12. Clinical epidemiology
Graduate Certificate in Clinical Epidemiology
(GradCertClinEpi) KG007
Graduate Diploma in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
(GradDipMed(ClinEpi)) KF042
Graduate Diploma of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
(GradDipScMed(ClinEpi)) KF0443
Master of Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
(MM(ClinEpi)) KC055
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology)
(MScMed(ClinEpi)) KC056
Overview
Clinical epidemiology is the science of applying the best available research evidence to patient care. This program is intended to provide clinicians the opportunity to learn the principles of clinical epidemiology and 'best evidence'. The program has been designed to ensure that the theory learned by participants is applied to patient-based examples and readily integrated into their day-to-day work.
The Master of Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) and the Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) are essentially the same program with different admission requirements, and the same applies to the Graduate Diploma in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) and the Graduate Diploma of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology). Only medical graduates (i.e. those with an MBBS) may be admitted to the Master of Medicine/Graduate Diploma in Medicine while non-medical graduates may be admitted to the Master of Science in Medicine/Graduate Diploma of Science in Medicine. Students follow the same program of study, with the only distinction between them being the title of the course they are awarded on completion.
The master’s degrees may be awarded at either a pass or honours grade. Honours is only available to students who meet the criteria detailed below, which include enrolling in a further 12 credit points of dissertation units of study for which they undertake supervised research which is written up in a dissertation for examination. Master’s degree students who choose not to undertake the honours component but complete their coursework units of study with a minimum average mark of 75 per cent will be awarded pass with merit.
Admission
Graduate Certificate in Clinical Epidemiology: Admission to the program normally requires either a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Sydney or another approved institution, or a bachelor's degree in a health discipline with first or second class honours from the University of Sydney or another approved institution. If candidates do not have an honours degree, they may be admitted on the basis of having completed equivalent work or passing a preliminary examination as prescribed by the Faculty of Medicine.
Master of Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) and Graduate Diploma in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology): Admission normally requires a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Sydney or another approved institution.
Master of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology) and Graduate Diploma of Science in Medicine (Clinical Epidemiology): Admission normally requires a bachelor's degree in a health discipline with first or second class honours from the University of Sydney or another approved institution. If candidates do not have an honours degree, they may be admitted on the basis of having completed equivalent work or passing a preliminary examination as prescribed by the Faculty of Medicine.
Structure
The graduate certificate and graduate diplomas are embedded in the master’s degrees – see the explanation of embedded degrees in chapter 9.
The program is delivered by lectures, tutorials and small group sessions given by academics and clinicians from the university and outside organisations. A number of units of study are web-based (please visit the School of Public Health website
www.health.usyd.edu.au, for more information). The wide ranging experience and knowledge of teaching staff ensures an up-to-date coverage of topics and issues related to clinical epidemiology and evidence based medicine. The tutorials and small group sessions provide the opportunity for discussion of issues and problems and a critical review of the literature. Assessment for the 'Epidemiological Methods', 'Introductory Biostatistics' and 'Controlled Trials' units of study is by a mid semester assignment and written examination at the end of semester. All other coursework units of study are assessed by oral presentation and/or written assignment.
Classes are generally scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after 5pm, although some are also offered during the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The exceptions are units that are offered as day-long workshops such as the Controlled Trials unit – usually offered on a Saturday and a Friday with the two days being spaced over a period of 3–4 weeks – and the online units. To avoid timetable clashes, students enrolled full-time will be required to attend some of their units of study during the day. Graduate certificate, diploma and master’s degree students attend combined sessions.
| Course | Credit points for award | Duration full-time | Duration part-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| GradCertClinEpi | 24 | 0.5–2 years | 1–3 years |
| GradDipMed(ClinEpi) | 36 | 1–2 years | 1–3 years |
| GradDipScMed(ClinEpi) | 36 | 1–2 years | 1–3 years |
| MM(ClinEpi) | 48 | 1–3 years | 2–6 years |
| MScMed(ClinEpi) | 48 | 1–3 years | 2–6 years |
| MM(ClinEpi)(Hons) | 60 | 1–3 years | 2–6 years |
| MScMed(ClinEpi)(Hons) | 60 | 1–3 years | 2–6 years |
The graduate certificate comprises 14 credit points of compulsory core units of study and 10 credit points of electives (see tables on core and elective units of study below and chapter 32 for unit of study details).
The graduate diploma comprises 14 credit points of compulsory core units of study and 22 credit points of electives (see tables on core and elective units of study below and chapter 32 for unit of study details).
The master’s degree comprises 14 credit points of compulsory core units of study and 34 credit points of electives (see tables on core and elective units of study below and chapter 32 for unit of study details).
To qualify for the master’s degree with honours, students must obtain a weighted average mark of 70 percent in all 48 credit points of coursework and successfully complete an additional 12 credit point research dissertation (i.e. 60 credit points of units of study in total), in which students undertake a supervised individual project in an area of interest and report the outcomes in a dissertation. Students are only able to enrol in the dissertation if they have achieved a weighted average mark of 70 percent in their first 24 credit points of coursework and have the permission of the course coordinator.
