Learn to design ethical, culturally sensitive, and rigorous health research.
Join this fully online research design course and gain the knowledge and skills you need to:
- conduct your own health research, and
- assess the quality of health research carried out by others.
Use it to inspire your career choices, gain a strong professional advantage in your work, or simply better interpret the world around you.
Develop your own health research proposal
You’ll develop your own health-related research proposal as part of this course. You can use this for future applications for funding, or for PhD or Masters study.
Credit-bearing or CPD?
You can choose between two versions of this course:
- Credit-bearing – includes assessments, which allows you to earn credits towards an MSc.
- Continuous professional development (CPD) – no assessments but carries zero credits.
Other than assessments, the course content and delivery are exactly the same for both versions of the course.
Build credits towards a Masters degree
The credit-bearing version of this course is part of:
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
- MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
- MSc Applied Health Sciences
- MSc Clinical Education
- MSc Clinical Nutrition
- MSc Health Data Science
- MSc Health Economics for Health Professionals
- PgCert Research Methods for Health
You can use the credits you earn on this short course towards any of these postgraduate qualifications.
What you’ll study
This fully online course will introduce you to the fundamentals of health research design.
By the end of the course, you’ll not only be able to conduct your own research with confidence, but also critically evaluate existing studies.
In this course, you will:
- learn to design ethical, culturally sensitive, and rigorous research
- develop a keen eye for assessing the methodological quality and rigour of research in your field of interest
- examine various study designs commonly used in applied health research
- explore quantitative and qualitative approaches, their strengths and limitations
- learn how to figure out when to use each method effectively.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in health research
In this course, we put special emphasis on the significance of considering race and under-represented groups in research design and data analysis.
Ensuring cultural sensitivity and inclusivity is essential, and we’ll equip you with practical strategies to achieve that.
We’ll explore different ethical principles and guidelines that will help you design your research proposal in a responsible and respectful manner.
At the University of Aberdeen, we recognise the importance of decolonising the curriculum to create a more equitable educational environment. This course is designed to challenge biases and embrace global perspectives.
Create your own research proposal
Guided by your tutors, all experienced researchers, you’ll develop your own health-related research proposal. You’ll work on it all the way through the course.
Every week you’ll get tutor support in how to build the next part. Whatever your professional practice, we can tailor it to suit you.
Your proposal will demonstrate your understanding of:
- the principles of quantitative and qualitative research
- key data-generation methods in health-related research
- how to work with different types of data
- quantitative and qualitative approaches to analysis
- potential sources of bias in research and how these can be minimised.
More than just a method of assessing your skills, you’ll be producing a useful document for your future.
You can use your proposal if you decide to progress to a Masters, apply for a PhD or apply for a grant.
You choose the format
As part of our commitment to accessibility and allowing students to take control of their learning experiences, you can select the final format of the research proposal. This can be the traditional written document or you could choose to submit a video presentation.
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to...
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Describe and carry out the whole research design and management process, from initial idea and research question through to collecting data and communicating results.
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Apply research skills in your professional and personal life, learning how to spot and evaluate the best sources of evidence in your field.
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Communicate your research findings to a range of audiences – academic, the media, and the public.
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Distinguish good from poor research, whether this is professionally, or in the news that bombards us every day.
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Use a powerful set of tools to make a positive impact through your research.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for online health research courses
Pioneering research
Be part of a university leading the way in nutrition, women’s health, infection control and clinical scanning, transforming lives and medical practice around the world.
1st in Scotland
We’re rated 1st in Scotland for Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care in the UK’s most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).
Award-winning research
We’re proud winners of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize, the highest national honour for a UK university, for sustained excellence in health research over the last 40 years.
Why we were awarded the Queen’s Anniversary PrizeHow you’ll study
Online learning
This distance-learning research design course is delivered flexibly, 100% online.
You can learn with us anywhere, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.
Your teaching
This course is taught at Masters level.
Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.
You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:
- recorded lectures
- videos
- reading list
- recommended websites
- discussion boards to get to know your colleagues
- plenty of support from your tutors
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library.
Support for your research proposal
Each week you’ll have the opportunity to meet online with a tutor for 1-2-1 support in developing your own research proposal so that teaching and learning are tailored to meet your research interests.
The discussion boards are a great way to develop your research network too. You can share your developing proposal with online colleagues from different work environments and countries, gaining a wide range of perspectives and ideas.
Your tutors
This course is delivered by our School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition.
You’ll learn from applied health researchers from our award-winning Institute of Applied Health Sciences.
Your course coordinator
Professor Kirsty Kiezebrink
Kirsty is a Professor of educational transformation and the teaching lead of the Institute of Applied Health Sciences. Her research focuses on enhancements to assessment and feedback and digital learning in higher education. She also has a voice in shaping education as the Dean for Educational Innovation.
View Kirsty’s profileWhere this will take you
Towards a Masters
If you choose the credit-bearing version of this course, you’ll earn 15 credits at Masters level (SCQF Level 11) on successful completion.
You can use these credits towards our:
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Join an online Master of Public Health (MPH) you can tailor to your career. Study with experts and choose from a wide range of courses to focus your training. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View Master of Public Health (MPH)
Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice
Develop your advancing career in healthcare with this uniquely flexible MSc, delivered part-time via blended learning. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View MSc Advanced Clinical Practice
Masters in Applied Health Sciences
Fast-track your career in healthcare with our uniquely flexible MSc Applied Health Sciences. Study 100% online or combine with on-campus courses at our Foresterhill Health Campus. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View MSc Applied Health Sciences
Masters in Clinical Education
Become an outstanding clinical educator with our distance learning clinical education training. Study online with us and earn your MSc, PgDip or PgCert in Clinical Education while you work. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View MSc Clinical Education
Masters in Clinical Nutrition
Join an online Nutrition degree accredited by the Association for Nutrition. Study the link between diet and health, and how issues of over and undernutrition affect populations today. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View MSc Clinical Nutrition
Masters in Health Data Science
Develop your skills in health data science, whether your background’s in healthcare or computing, with this flexible online MSc.
View MSc Health Data Science
Masters in Health Economics for Health Professionals
Advance your career in health. Develop sought-after research skills and build your knowledge of health economics tools and principles. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View MSc Health Economics for Health Professionals
PgCert in Research Methods for Health
Learn to design and carry out healthcare research projects. Study part-time with active health researchers at an award-winning health sciences university. 10% discount for NHS staff.
View PgCert Research Methods for HealthCertificate of completion
If you choose the CPD version of the course, you will not receive any credits.
However, you will receive a digital certificate of completion.
CPD hours
Your employer or professional institute may recognise this course for CPD hours. Talk to your employer or institute to find out more.
Build your learning with more short courses
We have a range of online healthcare and medicine short courses you can use to earn in-demand skills.
Many carry credits you can build up into postgraduate qualifications, including Masters degrees:
Careers
Completing a research degree opens up a range of career options in health research. You could work in:
- a lab to innovate, understand medical issues or find a solution to a specific problem
- public and private health environments
- specialist research institutes.
Free career support
Access our free careers service while you study.
- 1:1 appointments
- CV checks
- Interview prep
- Job opportunities
Entry requirements
There are no formal entry requirements for either the credit-bearing or CPD version of this course. You decide if the level of learning is suitable for you.
Teaching is delivered at Masters level. At this level, you’d usually have at least:
- a 2:2 UK undergraduate degree (or equivalent), or
- relevant experience that supports this level of study.
