Epidemiology MS

The goal of the MS program is to provide both theoretical and experiential training that prepares students to participate in conducting epidemiologic research including working independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team. You will gain the skills and knowledge necessary to design and conduct studies into the causation, distribution, control and prevention of diseases.

The MS degree requires 33 credit hours: a minimum of 27 course credit hours plus a maximum of six credit hours of thesis credit. Students must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a minimum grade of B (3.0) in all required courses.

The degree requires core coursework in the principles and methods of epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, and professional development. Students are also required to take three additional elective courses in epidemiology (e.g., cancer epidemiology, cardiovascular epidemiology, epidemiology of infectious disease, nutritional epidemiology, epidemiologic applications to environmental health, molecular epidemiology).

Students chose a specialty area of focus for their thesis and can include such fields such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, women’s health, genetic, environmental, molecular and nutritional epidemiology.

With a master’s in epidemiology, your career path could include working as a researcher, clinical investigator, research administrator, planner, program manager, educator or evaluator. The settings for these positions include academia, health departments, government health agencies, medical centers and hospitals, clinical practices and private corporations. The program also prepares you for continuing your education as a doctoral or medical student.