Epidemiology is absolutely fundamental for maintaining and improving public health.

It is a fascinating field that utilises statistics, tracking methods and problem solving to study the origin and causes of diseases, and the effect of clinical interventions in a community. 

You will study epidemiology in all of its different facets: calculating disease trends and probabilities, communicating findings to the public and policy makers, and designing and implementing interventions based on data.

Why this programme?

Epidemiology focuses on the occurrence, distribution and determinants of health and disease, and on the methods that can be used to study them. It’s considered a cornerstone of public health, preventive medicine and evidence-based clinical medicine.

In the master’s programme in Epidemiology, you’ll gain a solid education in the theoretical concepts, methods and interpretation of epidemiological research focusing on the diagnosis, cause, outcomes and prognosis of disease. You’ll also study the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic interventions.

Explore epidemiology in all its different facets with examples ranging from the epidemiology of cancer or musculoskeletal disorders to nutritional, molecular, clinical and occupational health epidemiology. You’ll develop the full range of theoretical knowledge, practical and analytical skills, and experience you’ll need to become a certified epidemiologist. 

Thorough grounding in Epidemiology:

• You will learn about the basic principles and core concepts of epidemiology together with different research designs.
• There is a strong emphasis on professional research skills such as critically assessing scientific publications and reports on public health and patient-bound research, designing, implementing, statistically analysing, evaluating and reporting on your own epidemiological research and interventions.
• The programme has a strong research focus with a broad scope of applied research (e.g. musculoskeletal system, nutrition, cancer and clinical medicine).
• You will learn in an international classroom with around 40% of the students coming from abroad.
• You can become certified as a Licensed A-class Epidemiologist.
• From a PhD position to a researcher or project coordinator: the career opportunities are diverse. You will develop communication skills that are relevant to the workplace

You’ll also put these skills into practice and will have the opportunity to play an active role in faculty research, thanks to the programme's close ties with our research institutes. This will give you the skills you need to jump-start your scientific career.

Master’s thesis:

During the second half of the programme, you will actively participate in epidemiological research and complete a master’s thesis under the close supervision of the academic staff.

Past topics have included:

• composition of breast milk and asthma, atopic and infectious outcomes in childhood,
• alcohol drinking, genetic variation and risk of breast cancer,
• school absence in children aged 13-14 years,
• light physical activity and health-related quality of life,
• prevalence and early screening of ADHD,
• body composition and risk of metabolic or cardiovascular disease.