What is the career path for an epidemiologist?

The career path for an epidemiologist includes jobs as an applied research epidemiologist, disaster epidemiologist, and epidemiology investigator. To become an epidemiologist, you begin with a bachelor's degree in biology, medicine, or biological science. Many epidemiologists obtain master's degrees as well.

What is an epidemiologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Oliver Beckers

An epidemiologist studies diseases and their spread in populations. They investigate the patterns, causes, and effects of conditions. Epidemiologists design and conduct studies to track the spread of diseases, identify risk factors, and develop strategies to prevent or control outbreaks. They also analyze health trends and use data to inform public health policies. Epidemiologists may work in government agencies, research institutions, hospitals, and universities. Their work promotes public health and prevents the spread of infectious diseases.

What general advice would you give to an epidemiologist?

Oliver Beckers

Associate Professor, Murray State University

Some jobs require a graduate degree (e.g., M.S. or Ph.D.), while others do not, and the college graduate will need to make the decision whether it is worth pursuing such a degree or not. Even though a graduate degree might not be required to apply for the advertised position, it may facilitate promotion to other positions in the company or area of work, i.e., it will help in the long run. Note that it will be more difficult to work on a graduate degree after joining the workforce than doing it before.
I would also recommend the graduate to choose a position that truly excites them and motivates them to work. However, I think that being too selective about the position and waiting for the ‘dream job’ coming along is likely not a good approach either, because it limits the possibilities to get started in the chosen profession. Evaluating the position in the context of opportunities within the company such as opportunities for promotion, training and professional development should be part of the decision process. Understanding the true potential of the position in the context of the company might make the advertised position more exciting for professional long-term goals. I suggest applying to multiple positions that are within the comfort zone of the graduate in order to have more options from which to choose. The only job that you definitely will not get is the one for which you didn’t apply.

ScoreEpidemiologistUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $59,329

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.0

Growth rate 26%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.36%

Black or African American 6.40%

Hispanic or Latino 9.64%

Unknown 4.11%

White 53.34%

Gender

female 64.19%

male 35.81%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

5.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an epidemiologist?

Pros

Job growth and demand
Competitive salary
Continuous learning and professional development
Ability to inform policy decisions
Travel opportunities

Cons

Pressure to produce accurate data quickly
Can be emotionally taxing when dealing with outbreaks or epidemics
Limited job opportunities in certain geographic areas
Competition for grants and funding
Risk of burnout due to heavy workload

Key steps to become an epidemiologist

Explore epidemiologist education requirements

Most common epidemiologist degrees

Master's

43.8 %

Bachelor's

43.8 %

Doctorate

8.9 %

Start to develop specific epidemiologist skills

Skills	Percentages
SAS	7.88%
Data Analysis	7.25%
Statistical Analysis	6.64%
Patients	4.71%
Infectious Disease	3.96%

Research epidemiologist duties and responsibilities

Manage chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia, etc.
Used SQL to query health encounters collect and maintain in a data warehouse.
Analyze health outcomes using risk ratios, regression models and descriptive statistics in SPSS.
Experience with SQL programming, web applications with query, analytics and dashboard features.

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