Epidemiology: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries
Program Overview
Epidemiology is a rigorous, data-driven discipline dedicated to understanding the distribution, causes, and prevention of disease, disability, and trauma across human populations. By analyzing patterns and underlying factors, this field equips professionals to design effective public health interventions, mitigate outbreaks, and promote long-term community well-being. It integrates scientific inquiry with real-world application to address pressing global health challenges.
- Biostatistics: The application of statistical methods to analyze health data, enabling accurate interpretation of disease trends and evaluation of intervention effectiveness.
- Biochemistry: The study of chemical processes within living organisms, providing foundational insights into disease mechanisms at the molecular level.
- Molecular biology: The exploration of biological processes at the molecular scale, crucial for understanding pathogen behavior and genetic influences on health outcomes.
- Immunology: The investigation of the body’s defense systems, essential for developing vaccines and understanding infectious disease dynamics.
- Disease and injury determinants: The systematic identification of biological, social, and environmental factors that contribute to illness and injury occurrence.
- Genetic disease and disability factors: The study of hereditary conditions and their role in disease susceptibility, progression, and population health disparities.
- Behavioral studies: Research into human actions and decision-making related to health, informing strategies to modify risk behaviors and improve health outcomes.
- Health services research: The evaluation of healthcare systems, access, quality, and cost-effectiveness to optimize delivery and policy development.
- Environmental disease and injury factors: The analysis of physical, chemical, and social environments as contributors to health risks and disease burden.
- Population studies: Large-scale investigations into health patterns across defined groups, supporting surveillance, planning, and policy responses.
Epidemiology Graduate Trends (2010-2024)
Epidemiology Career Pathways & Salary Outlook
The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Epidemiology degrees, including Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists and Epidemiologists. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 397,480 professionals.
National Average Salaries
| Occupation | Median Salary | Salary Range | Total Employment | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1071 | $105,620 | $51,760 - $239,200 | 229,720 | N/A |
| Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists 19-1042 | $100,590 | $61,860 - $168,210 | 156,300 | $48.36 |
| Epidemiologists 19-1041 | $83,980 | $56,950 - $134,860 | 11,460 | $40.38 |
Epidemiology Salary Map by State
Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $59,680 in Hawaii to $123,667 in District of Columbia—a 107% difference. The highest-paying states include District of Columbia, Arkansas, and Massachusetts. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 397,480 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.
Average Salary Range:
Top Universities for Epidemiology by Graduate Enrollment
Below are the top 100 institutions offering Epidemiology programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Epidemiology is found at Columbia University in the City of New York (247 graduates), Boston University (BU) (200 graduates), Johns Hopkins University (JHU) (168 graduates), Emory University (159 graduates), and The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth), Houston (149 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 3,052 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.
| College Name | Award Levels | Graduates | Location | Control | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
247 | New York, New York | Private | columbia.edu |
| Boston University (BU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
200 | Boston, Massachusetts | Private | bu.edu |
| Johns Hopkins University (JHU) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
168 | Baltimore, Maryland | Private | jhu.edu |
| Emory University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
159 | Atlanta, Georgia | Private | emory.edu |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
149 | Houston, Texas | Public | uth.edu |
| Harvard University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
134 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Private | harvard.edu |
| University of Miami (UM) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
113 | Coral Gables, Florida | Private | miami.edu |
| University of Michigan (U‑M) |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
95 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Public | umich.edu |
| University of Washington (UW) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
92 | Seattle, Washington | Public | washington.edu |
| Tufts University |
Master's
|
79 | Medford, Massachusetts | Private | tufts.edu |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus |
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
73 | Denver, Colorado | Public | ucdenver.edu |
| Drexel University |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
72 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | drexel.edu |
| Yale University |
Master's
|
68 | New Haven, Connecticut | Private | yale.edu |
| George Washington University (GW) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
68 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | gwu.edu |
| California Baptist University (CBU) |
Bachelor's
Master's
|
64 | Riverside, California | Private | calbaptist.edu |
| University of California (UCLA) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
60 | Los Angeles, California | Public | ucla.edu |
| University of Minnesota (UMN) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
55 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Public | twin-cities.umn.edu |
| Icahn School of Medicine (ISMMS) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
