Introduction to Statistics for Health Care Research
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Location:
Online
Dates:
25/01/2027 - 19/03/2027
Study format:
Online - flexible
Fees:
From £2,905.00 to £3,520.00
- Understand and manipulate basic mathematical and statistical techniques as preparation for more specialized courses in health care;
- Understand the statistical issues in the planning and analysis of research;
- Understand the basic statistical aspects of published research;
- Apply statistical analysis to cohort studies, case control studies and randomized controlled trials.
Apply for this course
Continue your application using the button below.
Selection criteria
Admissions Criteria:
To apply for the course you should:
- Be a graduate or have successfully completed a professional training course
- Have professional work experience in the health service or a health-related field
- Have a good working knowledge of email, internet, word processing and Windows applications (for communications with course members, course team and administration)
- Show evidence of the ability to commit time to study and an employer’s commitment to make time available to study, complete course work and attend course and university events and modules.
- Be able to demonstrate English Language proficiency at the University’s higher level.
IT requirements
Please ensure that you have access to a computer that meets the specifications detailed on our technical support page.
Programme details
Unit Content:
- The use and importance of statistics
- Handling and describing data, learning to use SPSS
- Analysis of numerical results
- Confidence intervals
- Comparison of two means
- Hypothesis testing
- Analysis of variance
- Linear regression and correlation
- Analysing binary outcomes
- Comparing two proportions
Assessment methods
- Each unit includes a data analysis exercise to consolidate understanding
- The assessment consists of statistical problems in health research designed to give insight into real statistical problems in healthcare and to test ability to apply and understand correct statistical analysis.
Academic Credit
Applicants may take this course for academic credit. The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points for this course. Participants attending at least 80% of the taught course and successfully completing assessed assignments are eligible to earn credit equivalent to 20 CATS points which may be counted towards a postgraduate qualification.
Applicants can choose not to take the course for academic credit and will therefore not be eligible to undertake the academic assignment offered to students taking the course for credit. Applicants cannot receive CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points or equivalence. Credit cannot be attributed retrospectively. CATS accreditation is required if you wish for the course to count towards a further qualification in the future. If you wish to discuss this possibility, please ensure you contact the Programme team at cpdheath@conted.ox.ac.uk prior to applying for the course.
A Certificate of Completion is issued at the end of the course.
Applicants registered to attend ‘not for credit’ who subsequently wish to register for academic credit and complete the assignment are required to submit additional information, which must be received one calendar month in advance of the course start date. Please contact us for more details.
Please contact cpdhealth@conted.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.
Francesca Little – Module Co-ordinator
Francesca Little is a Senior Statistician at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor, University of Cape Town.
Maria Vazquez Montes – Module Co-ordinator
Dr Maria Vazquez Montes is a Senior Statistician at the Nuffield Dept of Primary Care Health Science, University of Oxford.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Short Course in Health Sciences | £3520.00 |
| Students enrolled on MSc in EBHC | £2905.00 |
Funding
Details of funding opportunities, including grants, bursaries, loans, scholarships and benefit information are available on our financial assistance page.
Discounts
If you are an employee of the University of Oxford and have a valid University staff card you may be eligible to receive a 10% discount on the full stand-alone fee. To take advantage of this offer please submit a scan/photocopy of your staff card along with your application. Your card should be valid for a further six months after attending the course.
If you are a current employee of the NHS, you may be eligible for our new NHS Short Course Bursary (or “NHS Bursary”), which offers a limited number of places at a 20% fee reduction. Please click on the link here to find out more.
Recommended reading
- Kirkwood, B. R. and Sterne, J. A. C. Essential Medical Statistics (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 3rd ed. 2003)
This course requires you to complete the application form and to attach a copy of your CV. If you are applying to take this course for academic credit you will also be required to provide a reference. Please note that if you are not applying to take the course for academic credit then you do not need to submit a reference.
Please ensure you read the guidance notes which appear when you click on the symbols as you progress through the application form, as any errors resulting from failure to do so may delay your application.
Part of:
- MSc in Evidence-Based Health Care
- MSc in EBHC (Teaching and Education)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Health Research
- Postgraduate Certificate in Health Research
and also available as an accredited short course in Health Sciences