Clinical epidemiology core units of study
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEPI5102 Literature Searching |
2 | Semester 1 Semester 2 |
|
| PUBH5010 Epidemiology Methods and Uses |
6 | N BSTA5011 |
Semester 1 |
| PUBH5018 Introductory Biostatistics |
6 | Semester 1 |
Clinical epidemiology elective units of study
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEPI5200 Quality and Safety in Health Care |
6 | Semester 1 |
|
| CEPI5202 Advanced Evaluation of Diagnostic Tests |
2 | C PUBH5208 |
Semester 2b |
| CEPI5203 Introduction to Systematic Reviews |
2 | Semester 2a |
|
| CEPI5204 Advanced Systematic Reviews |
2 | C CEPI5203 |
Semester 2b |
| CEPI5205 Doing a Systematic Review |
6 | C CEPI5203 |
Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| CEPI5206 Intro Teaching Clinical Epidemiology |
2 | P PUBH5010 C PUBH5208 and CEPI5203 |
Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| CEPI5207 Advanced Teaching Clinical Epidemiology |
6 | P PUBH5010 C PUBH5208 and CEPI5203 |
Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| CEPI5303 Clinical Health Economics |
2 | Semester 2a |
|
| CEPI5306 Clinical Practice Guidelines |
2 | Semester 2a |
|
| CEPI5308 Patient Based Measures |
2 | Semester 1b |
|
| CEPI5309 Develop of Clin Epidemiology Research |
2 | Semester 1a |
|
| CEPI5310 Advanced Concepts in Statistics |
4 | P PUBH5211 and PUBH5212 |
Semester 1 |
| CEPI5401 Clinical Epidemiological Practice |
2 | Semester 2a |
|
| CEPI5505 Clinical Epidemiology Project 1 |
2 | P PUBH5010 and PUBH5018 and CEPI5102 |
Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| CEPI5506 Clinical Epidemiology Project 2 |
4 | P PUBH5010 and PUBH5018 and CEPI5102 C CEPI5505 |
Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| PUBH5204 Advanced Epidemiological Concepts |
2 | P PUBH5010 C PUBH5211 and PUBH5212 |
Semester 2b |
| PUBH5205 Decision Analysis |
2 | Semester 2b |
|
| PUBH5206 Controlled Trials |
2 | S2 Intensive |
|
| PUBH5208 Screening and Diagnostic Test Evaluation |
2 | P PUBH5010 |
Semester 2a |
| PUBH5211 Multiple Regression and Stats Computing |
4 | P PUBH5018 |
Semester 2 |
| PUBH5212 Categorical Data Analysis |
2 | P PUBH5018 C PUBH5211 |
Semester 2b |
| PUBH5213 Survival Analysis |
2 | C PUBH5211 |
Semester 2b |
| PUBH5307 Advanced Health Economic Evaluation |
2 | P PUBH5018 and PUBH5010 C PUBH5205 and (PUBH5302 or CEPI5303) |
S2 Late Int |
| Students in the graduate certificate must enrol in units of study totalling 10 credit points from this table. | |||
| Students in the graduate diploma must enrol in units of study totalling 22 credit points from this table. | |||
| Students in the master’s degree must enrol in units of study totalling 34 credit points from this table. | |||
| When choosing electives, students must ensure that they fulfill the essential pre- and corequisites and that there are no timetable clashes. Students commencing mid-year should discuss their choices with the course coordinator first. Students may choose up to six credit points towards their course from another degree program but must first obtain permission from their course coordinator. | |||
Clinical epidemiology dissertation units of study
| Unit of study | Credit points | A: Assumed knowledge P: Prerequisites C: Corequisites N: Prohibition | Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEPI5503 Dissertation C |
12 | P A candidate must have obtained a minimum weighted average mark mark of 70% in at least 24 credit points of coursework and obtained approval from the course-coordinator to enrol in this unit of study. Enrolment must be done through the Faculty or School office. Note: Department permission required for enrolment |
S2 Late Int Semester 1 Semester 1a Semester 1b Semester 2 Semester 2a Semester 2b |
| CEPI5510 Dissertation A |
6 | P A candidate must have obtained a minimum weighted average mark of 70% in at least 24 credit points of coursework and obtained approval from the course-coordinator to enrol in this unit of study. Enrolment must be done through the Faculty or School office. Note: Department permission required for enrolment |
S2 Late Int Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| CEPI5511 Dissertation B |
6 | P A candidate must have obtained a minimum weighted average mark of 70% in at least 24 credit points of coursework and obtained approval from the course-coordinator to enrol in this unit of study. Enrolment must be done through the Faculty or School office. Note: Department permission required for enrolment |
S2 Late Int Semester 1 Semester 2 |
| Dissertation units of study are only taken if undertaking the honours stream, which is not available to all students. See the course coordinator for further information. Students must enrol in 12 credit points of dissertation in addition to the 48 credit points required for the standard master’s degree. These should be done either in one semester with Dissertation C or split over two semesters with both Dissertation A and Dissertation B. A student must be enrolled in order to submit the dissertation. If a student is not able to submit his/her thesis after enrolling in 12 credit points of dissertation units of study, he/she must re-enrol in a minimum of six credit points of dissertation units of study, with the concomitant financial liability, every semester until he/she submits. | |||
Further enquiries
Mrs Miranda Cheung
Phone: +61 2 9351 5994
Fax: + 61 2 9351 5049
Email:
Website: www.health.usyd.edu.au/future/coursework/clinepi/index.php