54 | New York, New York | Private | icahn.mssm.edu |
| Texas A & M University |
Master's
|
48 | College Station, Texas | Public | tamu.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU–I) |
Other Award
|
47 | Rexburg, Idaho | Private | byui.edu |
| University of Pittsburgh |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
47 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Public | pitt.edu |
| Saint Louis University (SLU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
45 | Saint Louis, Missouri | Private | slu.edu |
| Indiana University (IUB) |
Bachelor's
Doctorate (Research)
|
43 | Bloomington, Indiana | Public | indiana.edu |
| Ohio State University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
41 | Columbus, Ohio | Public | osu.edu |
| The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
39 | Galveston, Texas | Public | utmb.edu |
| Tulane University of Louisiana |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
38 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Private | tulane.edu |
| Stanford University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
38 | Stanford, California | Private | stanford.edu |
| University of Iowa |
Master's
Post-Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
35 | Iowa City, Iowa | Public | uiowa.edu |
| University of Cincinnati (UC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
27 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Public | uc.edu |
| University of Pennsylvania (Penn) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
27 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Private | upenn.edu |
| Benedictine University (BenU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
26 | Lisle, Illinois | Private | ben.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
26 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Public | umass.edu |
| Kent State University |
Master's
|
26 | Kent, Ohio | Public | kent.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMB) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
25 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umaryland.edu |
| Temple University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
24 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Public | temple.edu |
| University of Memphis (UofM) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
22 | Memphis, Tennessee | Public | memphis.edu |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
21 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Public | unc.edu |
| University of New Haven (UNH) |
Postbac Cert.
|
18 | West Haven, Connecticut | Private | newhaven.edu |
| University of South Carolina (USC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
18 | Columbia, South Carolina | Public | sc.edu |
| Weill Medical College of Cornell University (WCMC) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
17 | New York, New York | Private | weill.cornell.edu |
| University of Delaware (UD) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
16 | Newark, Delaware | Public | udel.edu |
| Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
15 | Cleveland, Ohio | Private | case.edu |
| University of Florida (UF) |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
14 | Gainesville, Florida | Public | ufl.edu |
| University of Nevada (UNR) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
14 | Reno, Nevada | Public | unr.edu |
| University of Rochester |
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
14 | Rochester, New York | Private | rochester.edu |
| North Dakota State University (NDSU) |
Master's
|
14 | Fargo, North Dakota | Public | ndsu.edu |
| University of Oklahoma (OUHSC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
14 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Public | ouhsc.edu |
| Vanderbilt University (VU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
14 | Nashville, Tennessee | Private | vanderbilt.edu |
| Loma Linda University (LLU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
13 | Loma Linda, California | Private | llu.edu |
| University of Missouri (Mizzou) |
Postbac Cert.
|
12 | Columbia, Missouri | Public | missouri.edu |
| University of California (UCSF) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
11 | San Francisco, California | Public | ucsf.edu |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) |
Master's
|
10 | Champaign, Illinois | Public | illinois.edu |
| Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) |
Master's
|
10 | Charleston, South Carolina | Public | web.musc.edu |
| University of Providence (UP) |
Master's
|
9 | Great Falls, Montana | Private | uprovidence.edu |
| University at Buffalo (UB) |
Master's
|
9 | Buffalo, New York | Public | buffalo.edu |
| University of Toledo (UToledo) |
Master's
|
9 | Toledo, Ohio | Public | utoledo.edu |
| University of Alabama (UAB) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
8 | Birmingham, Alabama | Public | uab.edu |
| University of California (UCB) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
8 | Berkeley, California | Public | berkeley.edu |
| Georgetown University (GU) |
Master's
|
8 | Washington, District of Columbia | Private | georgetown.edu |
| University of Massachusetts |
Master's
|
8 | Lowell, Massachusetts | Public | uml.edu |
| Rutgers University |
Master's
|
8 | New Brunswick, New Jersey | Public | newbrunswick.rutgers.edu |
| East Tennessee State University (ETSU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
8 | Johnson City, Tennessee | Public | etsu.edu |
| University of North Texas Health Science Center |
Master's
|
8 | Fort Worth, Texas | Public | unthsc.edu |
| Brigham Young University (BYU) |
Bachelor's
|
8 | Provo, Utah | Private | byu.edu |
| University of Puerto Rico (UPR‑MSC) |
Master's
|
8 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Public | rcm.upr.edu |
| Valparaiso University (Valpo) |
Master's
|
7 | Valparaiso, Indiana | Private | valpo.edu |
| University of Southern California (USC) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
6 | Los Angeles, California | Private | usc.edu |
| University of Georgia (UGA) |
Postbac Cert.
