Epidemiologists

Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes. May develop the means for prevention and control.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Critical Thinking
Complex Problem Solving
Judgment and Decision Making
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Science

Key knowledge

Mathematics
Biology
Medicine and Dentistry
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Communications and Media
Education and Training
Sociology and Anthropology

What the work involves

Oversee public health programs, including statistical analysis, health care planning, surveillance systems, and public health improvement.
Investigate diseases or parasites to determine cause and risk factors, progress, life cycle, or mode of transmission.
Plan and direct studies to investigate human or animal disease, preventive methods, and treatments for disease.
Plan, administer and evaluate health safety standards and programs to improve public health, conferring with health department, industry personnel, physicians, and others.
Provide expertise in the design, management and evaluation of study protocols and health status questionnaires, sample selection, and analysis.
Conduct research to develop methodologies, instrumentation, and procedures for medical application, analyzing data and presenting findings.
Consult with and advise physicians, educators, researchers, government health officials and others regarding medical applications of sciences, such as physics, biology, and chemistry.
Supervise professional, technical, and clerical personnel.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Social, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (66.7% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (47.1%)
On-the-job training: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (23.5%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Epidemiologists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 64% of occupations compared	47% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 50% of occupations compared	37% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared	56% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very high	Higher on freedom to make decisions than 86% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom”
Time pressure	Low	Lower on time pressure than 71% of occupations compared	58% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 60% of occupations compared	47% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Very low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 84% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Very low	Lower on consequence of error than 82% of occupations compared	33% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: low
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: very low
Consequence of error: very low

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions