Programs in demography and population studies examine human populations. Students learn how to determine a population's size, average age, and growth rate. They focus on the distribution of these characteristics for a region or country.

Have you ever been to Wyoming? It's rugged and beautiful. It's also big - about 98,000 square miles. Yet, Wyoming is the "smallest" state in America. How can that be? Wyoming is small in terms of population! Wyoming has the fewest people of all 50 states, with about five people per square mile. A total of about 500,000 people live in Wyoming. That's less than the population of many cities in America!

Compare Wyoming to Mumbai, India. (Mumbai used to be called Bombay.) Over 12,000,000 people live in Mumbai. The city itself is only 95 square miles in size! That's about 126,000 people per square mile – 125,595 more than Wyoming! Now you might be asking yourself, Why do so many people live in Mumbai and so few live in Wyoming? Demographers also ask questions like this. They study how population affects a nation's economy, health care, and general way of life.

In demography and population studies programs, you take courses in population theory, global development, health care policy, and research methods. You learn statistics so that you can analyze the birth, death, marriage, and divorce rates for different countries. You study the flow of people into and out of a country. You can also take courses about global poverty, the effect of AIDS, and reproductive policies. In addition to demography courses, you take courses from different fields of study, including anthropology, sociology, biology, geography, and economics.

With a degree in demography and population studies, you can work as a policy-maker for a nonprofit group. You can use your research skills to work in market research, health care administration, or investment planning. You can work for government agencies such as the Census Bureau.

Usually you study demography as part of a sociology program. Most four-year colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in sociology. A smaller number offer bachelor's degrees specifically in demography. In many cases, you can earn a minor in demography while earning your bachelor's degree in sociology or a related field. Typically you finish your bachelor's degree in four years.

A small number of schools offer graduate degree programs in demography. In many cases, demography is offered as a concentration in sociology, anthropology, public policy, and economics graduate programs. Graduate degrees take from two to five years after you finish your bachelor's degree. Many people with graduate degrees in demography become professors or researchers.