Introduction to the basic principles , methods , and uses of epidemiology . This course is a masters/doctoral level course designed to introduce epidemiology , its methods and its role in public health . A major portion of the course will be devoted to overviewing fundamental epidemiologic methods used in public health research and practice . The student will be familiarized with basic measures used in describing disease frequency in populations . Descriptive and analytic approaches to the study of disease will be explored , and a perspective on the role of epidemiologic methods in health services planning and evaluation will be provided . Problem solving exercises will be used to provide students with an opportunity to tabulate data and apply subject matter developed during lectures and in reading assignments . At the end of the course students should have a general understanding of the uses and limitations of epidemiologic inquiry . This understanding should provide the basis for applying epidemiologic concepts in work-related settings and in other courses in the public health curriculum .