Using Stata effectively: The fundamentals

4 days 3–4 hours daily

Gain a comprehensive understanding of four key elements in Stata: data management, statistical analysis, graphics, and reproducible reporting. Designed for both beginners and users seeking to increase their proficiency, this course equips you with the fundamentals for working efficiently in Stata. By the end of the course, you will be able to import, clean and manage your data, perform basic analyses and visualize results, create customized graphics, and write dynamic reports using Stata.

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Upcoming sessions

6–9 October 2026

11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. CDT (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. UTC)

Enrollment deadline: 2 October

Enroll via Instats

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Prerequisites

Basic computer skills
The course is taught using Stata. It is appropriate for those who already own Stata and for those who are considering purchasing or upgrading. There is no requirement that the user already own a Stata license.

Course topics

Introduction to Stata

Navigating the interface
Customizing preferences
Staying organized and keeping track of your work
Locating and installing community-contributed extensions

How to work in Stata

Using the menu systems and dialog boxes
Programming interactively with the Command window
Creating reproducible scripts in the Do-file Editor

Data management

Importing diverse datasets
Working in Stata's Data Editor
Manipulating different data types: numeric, categorical, strings, dates and times
Merging datasets strategically

Statistical analysis

Using estimation commands to fit models and test hypotheses
Using postestimation commands to interpret results, make predictions, and posthoc comparisons
Handling interactions and categorical variables

Graphics

Creating basic plots: histograms, scatterplots, bar graphs
Constructing more complex visualizations
Combining and overlaying plots
Working with Stata's Graph Editor

Reproducible reporting

Generating publication-quality tables
Writing dynamic reports that incorporate Stata results, graphics, and tables

“This course was great for learning the basics, and it would've shaved a month off my Ph.D. completion if I'd taken it two years ago!”

Arna Carlock, Ph.D.
Lead Research Associate, The Pew Charitable Trusts

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