Other Award
|
6 | Athens, Georgia | Public | uga.edu |
| University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
6 | Chicago, Illinois | Public | uic.edu |
| Western Kentucky University (WKU) |
Postbac Cert.
|
6 | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Public | wku.edu |
| New York Medical College (NYMC) |
Master's
|
6 | Valhalla, New York | Private | nymc.edu |
| Augusta University (AU) |
Master's
|
6 | Augusta, Georgia | Public | augusta.edu |
| University of California (UCD) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
5 | Davis, California | Public | ucdavis.edu |
| Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (RFU) |
Master's
|
5 | North Chicago, Illinois | Private | rosalindfranklin.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMBC) |
Master's
|
5 | Baltimore, Maryland | Public | umbc.edu |
| Michigan State University (MSU) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
5 | East Lansing, Michigan | Public | msu.edu |
| New York University (NYU) |
Master's
|
5 | New York, New York | Private | nyu.edu |
| University at Albany (UAlbany) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
5 | Albany, New York | Public | albany.edu |
| Pennsylvania State University |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
5 | University Park, Pennsylvania | Public | psu.edu |
| San Diego State University (SDSU) |
Master's
|
4 | San Diego, California | Public | sdsu.edu |
| Indiana University (IU Indianapolis) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
4 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Public | indianapolis.iu.edu |
| Duke University |
Postbac Cert.
Master's
|
4 | Durham, North Carolina | Private | duke.edu |
| Wright State University |
Postbac Cert.
|
4 | Dayton, Ohio | Public | wright.edu |
| The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) |
Master's
|
4 | Memphis, Tennessee | Public | uthsc.edu |
| University of Arizona |
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | Tucson, Arizona | Public | arizona.edu |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | Little Rock, Arkansas | Public | uams.edu |
| University of California (UCI) |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | Irvine, California | Public | uci.edu |
| University of California (UCSD) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | La Jolla, California | Public | ucsd.edu |
| University of Hawaii (UHM) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | Honolulu, Hawaii | Public | manoa.hawaii.edu |
| University of Maryland (UMCP) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | College Park, Maryland | Public | umd.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
|
3 | Madison, Wisconsin | Public | wisc.edu |
| Dordt University |
Bachelor's
|
2 | Sioux Center, Iowa | Private | dordt.edu |
| University of Louisville (UofL) |
Postbac Cert.
|
2 | Louisville, Kentucky | Public | louisville.edu |
| Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC-NO) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
2 | New Orleans, Louisiana | Public | lsuhsc.edu |
| Brown University |
Doctorate (Research)
|
2 | Providence, Rhode Island | Private | brown.edu |
| Baylor University |
Master's
|
2 | Waco, Texas | Private | baylor.edu |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
2 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Public | uwm.edu |
| University of Vermont (UVM) |
Postbac Cert.
|
1 | Burlington, Vermont | Public | uvm.edu |
| Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) |
Postbac Cert.
|
1 | Norfolk, Virginia | Public | evms.edu |
| Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) |
Doctorate (Research)
|
1 | Richmond, Virginia | Public | vcu.edu |
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about Epidemiology programs
How much can I earn with a Epidemiology degree?
Salaries for Epidemiology graduates vary by role and location. Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median of $105,620 annually, while Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists earn around $100,590. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in District of Columbia average $123,667 compared to $59,680 in Hawaii. Approximately 397,480 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.
Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.
Which universities have the largest Epidemiology programs?
Currently 101 accredited institutions offer Epidemiology degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include Columbia University in the City of New York (247 graduates), Boston University (BU) (200 graduates), and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) (168 graduates).
Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.
Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.
Is enrollment in Epidemiology growing or declining?
Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 1,039 in 2010 to 3,053 in 2023-24. This represents a 194% increase overall from 2010.
The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.
Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.
What career paths are available with a Epidemiology degree?
This degree prepares you for roles such as Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary, Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists, and Epidemiologists. Related occupations employ approximately 397,480 professionals nationwide.
Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.
Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.
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