Master of Science in Epidemiology

Program Overview

Master of Science in Epidemiology

Combat Outbreaks and Chronic Conditions through Scientific Study

Inhibit the spread of infectious disease by studying methods of transmission and learning how to track and analyze patterns of health and sickness across diverse communities. Control devastating chronic conditions by discovering how to identify risk factors and contextual influences, and applying evidence-based prevention approaches.

Program of Study

• Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I and II
• Principles of Public Health
• Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health
• Principles of Statistical Inference I and II
• Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology
• Three electives in epidemiology, biomedical sciences, environmental health sciences, biological sciences, anthropology, or biometry and statistics. Electives can also be taken at Albany Medical College.
• Epidemiology Field Placement
• Master’s Thesis

Field Research

During your field placement, you get to apply your knowledge to real epidemiological research projects.

More than 75% of faculty in the College of Integrated Health Sciences hold appointments with the NYS Department of Health, which provides many opportunities to work in the labs of the internationally recognized Wadsworth Center.

In addition, you can contribute to projects in the Cancer Research Center, Cardiac Quality Improvement Initiative, and Center for Health Workforce Studies.

If you're interested in private-sector epidemiological work, you can take advantage of the School’s relationship with numerous biotechnology firms located right on UAlbany’s Health Sciences Campus.

Career Paths

Graduates of this program study and solve large-scale public health problems in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and research and development firms.

• Epidemiological data analyst
• Infection control epidemiologist
• Field epidemiologist
• Pharmaceutical epidemiologist
• Public health liaison

Admission Requirements

Deadlines

• Priority: January 15
• General: March 1
• Final: Rolling until August 1 on space available basis

Application Requirements

• Must hold a bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing
• Grade point average of 3.00 or better
• It is very strongly recommended to have an undergraduate major in mathematics, statistics, computer science, the biological, physical or social sciences
• It is recommended to have one semester of biology and college level calculus

*Students with undergraduate majors in areas other than those listed may be admitted on the basis of relevant work experience and course work as a non-major in the recommended disciplines. At least one semester of college-level mathematics and biology is strongly advised. Students lacking preparation in biological sciences will be required to take additional course work in this area.

International Requirements

• International students must submit a minimum TOEFL score of 98, IELTS score of 7.0, or Duolingo score of 125. We will only accept official scores sent by the testing institution.
• UAlbany SOPHAS TOEFL code is 5688. We do not use department codes.
• Official Duolingo scores must be sent to the University at Albany (SOPHAS does not accept Duolingo scores). Students may include unofficial scores in their SOPHAS application, but official scores must be received by the University at Albany.
• The TOEFL or IELTS is not required for international students who have completed at least four semesters of full-time study within a four-year time frame from time of application, and maintained at least a B average at a college or university in the United States or a country from an approved list. For questions regarding English Language Proficiency waivers, please email Soha Acosta at .

Required Application Materials

• Official Transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal Statement
• CV/Resume

Student Learning Objectives

• Epidemiology MPH Core Competencies.
• Biostatistics MPH Core Competencies.
• Be able to define epidemiologic study designs-ecologic (correlational), cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, and experimental (intervention) studies-and compare their strengths and weaknesses.
• Be able to define and discuss the relationship of random error, systematic error, bias, the types of bias-selection, information, and confounding bias-and methods of bias control.
• Be familiar with the concept of effect modification and how it differs from confounding.
• Be able to define, contrast, and apply the concepts of validity and generalizability while reviewing epidemiologic studies.
• Be able to define and apply the epidemiologic criteria of causality and be able to distinguish between a measure of association and evidence of causality.
• Begin to be able to make an epidemiologic decision on a public health issue, even if given conflicting research results, exercising your critical judgment based on what you have learned in this course.
• Be familiar with the ethical issues pertinent to epidemiological studies.
• Describe public health as a system, including its unique and important features and their role within it, to general audiences.
• Apply measures of population health and illness, including risk factors, to community health improvement initiatives.
• Identify and distinguishing public health and prevention strategies from curative strategies for prevalent health problems.
• Describe the role of law and government in promoting and protecting the health of the public and identifying specific functions and roles of governmental public health agencies in assuring population health.
• Describe the public health role, and their own level of participation, in emergency responses for a range of contingencies that might arise.
• Identify and explaining how various occupations, professions, and careers contribute to carrying out public health’s core functions and essential services.
• Identify and describing key challenges facing public health workers in the early 21st century.
• Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
• Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
• Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
• Use statistical software to analyze public health data.
• Use information technology to access, evaluate, and interpret public health data.
• Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
• Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.
• Comprehend basic ethical and legal issues pertaining to epidemiologic data.
• Distinguish between population and individual ethical considerations in relation to the benefits, costs, and burdens of public health programs.
• Solve problems under emergency conditions.
• Facilitate collaboration with internal and external emergency response partners.
• Apply statistical methods of estimation and hypothesis testing and explain the basics of correlation and regression for the purpose of analyzing the health of populations.
• Apply knowledge of statistical software and database management for the purpose of conducting research on the health of populations.
• Have a working knowledge of statistical software and database management.
• Conduct independent research in epidemiology
• Plan and execute, with considerable independence, original and extensive laboratory research on a significant problem in epidemiology.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills, both verbal and written, to disseminate the results of research.

Supplemental Degree Programs

Graduate students can typically request a supplemental degree in one or more subordinate degrees without needing to go through the full admissions process again.

Supplemental programs available with this degree:

• Africana Studies CGS
• Community College Leadership CGS
• Demography CGS
• Geospatial Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics CGS
• Global Health Studies CGS
• Health Disparities CGS
• HIV Studies CGS
• International Education Management CGS
• Maternal and Child Health CGS
• Public Health Surveillance and Preparedness CGS