MHMonash Hub

Units / PHI5040

PHI5040 · Introductory Epidemiology

Official Handbook

2026 Handbook6 credit pointsLevel 5Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine

Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTC

Overview

Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to measure frequencies of disease i.e. incidence, prevalence, "population at risk"; and measure associations in epidemiological studies; different study designs i.e. observational studies, experimental study designs; bias associated with study designs, misclassification, confounding and effect modification. You will critically appraise different epidemiological studies, apply diagnostic and screening tests, and examine outbreak investigation.

Areas of study: Public health

Offerings

CampusTeaching periodMode
IndonesiaMonash Indonesia term 1Teaching activities are on-campus (ON-CAMPUS)

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

#AssessmentTypeWeightHurdle
1Individual activities (3 x 10%)Exercise30%
2Short video recording for social mediaPresentation35%
3Critical appraisal Written35%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

prohibitions

  • MPH5040 — Introductory epidemiology
  • HSC5040 — Introductory epidemiology
  • MPH6040 — Introductory epidemiology

Joined by AND.

Learning outcomes

  1. Explain and contextualise the purposes of descriptive and analytical epidemiology;
  2. Explain and contextualise the concepts of study questions, population, sampling, exposure assessment, bias and confounding;
  3. Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs;
  4. Critically analyse epidemiological papers from the public health literature
  5. Evaluate the adequacy of exposure assessment in epidemiological studies;
  6. Interpret and communicate the results of epidemiological studies; and
  7. Solve complex problems relating to the use of epidemiological concepts and study designs.

Workload

24 hours per week including directed and self-directed learning (scheduled classes, prescribed activities and independent work).

ActivityDuration
Workshops3 hours
Lectures3 hours

Ask about PHI5040

Answered from the Handbook fields above — no AI, no guessing. Every answer links back to the source.

Community discussions about PHI5040

Community

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.

No discussions yet

Be the first to share what this unit was actually like.

Monash HubAn independent student platform

Monash Hub is an independent student information platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Monash University. Always confirm enrolment, graduation, visa and academic policy decisions through the Monash website, Handbook, Moodle or WES.