How To Know If Epidemiology Is The Career Path For You
By: Lauren Daniel
Tags: Research, Epidemiology, Public Health, Masters Degree, Statistics

What is Epidemiology

Epidemiology is a topic that we have all become a little more familiar with this year with COVID-19. The topic of Epidemiology can be defined by the CDC as “the study (scientific, systematic, and data-driven) of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specified populations (neighborhood, school, city, state, country, global).” (CDC, 2020). While that definition is more lengthy, it does cover all of the details surrounding the topic of public health.

How to Become an Epidemiologist

What is required to become an epidemiologist? Usually the minimum requirement is a Master’s Degree, however, there may be some instances where experience can replace education. I haven’t been able to find many job opportunities that have less than a Master’s Degree in the job requirements. A Master’s Degree requires the completion of a Bachelor’s degree beforehand. To best prepare for the field, classes such as Statistics or Biostatistics, anything in Public Health, and basic science courses can help prepare you the most when applying to a Master’s degree in the field. Always look at the school or program’s you would likely want to go to for graduate school, and get a good outline of what their requirements are to prepare yourself ahead of time in your undergraduate degree. For Master’s programs, there are a few that can set you up for success as an Epidemiologist. The first being the program that I am currently in, which is a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) with an emphasis in Epidemiology. There are some programs that are a Master’s in Science (MS) in Epidemiology that are very similar, but frequently have one or more additional biostatistics or math courses. I have heard of people also getting their Master’s of Science (MS) in Biostatistics, which can help to either become a Biostatistician, an Epidemiologist, or in research in the field in general.

What is Studying Epidemiology Like

Just as any career path that requires a certain level of formal education prior, there are risks and rewards associated. The risk is spending time and money on education, and either not enjoying the field, or not getting a job you were hoping for. The rewards are abundant and endless in the field of medicine. My undergraduate career was arguably the best time of my life- I met friends from all over the country who are still my best friends today, I learned about subjects and topics I never knew would spark my interest prior (I’m looking at you, General Chemistry), and I tested myself both educationally and in life. My undergraduate GPA was not the best, however, it was enough for an acceptance into the MPH program I’m in currently. In my opinion, studying Epidemiology at the Master’s level is more difficult than any undergraduate class you will have in Public Health, but easier than most hard sciences (Biology, Chemistry, etc.). While Epidemiology is difficult, it’s less memorization and more application. While Biology is memorizing parts and functions of the cell, Epidemiology is understanding the purpose of a clinical study, how and why diseases spread, who is at risk and why, can you explain these numbers to me and what they mean, etc. This is something I’m better at naturally, whereas memorization doesn’t come as easy for me.

How Do I know If Epidemiology Is Right For Me

Are you more analytical or is memorization more interesting/easier for you? Do you want to work directly with patients or behind the scenes? Do you want to do research or do you want to treat patients? How do you feel about Public Health, do you have an interest in it? Why do you want to go into the field of medicine in the first place? If any of these questions were difficult for you to quickly answer, there may be more research to do before making a decision. While Epidemiology is one of the more lucrative Public Health topics to be in, there are several other career paths with similar salary outlook that may be a better fit if Epidemiology isn’t right for you.

References

CDC. (2020). What is Epidemiology? Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/careerpaths/k12teacherroadmap/epidemiology.html