Epidemiologists

Summary

Epidemiologists investigate the causes of disease and other public health problems in an effort to prevent them from spreading.

Quick Facts: Epidemiologists
2010 Median Pay	$63,010 per year $30.29 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Master’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	5,000
Job Outlook, 2010-20	24% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	1,200

What Epidemiologists Do

Epidemiologists investigate the causes of disease and other public health problems to prevent them from spreading or from happening again. They report their findings to public policy officials and to the general public.

Work Environment

Epidemiologists work in health departments, offices, universities, and laboratories. Some do fieldwork to conduct interviews and collect samples for analyses. Fieldwork may require interacting with sick patients, but epidemiologists use safety precautions to minimize their exposure.

How to Become an Epidemiologist

Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree from an accredited postsecondary institution. Most epidemiologists have a master’s in public health or a related field, and some have a Ph.D. in epidemiology.

Pay

The median annual wage of epidemiologists was $63,010 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of epidemiologists is expected to increase by 24 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Epidemiologists should have good job prospects overall.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of epidemiologists with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about epidemiologists by contacting these additional resources.

What Epidemiologists Do About this section

Epidemiologists monitor infectious diseases, bioterrorism threats, and other problem areas for public health agencies.

Epidemiologists investigate the causes of disease and other public health problems to prevent them from spreading or from happening again. They report their findings to public policy officials and to the general public.

Duties

Epidemiologists typically do the following:

• Plan and direct studies of public health problems to find ways to prevent and to treat the problems
• Collect and analyze data—including using observations, interviews, surveys, and samples of blood or other bodily fluids—to find the causes of diseases or other health problems
• Communicate their findings to health practitioners, policymakers, and the public
• Manage public health programs by planning programs, monitoring progress, analyzing data, and seeking ways to improve them, among other activities
• Supervise professional, technical, and clerical personnel

Epidemiologists collect and analyze data to investigate health issues. For example, an epidemiologist might collect and analyze demographic data to determine who is at the highest risk for a particular disease.

Research epidemiologists typically work for universities. Applied epidemiologists work with governments, addressing health crises directly. The most common problem both types of epidemiologists work on is infectious diseases, but they examine other public health issues, as well.

Epidemiologists who work in private industry commonly work for health insurance companies or pharmaceutical companies. Those in non-profit companies often do public advocacy work.

According to a 2009 national survey by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, local government epidemiologists study one or more of the following public health areas:

• Infectious diseases
• Bioterrorism/emergency response
• Maternal and child health
• Chronic diseases
• Environmental health
• Injury
• Occupational health
• Substance abuse
• Oral health

Work Environment About this section

Field work may require interaction with sick patients, yet safety precautions ensure that the likelihood of exposure to disease is minimal.

Epidemiologists held about 5,000 jobs in 2010. They work in health departments, offices, universities, laboratories, or in the field. They spend most of their time studying data and reports in a safe lab or office setting. Epidemiologists have minimal risk when they work in laboratories or in the field, because they take extensive precautions before interacting with samples or patients. 

In 2010, 54 percent of epidemiologists worked for federal, state, and local governments. Other epidemiologists worked for pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, colleges, or in life science research and development. As shown in the following tabulation, 13 percent of epidemiologists were employed by hospitals in 2010:  

Work Schedules

Most epidemiologists work full time and have a routine work schedule. Fieldwork or public health emergencies occasionally may cause epidemiologists to work irregular hours.

How to Become an Epidemiologist About this section

Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree from an accredited postsecondary institution.

Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree from an accredited postsecondary institution. Most have a master’s degree in epidemiology or a related field. Some epidemiologists have a Ph.D.

Education

Epidemiologists need at least a master’s degree from an accredited postsecondary institution. Most have a master’s degree in public health, with an emphasis in epidemiology or a related field. Advanced epidemiologists—including those in colleges and universities—have a Ph.D. in their chosen field.

Coursework in epidemiology includes public health, biology, and biostatistics. Classes emphasize statistical methods, causal analysis, and survey design. Advanced courses emphasize multiple regression, medical informatics, review of previous biomedical research, and practical applications of data.

A number of epidemiologists have a professional background (for example, a medical degree) with a dual degree in epidemiology. In medical school, students spend most of the first 2 years in laboratories and classrooms, taking courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and laws governing medicine. They also learn to take medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Epidemiologists must use their expertise and experience to determine how they can disseminate their findings to the public properly.

Critical-thinking skills. Epidemiologists analyze their findings to determine how best to respond to a public health problem or a more grave health-related emergency.

Detail oriented. Epidemiologists must be precise and accurate in moving from observation and interview to conclusions.

Math and statistical skills. Epidemiologists work with both qualitative methods (observations and interviews) and quantitative methods (surveys and analysis of biological data) in their work.

Speaking skills. Epidemiologists must communicate complex findings so that public policy officials and the public can understand the magnitude of a health problem.

Writing skills. Written communication is critical for helping decision makers and the public understand the conclusions and recommendations that epidemiologists make.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of epidemiologists was $63,010 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $42,360, and the top 10 percent earned more than $98,380.

Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of epidemiologists in May 2010 were:

Most epidemiologists work full time and have a routine work schedule. Fieldwork or public health emergencies occasionally may cause epidemiologists to work irregular hours.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of epidemiologists is expected to increase by 24 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Ongoing public health awareness, as well as an increased reliance on medical records for public health analysis, will maintain demand for epidemiologists. New legislation that will improve medical record-keeping is expected to create more opportunities for epidemiologists to track infection and demographic data.

Employment growth over the next 10 years for epidemiologists is expected to be strong in state and local governments. Governments have increased their demand for epidemiologists because the analyses that epidemiologists do are important to preventive healthcare, as well as to emergency responses.

Job Prospects

Epidemiologists generally should have favorable opportunities. Many states report shortages of qualified workers for applied epidemiology positions.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about epidemiologists, including schools offering education in epidemiology, visit

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

For more information about epidemiology careers in the federal government, visit

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention