Hypothesis Testing in Public Health (Coursera)

Hypothesis Testing in Public Health (Coursera)

Biostatistics is an essential skill for every public health researcher because it provides a set of precise methods for extracting meaningful conclusions from data. In this second course of the Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization, you'll learn to evaluate sample variability and apply statistical hypothesis testing methods.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Along the way, you'll perform calculations and interpret real-world data from the published scientific literature. Topics include sample statistics, the central limit theorem, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and p values.
What You Will Learn

  • Use statistical methods to analyze sampling distribution
  • Estimate and interpret 95% confidence intervals for single samples
  • Estimate and interpret 95% confidence intervals for two populations
  • Estimate and interpret p values for hypothesis testing

Course 2 of 4 in the Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Sampling Distributions and Standard Errors
Within module one, you will learn about sample statistics, sampling distribution, and the central limit theorem. You will have the opportunity to test your knowledge with a practice quiz and, then, apply what you learned to the graded quiz.

WEEK 2
Confidence Intervals for Single Population Parameters
Module two builds upon previous materials to discuss confidence intervals, the need for ample sizes of data, and ways to get around the need for ample sizes of data. The practice quiz helps you prepare for the graded quiz.
Confidence Intervals for Population Comparison Measures
Within module three, confidence intervals are discussed at length and ratios are discussed again. Aside from the lectures, you will also be completing a practice quiz and graded quiz.

WEEK 3
Two-Group Hypothesis Testing: The General Concept and Comparing Means
Within module four, you will look at statistical hypothesis tests, confidence intervals, and p-value. There is a practice quiz to prepare you for the graded quiz.

WEEK 4
Hypothesis Testing (Comparing Proportions and Incidence Rates Between Two Populations) & Extended Hypothesis Testing
Project
During this module, you get the chance to demonstrate what you've learned by putting yourself in the shoes of biostatistical consultant on two different studies, one about asthma medication and the other about self-administration of injectable contraception. The two research teams have asked you to help them interpret previously published results in order to inform the planning of their own studies. If you've already taken the Summarization and Measurement course, then this scenario will be familiar.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Principles of fMRI 1 (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Principles of fMRI 1 (Coursera)

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is the most widely used technique for investigating the living, functioning human brain as people perform tasks and experience mental states. It is a convergence point for multidisciplinary work from many disciplines. Psychologists, statisticians, physicists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, medical researchers, behavioral scientists, engineers, public health researchers, biologists, and others are coming together to advance our understanding of the human mind and brain. This course covers the design, acquisition, and analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data, including psychological inference, MR Physics, K Space, experimental design, pre-processing of fMRI data, as well as Generalized Linear Models (GLM’s).

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Exploration et production de données pour les entreprises (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Exploration et production de données pour les entreprises (Coursera)

Ce cours fournit un cadre analytique afin de vous aider à évaluer les problèmes clés de manière structurée. Il vous procurera également des outils afin de mieux gérer les incertitudes qui envahissent et compliquent les processus des entreprises. Plus précisément, vous serez initié(e) aux statistiques et à la manière de résumer les données. Vous découvrirez les concepts de fréquence, de loi normale, d’études statistiques, de l’échantillonnage et des intervalles de confiance.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Diabetes - the Essential Facts (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

Diabetes - the Essential Facts (Coursera)

Across the world more than 420 million people are living with diabetes. Two thirds of these have not yet been diagnosed. When discovered late or managed incorrectly, diabetes can damage your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, leading to disability and premature death. In fact, more people are dying of diabetes related diseases than of diseases as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. This course will provide you with an introduction to the most recent research in the field of prevention and treatment of diabetes as well as a broader understanding of the situation in different communities, rich and poor, across the world, where diabetes threatens public health.

Sep 13th 2026
3 Weeks
Tobacco Control: Agile Policy, Research and Practice (Coursera) Coursera
Imperial College London

Tobacco Control: Agile Policy, Research and Practice (Coursera)

This course teaches you about the global health harms caused by tobacco and the efforts underway to combat these. You'll analyse the strategies and tactics used by the tobacco industry, and their allies, to keep people buying their products, and you'll reflect on the role played by public health research in pushing back against this pressure with the ultimate aim of improving health.

Sep 14th 2026
3 Weeks
Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera) Coursera
McMaster University

Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera)

We are always using experiments to improve our lives, our community, and our work. Are you doing it efficiently? Or are you (incorrectly) changing one thing at a time and hoping for the best? In this course, you will learn how to plan efficient experiments - testing with many variables. Our goal is to find the best results using only a few experiments. A key part of the course is how to optimize a system.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Chemicals and Health (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Chemicals and Health (Coursera)

This course covers chemicals in our environment and in our bodies and how they impact our health. It addresses policies and practices related to chemicals, particularly related to how they get into our bodies (exposures), what they do when they get there (toxicology), how we measure them (biomonitoring) and their impact on our health. Most examples are drawn from the US.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Estadística aplicada a los negocios (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Austral

Estadística aplicada a los negocios (Coursera)

La toma de decisiones está en la esencia de los negocios. Gerenciar es tomar decisiones, muchas veces bajo presión, con información desordenada y en un contexto de incertidumbre. Un aspecto básico es entender y analizar la información, organizar los datos de forma de facilitar su posterior uso y la toma de decisiones.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Emerging Approaches for Measuring Population Health (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Emerging Approaches for Measuring Population Health (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn about traditional and emerging techniques in population-level data collection that can be used to strengthen public health programs and policies. Experts from around the world will define and explain key concepts in the design and implementation of population-based surveys, focusing on the use of emerging survey techniques such as mobile phone and web-based surveys, health services data and health information systems, and population-based health registries.

Sep 14th 2026
4 Weeks
Building Alliances in Global Health: From Global to Local (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Building Alliances in Global Health: From Global to Local (Coursera)

This hands-on course will prepare you to overcome the challenges associated with alliance building within the global health sector. Using The Global Polio Eradication Initiative as a case study, you’ll address the themes of political advocacy, policymaking, health communications, and community engagement, and explore the politics and interpersonal relations required to build a global health program. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is an exemplar of global partnerships between UN agencies, the private sector, non-governmental actors, civil society organizations, and local communities.

Sep 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Systems Thinking In Public Health (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Systems Thinking In Public Health (Coursera)

This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and prepared for unintended consequences.

Sep 7th 2026
4 Weeks