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Public health epidemiologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a public health epidemiologist. Public health epidemiologists usually study ecology, population biology, and epidemiology, biology, or public health. 49% of public health epidemiologists hold a master's degree, and 43% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 70 real public health epidemiologist resumes to see exactly what public health epidemiologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for public health epidemiologists are the Tulane University and the Tulane University.

There are also many online public health epidemiologist courses to help get the education required to be a public health epidemiologist.

What education do you need to become a public health epidemiologist?

What degree do you need to be a public health epidemiologist?

The most common degree for public health epidemiologists is master's degree, with 49% of public health epidemiologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 43% and bachelor's degree degree at 3%.
  • Master's, 49%
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a public health epidemiologist?

You should major in ecology, population biology, and epidemiology to become a public health epidemiologist. 21% of public health epidemiologists major in ecology, population biology, and epidemiology. Other common majors for a public health epidemiologist include biology and public health.

Most common colleges for public health epidemiologists

Public health epidemiologists often get their degrees at Tulane University, Emory University, and New York University. Here are the most common colleges for public health epidemiologists in the US based on their resumes.
Public health epidemiologist common collegePercentages
Tulane University19.35%
Emory University12.90%
New York University6.45%
Wichita State University6.45%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor6.45%

Best majors for public health epidemiologists

Best colleges for public health epidemiologists

The best colleges for public health epidemiologists are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

A public health epidemiologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for public health epidemiologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become public health epidemiologists.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

4. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

6. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,382

Enrollment

5,597

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

20 best online courses for public health epidemiologists

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1. Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice

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Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science in public health. Epidemiology in public health practice uses study design and analyses to identify causes in an outbreak situation, guides interventions to improve population health, and evaluates programs and policies. In this course, we'll define the role of the professional epidemiologist as it relates to public health services, functions, and competencies. With that foundation in mind, we'll introduce you to the problem solving...

2. Systems Thinking In Public Health

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This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and...

3. Health Data 101

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An Introduction to Health Data for data analysts...

4. Mental Health Ambassador Certificate

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Be a leader in improving society's mental health and learn to provide mental health first aid...

5. Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2

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This course, Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2, addresses public health issues of people affected by disasters, both natural or conflict-related. It discusses the many changes that occur in people’s lives when they are uprooted by a disaster, including many important topics related to humanitarian crises, such as when there is an epidemic a public health emergency; what do we mean with the humanitarian development nexus; what are the basics of disaster epidemiology and surveillance;...

6. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives

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Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of...

7. The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health

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The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health provides an engaging overview of the incredible accomplishments and promise of the public health field. The first module includes interviews with legendary public health figures whose work led to millions of lives saved with vaccines, air bags and car seats, and the federal Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. The second module brings key public health tools to life -- including use of data, communications, and policy - through...

8. Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

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The Center for Humanitarian Emergencies is a partnership between CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch and the Rollins School of Public Health that drives global collaboration, research and evidence based training to improve the lives and well-being of populations impacted by humanitarian emergencies. - Center for Humanitarian Emergencies: http://www.che.emory.edu/ - CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch: http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/errb/index.html This course...

9. Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach

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Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the...

10. Foundations of Public Health Practice

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This specialisation will enable you to reflect on and cultivate the behaviours you require to become an effective public health professional –whether as an academic, practitioner, clinician, manager or leader.The specialisation is shaped into four courses covering the origins of public health, health improvement, behaviour change, and health protection. The specialisation will draw upon learning from the Statistics for Public Health and Epidemiology for Public Health specialisations, and builds...

11. Global Health Policy

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In this course, learners will become familiar with principles and theories of global health problems, and major challenges and controversies in improving global population health as well as practical applications of quantitative methods to analyze and interpret issues and challenges for policy. Topics will include health and foreign policy, health governance, acute disease surveillance, non-communicable diseases, burden of disease, universal health coverage, health systems strengthening, health...

