HLTH 333Principles of Epidemiology
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Health
- Subject
- Public Health Sciences
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
This course will introduce students to basic principles and methods used in epidemiology. The course will focus on both experimental and observational research designs, estimating outcome measures, principles for establishing cause and effect relationships, and the effectiveness of interventions to prevent and cure disease.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Students must be in level 3A or higher
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 2841 | 278 / 275 | M 14:30–16:20 |
| LAB 101 | 3055 | 27 / 25 | T 14:30–15:20 |
| LAB 102 | 3056 | 26 / 25 | F 11:30–12:20 |
| LAB 103 | 3057 | 25 / 25 | F 10:30–11:20 |
| LAB 104 | 3058 | 26 / 25 | F 09:30–10:20 |
| LAB 105 | 3059 | 25 / 25 | F 14:30–15:20 |
| LAB 106 | 3060 | 26 / 25 | Th 11:30–12:20 |
| LAB 107 | 3061 | 21 / 25 | F 16:30–17:20 |
| LAB 108 | 3062 | 25 / 25 | F 15:30–16:20 |
| LAB 109 | 3063 | 25 / 25 | F 14:30–15:20 |
| LAB 110 | 3064 | 27 / 25 | W 08:30–09:20 |
| LAB 111 | 7844 | 25 / 25 | T 16:30–17:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
50% liked it70% easy74% useful
From 60 ratings and 24 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Prof was super sweet and encouraging but class is so boring. You don't need to come to class as lecture slides are quite dense and prof doesn't really mention additional important material in class. Assignments are straight forward. Not difficult to do really well in this course.
Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
TA is essentially god in this course. Agree with others if the TA is not helpful you need to re evaluate... prof is good he seems very genuine and wants you to succeed. Very very easy to do well as long as you submit the assignments with effort.
Dec 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Class was on Friday mornings and prof read slides, so did not need to attend class to do well. Class was broken up with 2 assignments each worth 17.5% that were not super challenging as long as you understood the lecture and tutorial content, a online final worth 20% and a term paper worth 30%. The rest of the marks came from mandatory tutorials. Content was interesting overall, wish it was presented better to encourage wanting to learn and participate in content.
Dec 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Not a fan of this course and pretty much didn't attend the lectures for majority of the term. Dr. Ferro reads directly from the slides, and the slides' content is copy-pasted from the textbook. Not a great idea for this format to be used at a 3 hour lecture on Friday afternoons if you want students to attend.
10% discussions, 10% health measures assignment, 40% for 2 quizzes (in-class, open book), and 40% term paper.Dec 2022 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Don't recommend taking this course with Dr. Butt, he's not a bad person or anything, but the amount of student issues and complaints was justified and the course was a very poor overall experience. Online learning may have contributed to this, but I think the class issues speak more to the professor than the actual content or online circumstances.
Nov 2020 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
23 posts and comments in 19 threads mention HLTH 333, August 2015 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
hlth 333 2 points, 0 comments
hlth 333 1 point, 0 comments
Spring 2024
health sci 3a term advice 2 points, 2 comments
u/cherryblossom_ruby: “… Meyer (Ik this is 2nd year course my sequence had to be changed up so I'm taking it 3a) HLTH 333 with Mark Oremus HLTH 340 with Trevor Manning HLTH 380 with Elena Neiterman 3b: HLTH 230, HLTH 310, HLTH 370”
u/DerangedCuckooClock: “Had HLTH 333, 380, 230, and 370. 333 with mark oremus should be quite straight forward, when I took it it was a couple of online MC and T/F unit tests and a couple of assignments. Its an intro course for epidemiology so the assignments mostly consisted of math word problems. …”
HLTH 333 Lab 1 point, 2 comments
u/radiantanomaly: “Does anyone have insight on the HLTH 333 lab? Is it a necessary component, do you do lab work, etc., or is it just a "lab" where the TA is there to answer questions? I can't find anything online that points to the lab being an actual class”
Fall 2023
HLTH 352 and HLTH 380/280 textbooks 5 points, 0 comments
“Wondering if anybody here has taken these courses recently and can share the textbook for these courses These are the books: 1. …”
u/Ill-Annual2838: “Did HLTH 380 have in person tests?”
u/Ill-Annual2838: “Oh ok. Did you happen to take HLTH 333, HLTH 341, HLTH 303 or HLTH 304 by any chance? If so did those have any in-person tests/quizzes/exams?”
u/LmaoImAPotato: “Hey by any chance, was there a textbook for HLTH 333?”
Spring 2023
Undergrad thesis 3 points, 5 comments
“Hi I’m a health sci student planning to write an undergraduate thesis. It’s my understanding that you have to have a faculty supervisor - but none of the Waterloo prof’s research align with my goals. …”
u/Dimtar_: “… It requires an application, a stats course, HLTH 333, a 75-80 average and a faculty supervisor. …”
HLTH 204 and HLTH 333 1 point, 0 comments
u/No_Painting_8909: “Does anyone have the syllabus for HLTH 204 from fall 2019, and the HLTH 333 syllabus from fall 2021?”
u/Ill-Annual2838: “Hey if you took hlth 333, were the exams in person?”
which of these courses have in person finals/midterms?? 0 points, 0 comments
u/Ill-Annual2838: “Hey if you’ve taken any of the following courses and know that they require in-person tests/quizzes/exams, please comment and let me know it’s important:)) thank u HLTH 333 HLTH 341 HLTH 380 HLTH 303 HLTH 304 HLTH 320 HLTH 290 HLTH 340 Or if you have taken any of these and …”
Fall 2022
Hlth 333 test question 3 points, 0 comments
u/EmptyFortune7295: “For those who took the HLTH 333 in the past how did you find the first test”
Fall 2021
Are you taking/have you taken HLTH 333? 3 points, 0 comments
u/itsyahboiiiiiiii: “Has anyone taken HLTH 333 with Dr. Oremus before? I'm trying to tackle the term paper and have a few general questions about it. Would appreciate any insight that I can get about it from a previous student perspective. …”
Spring 2020
HLTH 333 Principles of Epidemiology 5 points, 2 comments
Fall 2019
hlth 333 final 5 points, 4 comments
u/Hazelloverr: “anyone else feeling overwhelmed with the amount of info they have to study :(”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them