Epidemiology

The Epidemiology program is not accepting applications for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Upon completion of the master of science degree, students are expected to have proficiency in the following areas:

• conceptualization of different epidemiologic approaches to the understanding of the causes of health and disease in population-based research
• synthesis of existing literature in epidemiology
• experience in the design and conduct of epidemiological studies
• sample size estimation for basic epidemiologic study designs
• analysis of data from epidemiological studies using appropriate statistical methods
• effective communication of scientific findings

Training is provided through coursework and the completion of a thesis.

Epidemiology faculty are members of the Department of Epidemiology and the School of Public Health, which are home to several world-class research centers, such as the Center for Population Health and Clinical Epidemiology, the Center for Gerontology and Health Services Research, the Centers for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, the International Health Institute, the Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine and the Center for Statistical Sciences. Students in epidemiology have the opportunity to collaborate and conduct research with faculty at many of these centers.

Major areas of faculty activity include cardiovascular disease, nutritional epidemiology, cancer, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, international health, and others. Two particular strengths of the program in epidemiology are a high faculty to student ratio, providing excellent opportunities for supervised research, and the opportunity to pursue a minor concentration in health services research.

The master's program is designed to provide advanced training in the underlying principles and practice of epidemiology for students with little or no prior graduate-level training. We do not require a specific type of undergraduate degree, and indeed we encourage applications from students with a variety of academic backgrounds. Applicants to this School of Public Health program should apply through SOPHAS, a centralized application service for accredited schools and programs in public health.