Free online training in Demographic Methods and Population Analysis

The Population Studies Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine published a self-study course Introduction to Demographic Methods and Population Analysis for students and professionals. This course contains 28 interactive lectures, grouped into 3 modules. Topics include the very basics of the measurement and analysis of fertility, mortality and migration, but also cover population projections, life table applications, and population models. No prior training in demography or mathematics is required, and students can elect to focus on a selection of the sessions only.  

These materials were developed in 2014-2015 for IUSSP with financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the course is now made available through LSHTM’s Open Study platform. The course can be accessed here (free registration required). 

While these open access materials provide a useful substantive introduction to the subject, there is no computing support and it does not provide training in advanced methods. Interested students can pursue this through the the Demography & Health graduate training programme at LSHTM. Courses and individual modules are offered both online and in-person, making them suitable for full-time students as well as working professionals aiming to expand their skillset. The training curriculum can also be tailored to student interest and aptitude.  Students with a strong quantitative background can focus on advanced computational methods and programming in the Population Data Science pathway. Students with a social science or policy interest can pursue this through the Population Health and Policy pathway.