon epidemiological research, including:
- Measuring incidence and prevalence of disease within a chosen population
- Study design, including cohort studies, case-control studies, randomised controlled trials, as well as case-crossover and case-cohort studies
- Key methodological issues, including how to make sure your study data is valid and reliable, and how to minimise bias and avoid or assess confounding.
- How to incorporate qualitative research methods into your epidemiological studies and how they can enhance understanding of quantitative data.
- Assessment of causation from associations
- How to bring your theoretical knowledge and skills together to put them into practice
Key skills
The course will equip you with key skills in epidemiological research, including how to:
- Choose the right study design
- Measure disease in a population
- Understand methodological issues such as validity, reliability and bias and confounding
- Incorporate qualitative and mixed-methods approaches within your study
- Infer causation from associations
- Put your theoretical knowledge and skills into practice
- Course timetable
-
Week 1
Monday 2nd March
0930 - 1100 Introduction: Epidemiology for tomorrow's world 1130 - 1300 Measuring and comparing the burden of disease 1400 - 1600 Case-control studies
Tuesday 3rd March 20260930 - 1100 Cohort studies 1130 - 1300 Sampling and confidence intervals 1400 - 1600 Validity and reliability Week 2
Monday 9th March 2026
0930 - 1100 Novel study designs 1130 - 1300 General principles of analysis 1400 - 1600 Randomised controlled trials
Tuesday 10th March 20260930 - 1100 Real-world data 1130 - 1300 Big data 1400 - 1600 Qualitative research methods Week 3
Monday 16th March 2026
0930 - 1100 Bias and confounding 1130 - 1300 Inferring causes from associations 1400 - 1600 Focus on communicable disease
Tuesday 17th March 20260930 - 1300 Putting theory into practice - Fees and how to register
-
Course fees
Fees for the 2026 course are as follows:
- Standard rate: £1450
- University researcher / healthcare professional discount: £1150
- PhD / postgraduate student discount: £950
Other discounts (e.g. for multiple bookings) maybe be available upon request. Late registrations will be subject to a late registration fee. Please contact us to discuss further.
Registration
Booking for our 2026 course is now closed, however some additional places may be available. Please contact epidemiology@abdn.ac.uk if you wish to discuss late registrations for this year's course.
If you would like to receive updates about our 2027 course please complete our pre-registration form to receive notifications as these become available.
Terms and conditions
Registrations will open at 09:00 on Monday 1st September 2025 and will close at 23:59 on Saturday 31st January 2026.
Registrations will be subject to a cooling off period, during which a full refund will be possible. Thereafter, any refunds will be subject to a cancellation charge of 50% of the registration costs. The cooling off period ends 14 days after booking, or Saturday 31st January 2026, whichever is sooner.
No refunds will be offered for cancellations after 31st January 2026.