Epidemiology

Master of Science Program

The mission of the Master of Science program is to train students in epidemiologic and quantitative methods used to investigate issues of public health importance. This program is designed for students seeking careers in epidemiologic research and academia.

Program Description

This program is designed to prepare persons who have no previous training in epidemiologic research for a career in that area.  This program is also designed for individuals already employed in the health field (MD, DDS, RN, DVM, MBBS, or PHARMD). By the end of the program students will have thorough knowledge of the design and implementation of studies including development of study protocol and instruments, selection and recruitment of study subjects, field collection of data and the conduct of quality control. In addition, students will develop skills in data management, analysis and interpretation. The M.S. degree is an academic degree intended to prepare students for careers in research/education institutes, with programs that emphasize understanding of theoretical issues and the application of disciplinary methods to the study of public health problems. A minimum of 36 credits is required.    

Program Competencies

At the completion of the MS program in Epidemiology students will be able to:

• Define the concepts and contents of epidemiology (EPID 6030) 
• Formulate a research hypothesis (EPID 6030)
• Determine study aim, objectives and appropriate study design to address the hypothesis (EPID 6030)
• Identify risk and/or preventive factors that may contribute to outcomes and incorporate them into a research study (EPID 7120, EPID 7130)
• Use computers to collect, manage and analyze data for evaluation of hypotheses (EPID 6230, EPID 7130)
• Evaluate the use of questionnaires and measurement instruments in collection of data to maintain internal validity (EPID 7120)
• Use existing databases to provide background or supportive data to address research questions (EPID 9980 Thesis)
• Analyze data, interpret the findings and prepare a report of study results (BIOS 6040, BIOS 7060, BIOS 7150)
• Perform ethical research (EPID 9980 Thesis)

Admission Requirements

Students must meet the requirements for admission to the School. In addition, the department requires a baccalaureate degree with overall grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or an M.D. and a combined verbal and quantitative GRE score of at least 1100 and 3 references for the MS program.

Program Requirements

Students must complete 36 credit hours of coursework that include introductory and advanced courses in epidemiology methods, courses in a specific content area, and courses in biostatistics methods.  A total of 36 credits are required for the M.S. in Epidemiology, including thesis.  Of the 36 credits, at least 24 will be in epidemiology and 12 in biostatistics.

Students in the Department's MS program are required to maintain standards of performance that exceed the minimum required by the School. Students receiving a grade of "C" in any course (including core courses outside of the Department) must repeat the course. Students receiving a grade of "F" in any course will be dismissed (unless special extenuating circumstances can be demonstrated). Students from other departments can only register for courses in epidemiology if they have a grade of "B" or better in each of the prerequisite courses. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required.

Course Requirements

The following is an overview of the common program requirements a typical MS student might undertake. These apply to all students entering in the Spring 2007 semester or after.

Course	Course Title	Credits
BIOS 6030	Introduction to Biostatistics	3
EPID 6030	Epidemiologic Methods I	3
EPID 7120	Epidemiologic Methods II	3
BIOS 6040	Intermediate Biostatistics	3
EPID 7130	Observational Epidemiology	3
EPID 6230	Computer Packages for Epidemiology	2
EPID 7990	Epidemiology Seminar	1
BIOS 7060	Regression Analysis	3
BIOS 7150	Categorical Data Analysis	3
EPID 9980	Master's Thesis	0

AND

At least two of the following courses in advanced methods:

EPID 6260	Survey Methodology	3
EPID 6290	Genetic Epidemiology	3
EPID 6420	Clinical Epidemiology	3
EPID 6750	Outbreak Epidemiology	3
EPID 6910	Clinical Trials: Design, Conduct and Analysis	3
EPID 7310	Meta-Analysis	3
EPID 7410	Pharmacoepidemiology	2

AND

At least two of the following courses in descriptive epidemiology:

Course	Course Title	Credits
EPID 6210	Cancer Epidemiology	3
EPID 6220 EPID 6230	Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology Molecular Epidemiology	3 3
EPID 6480	Reproductive Epidemiology	3
EPID 7090	Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases	3
EPID 7210 EPID 8810	Epidemiology of HIV/STI's Human Molecular Genetics	3 3

Thesis Requirement

Students enrolled in the MS program are required to complete a thesis which will demonstrate an ability to interpret current literature and conduct epidemiologic analysis.  The completed thesis must constitute the equivalent of one epidemiologic paper that meets the current standards of publication in refereed journals.  Thesis research will involve the processing and analysis of data; original data collection is encouraged but not required.  Upon completion, the thesis must be approved by the thesis advisor and one outside reader.  After approval, the student will defend the purpose, methods and results of the thesis research in an oral presentation.  For more information on this requirement, read the Thesis Outline.

Degree requirements must be completed within 2 years after the student first enrolls as a master's student, if full-time, and 1 year post completion of coursework for part-time students.  These requirements may supersede those of the School.

Model Course Schedule

For additional information: contact Therese Carter, tcarter1@tulane.edu, 504.988.6809.