Choosing an appropriate study design is a critical decision that can largely determine whether your study will successfully answer your research question. A quick look at the contents page of a biomedical journal or even at the health news section of a news website is enough to tell you that there are many different ways to conduct epidemiological research.
In this course, you will learn about the main epidemiological study designs, including cross-sectional and ecological studies, case-control and cohort studies, as well as the more complex nested case-control and case-cohort designs. The final module is dedicated to randomised controlled trials, which is often considered the optimal study design, especially in clinical research. You will also develop the skills to identify strengths and limitations of the various study designs. By the end of this course, you will be able to choose the most suitable study design considering the research question, the available time, and resources.
Status: Research
Research
Status: Clinical Research
Clinical Research
Intermediate·Course·9 hours
Featured reviews
5.0
·Reviewed Jan 16, 2021
Very useful and straightforward course for whoever wants to understand and going further compare the different types of study designs.
5.0
·Reviewed Jan 16, 2022
Great synopsis of study designs. Excellent lectures & the readings and quizzes are thoughtful and contribute to learning.
5.0
·Reviewed Oct 26, 2025
This course is best it give me promt knowlege about the baisc of study design in epidemiolgy.
5.0
·Reviewed May 8, 2020
I absolutely love this course. It's engaging and the facilitators are amazing. I have learned a lot from this course. It has deepened my interest in epidemiology. I will recommend it to anyone.
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 21, 2020
Excellent course for those who want to gain basic knowledge of epidemiologic study designs (clinical trials, randomized control trials, etc).
5.0
·Reviewed May 20, 2021
Very good course, especially if you want to pursue further studies in Public health.
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 27, 2019
Excellent overview of different epidemiological study designs! I learned a lot from this course.
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 19, 2020
Highly recommended! Now I know what researchers mean while reading papers on public health!
5.0
·Reviewed Mar 5, 2023
The course on study designs in epidemiology was very interesting and made me understand a lot on epidemiology data collection as well as outcome.
5.0
·Reviewed May 29, 2019
I think I'm in love... with Epidemiology. With each subsequent course, my thirst to understand epidemiology deepens. Thank you for this opportunity
5.0
·Reviewed Jul 4, 2020
Great course, I understood the concepts clearly through the examples, the overview material and the exercises on the tests. Thanks.
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 1, 2020
I can not thank enough the lecturer for his superb explanation of this concepts. I want to pursue on research feild and this was enlightening and inspiring.
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K
Kaleab
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 1, 2020
I can not thank enough the lecturer for his superb explanation of this concepts. I want to pursue on research feild and this was enlightening and inspiring.
C
Chioma
5.0
·Reviewed May 30, 2019
I think I'm in love... with Epidemiology. With each subsequent course, my thirst to understand epidemiology deepens. Thank you for this opportunity
F
Fernando
5.0
·Reviewed May 17, 2019
Excellent course with all the basic concepts relevant to epidemiological study designs.
R
Rebecca,
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 15, 2020
Great introduction to the different study designs in epidemiology. Really strengthened my understanding of public health interventions and measurements.
J
Juan
5.0
·Reviewed May 13, 2019
Actually this course is very important for those professionals who work in Epidemiology, and in research, as I mentioned earlier in this course, delve into each of the types of studies designs in epidemiology, its approach and its diverse uses in our daily work. research. Allowing me to have more solid tools in my knowledge to be able to identify in a timely manner the different variables in the different types of study designs in epidemiology. Very grateful to Dr. Filippos Filippidis and his collaborators.
A
Andrew
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 18, 2019
I am grateful to the entire team that put this course together. I have been introduced to new concepts such as nested case-control and case cohort studies; that I shall apply in designing more cost effective studies. I have also gained a deeper understanding of how things could go wrong in the implementation of a randomised controlled trial potentially leading to wrong conclusions. Thank you team.
R
Roxanne
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 25, 2019
Really enjoyed this course. I was looking for a refresher on epidemiological methods, particularly when some methods are better placed (or worse off) to answer given research questions. The course does a great job defining the different epidemiological methods and exemplifying their use including affiliated statistical measures, strengths, and limitations. Thank you!
D
Deusdenir
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 2, 2019
Wonderful! The didactics is very well done, congratulations to the responsible team. Even with developing statistical skills, understanding of program content is very effective.
For those who are interested but do not have prior knowledge, the sequential suggestion of the three courses should be followed to improve achievement.
E
ezgi
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 24, 2020
Basic and clear; great quality videos, teachers are very descriptive, and they gave a holistic summary of the study designs. This course would be great for a beginner, or just a short reminder for someone who is away from the area for a long time. To be noted, systematic reviews and meta-analyses are not included.
A
Ana
5.0
·Reviewed Dec 18, 2019
Great way to refresh your knowledge on epidemiological study designs, loved the quizzes, videos are done very well and all study designs are explained. I loved it and enjoy the course, I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about epi study designs or just to use it as a refresher course.
A
Aedrian
5.0
·Reviewed Jan 16, 2021
This course provided me with a better conceptual grasp of the popular study designs implemented in both clinical and public health research. I highly recommend taking the initial course in the Coursera Specialization where it belongs (Measuring Disease in Epidemiology) before diving into the material.
G
Gulmira
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 27, 2025
The course was very useful, the information provided was brief but concise, with a focus on key points. There was an opportunity to re-study the material and learning by steps. Quizes questions were applied and very relevant to the completed module.
D
DIMITRA
5.0
·Reviewed Nov 13, 2020
The course is very interesting!! Describing the different characteristics of each study design, helps us to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of each study type and thereby to choose the most suitable study design for our investigation.
T
Teppei
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 13, 2020
The course taught me over all the study design. Now I have a clear picture of how to detect the cause and association of diseases and exposure. Also diagram and description of each studies are very helpful to understand what we are doing.
O
Orakwelu
5.0
·Reviewed Sep 28, 2020
I am so grateful to coursera, Imperial College London and Mama Initiatives for this wonderful opportunity. This is a good foundation for me as i prepare for a possible graduate programme in Public hHealth. Thank you.
P
Priyanka
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 20, 2020
the course was really helpful, explained about various study designs in a simple manner. Also, with quiz in the end of each week, helped not just to assess the understanding but also to test the knowledge gained.
M
Mundih
5.0
·Reviewed May 9, 2020
I absolutely love this course. It's engaging and the facilitators are amazing. I have learned a lot from this course. It has deepened my interest in epidemiology. I will recommend it to anyone.
S
S
5.0
·Reviewed Apr 12, 2020
Truly amazing experience ... i refer this course to the beginners in Epidemiology (PH) .. all study designs have been elobarately explained but in a very simplistic and understandable manner.
E
Enestine
5.0
·Reviewed Mar 6, 2023
The course on study designs in epidemiology was very interesting and made me understand a lot on epidemiology data collection as well as outcome.
T
Tommy
5.0
·Reviewed Jun 22, 2020
Excellent course for those who want to gain basic knowledge of epidemiologic study designs (clinical trials, randomized control trials, etc).