Epidemiology programs focus on ways to manage outbreaks of diseases and traumas in society. Students learn about the causes of diseases and environmental injuries. They study biology and chemistry. They learn how to set up programs to prevent and control outbreaks.

Early in 2003, a "mystery illness" surfaced in parts of Asia. People with flu-like symptoms quickly became very ill, and hundreds died. Scientists and healthcare workers named the disease SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. A form of pneumonia, it is highly contagious, and can quickly become fatal. What's worse, there is no known cure. While scientists such as epidemiologists are still studying how SARS is transmitted, they were able to contain the disease within months of its outbreak.

Without people like epidemiologists, SARS could've become a worldwide epidemic. Epidemiologists work to promote public health by studying the patterns of disease. They study many factors, including environmental, biological, and social influences on health and illness.

Most epidemiologists work as researchers and policy analysts. As an epidemiologist, you can study new diseases for a pharmaceutical company. Or, you can study how cancer and heart disease develop at a university lab. You can also teach at medical, dental, nursing, or veterinary schools. In addition, you can work for government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration.

In epidemiology programs, you take many science and math courses. These include biostatistics, immunology, and physiology. You also study biochemistry, genetics, and toxicology. Many of your courses will focus on demography (population studies) and policy issues. Nearly all of your courses will emphasize laboratory research. In addition, you can specialize on one disease or a group of diseases. For instance, you can focus on environmental, infectious, or cardiovascular diseases, to name a few.

You can become an epidemiologist by going to graduate school. About 40 colleges and universities offer master's and doctoral degrees in epidemiology. These typically take two to five years after you finish your bachelor's degree. In many cases, your degree will be in public health with a focus on epidemiology.