Practical Statistics (S03)

Develop the skills to interpret data and apply statistical thinking in real-world contexts. This certificate introduces key ideas in statistics, showing you how to explore, summarise, and analyse data to solve practical problems. You’ll learn to appreciate the breadth of statistical applications, understand the role of variability, and recognise the limitations of statistical methods. You’ll also gain hands-on experience with statistical software, equipping you with transferable skills that are valuable across research, business, and public sector roles.

Key features of the course

• Cover topics from exploratory data analysis to statistical modelling techniques

• Use statistical software packages for analysis, including linear and generalised linear modelling

• Learn to communicate about and critically comment on statistical investigations and data analyses

• Gain the skills to use statistics at work

Course Modules

This statistics certificate has one stage, comprising 120 credits.

Stage 1: You’ll study four 30-credit modules at three levels: one OU level 1 module introducing statistical tools and quantitative methods, two OU level 2 modules building on those techniques, and one OU level 3 module exploring statistical modelling.