HLTH 503 Principles of Epidemiology

The course is a study of human population patterns of disease and injury and the application of this study to the control of health problems.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.


Disease is not randomly distributed within a population, but rather occurs according to patterns which can be observed and described using frequencies within subpopulations and groups. An understanding of the uneven distribution of an illness can be used by investigators to correctly determine causation and ultimately develop strategies and programs for prevention and control of that illness. As one of the core course requirements of a public health degree, the discipline of epidemiology provides the tools necessary to accurately study and describe the occurrence of disease, reach conclusions regarding causation, and develop practical, effective interventions to reduce or eliminate the effects of disease upon human populations.


Textbook readings and presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussion threads are collaborative learning experiences. The student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion and reply to a minimum of two student’s threads. Each thread must be 400-450 words and be supported by at least 2 scholarly citations, and each reply must be 200-250 words and be supported by at least 1 scholarly citation. All citations must be in AMA format. The instructor is looking for substantial, thoughtful, and critical discussions. (CLOs: A, D, F)

PowerPoint Presentation Project

The student will explore an infectious disease using a descriptive epidemiologic approach. The student will select the disease from an approved list that will be provided. The student will then collect sources, develop an outline, and compile a reference page according to current AMA format. The student will develop two PowerPoint presentations of 15–20 slides each with a fully typed narration suitable for a professional audience and a general audience, respectively. (CLOs: C, D, E, F)

Quizzes (7)

There are quizzes in Modules: Weeks 1 – 6 that cover the Learn material from the Friis and Seller text and study guide. Each quiz will have 25 multiple-choice and true/false questions and is timed for 1 hour and 30 minutes. There is a final quiz in Module 8: Week 8 which will cover all of the Learn material from Module 1: Week 1 — Module 8: Week 8. The exam has 50 multiple-choice and true/false questions and is timed for 2 hours and 45 minutes. The quizzes are open-book/open-notes. The student is encouraged to use a calculator. (CLOs: B, E)


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