12. Leadership for Public Health Crises

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Leadership for Public Health Crises will enable current and prospective managers, directors, unit heads, and elected officials to effectively lead their organizational response to profound health-related emergencies and to build leadership capacity across multiple sectors, agencies, organizations, and divisions. This series of courses prepares graduate students (in, e.g., public administration, public health, social work, business, homeland security, education, and related fields) and...

13. Epidemiology in Public Health Practice

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This specialization is intended for people working or aspiring to work in the field of public health at the local, regional, and national level. Over five courses taught by faculty from the preeminent school of public health, you'll learn to use the core epidemiologic toolset to measure the health of populations, assess interventions, collect and analyze data, and investigate outbreaks and epidemics...

14. Hypothesis Testing in Public Health

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Biostatistics is an essential skill for every public health researcher because it provides a set of precise methods for extracting meaningful conclusions from data. In this second course of the Biostatistics in Public Health Specialization, you'll learn to evaluate sample variability and apply statistical hypothesis testing methods. Along the way, you'll perform calculations and interpret real-world data from the published scientific literature. Topics include sample statistics, the central...

15. Qualitative Research Design and Methods for Public Health

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This specialization will enable public health professionals and researchers to design effective qualitative studies addressing a range of public health issues, select and implement appropriate qualitative methods to meet their study's objectives, and generate and analyze qualitative data...

16. Biostatistics in Public Health

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This specialization is intended for public health and healthcare professionals, researchers, data analysts, social workers, and others who need a comprehensive concepts-centric biostatistics primer. Those who complete the specialization will be able to read and respond to the scientific literature, including the Methods and Results sections, in public health, medicine, biological science, and related fields. Successful learners will also be prepared to participate as part of a research team...

17. Participatory Approaches in Public Health

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This specialisation guides learners through the process of designing an appropriate participatory approach to a given public health challenge, focusing on the history, theory and practice of participatory approaches to public health. You'll gain an understanding of the impact of social and cultural contexts in which public health programmes exist, as well as, why participatory approaches could better assist in meeting the population’s needs and solving certain health-related challenges...

18. Introduction to Digital health

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This course introduces the field of digital health and the key concepts and definitions in this emerging field. The key topics include Learning Health Systems and Electronic Health Records and various types of digital health technologies to include mobile applications, wearable technologies, health information systems, telehealth, telemedicine, machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data. These technologies are assessed in terms of the key opportunities and challenges to their use...

19. Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis in Public Health

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Welcome to Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis in Public Health! This course will teach you the core building blocks of statistical analysis - types of variables, common distributions, hypothesis testing - but, more than that, it will enable you to take a data set you've never seen before, describe its keys features, get to know its strengths and quirks, run some vital basic analyses and then formulate and test hypotheses based on means and proportions. You'll then have a solid grounding...

20. Evaluation of Digital Health Interventions

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This course focuses on data, evaluation methods and the economic evaluation of digital health interventions. This module focuses on key data considerations for digital health including data management, data visualisation and methods for evaluating digital health interventions. The key focus is on experimental and quasi-experimental design approaches that can be applied to evaluating digital health interventions and key considerations for the economic evaluation of digital health interventions...

Top 10 most affordable universities for public health epidemiologists

The most affordable schools for public health epidemiologists are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for public health epidemiologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for public health epidemiologists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

7. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public health epidemiologists

The hardest universities for public health epidemiologists to get into are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for public health epidemiologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for public health epidemiologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

8. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

9. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public health epidemiologists

The easiest schools for public health epidemiologists to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and saint joseph's college of maine.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public health epidemiologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for public health epidemiologists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

4. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

5. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

6. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

7. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

8. Dominican University of California

San Rafael, CA • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,126

9. Augusta University

Augusta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

80%

SAT average

1,172

10. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

Average public health epidemiologist salary by education level

According to our data, public health epidemiologists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $69,914 annually. Public health epidemiologists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $64,014.
Public health epidemiologist education levelPublic health epidemiologist salary
Master's Degree$64,014
Bachelor's Degree$61,781
Doctorate Degree$69,914

Public health epidemiologist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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