Epidemiologists are public health professionals who study health and disease.
You must complete high school or your GED and pass certain college-preparatory classes, including English, math and science. Complete an additional two to four years of school in a master's degree or PhD program in environmental health or health management sciences. As an epidemiologist, you will most likely work in a university, research facility or pharmaceutical firm. For example, you may study the spread of heart disease among middle-aged men within a small town. You may visit the town to interview the victims and their families and doctors and learn about that area's environment.