Epidemiology – the study of patterns and causes of diseases in human populations – is the underpinning science for clinical and public health research. Infectious disease epidemiologists integrate understanding across biology, society, and the environment to help control infections, addressing important global health challenges.
This MSc will train the future leaders in infectious disease epidemiology to make meaningful contributions to public health. You will learn how to design and conduct epidemiological investigations, and how to analyse and critically interpret data to identify patterns and associations. You will study the effects of factors like antimicrobial resistance, climate change, changes in the vectors that transmit infections, population movement, and access to and uptake of interventions such as vaccines. You will learn how to apply this learning to mitigate the global health impact of infections.
This MSc will equip you with core skills and understanding of epidemiology, statistics, and data science, alongside learning about host and pathogen biology and broader social, economic, and cultural influences on infectious diseases. You will tailor your degree to your own needs and interests, choosing optional modules such as climate change, disease modelling, global eradication of viruses, health economics, digital health, and evaluation of public health interventions, among others.
The course will equip you to start your career as an infectious disease epidemiologist, analyst or data scientist. You will develop the diverse set of skills needed to approach complex infectious disease problems, relevant for a wide range of careers within epidemiology and public health. Your training in quantitative methods and epidemiology, in addition to your understanding of how the biology of microorganisms impact on transmission dynamics and infection control, will be highly valued in a world where infectious disease outbreaks are likely to become more common.
Our graduates have gone on to a variety of roles as epidemiologists, analysts and data scientists in research, public health, healthcare, and private sector organisations, both in the UK and internationally.
Examples of graduate destinations include the UK Health Security Agency and other country public health agencies, the UK National Health Service, the World Health Organization, private sector healthcare companies such as IQVIA, and universities in the UK and abroad. Many graduates have secured places on funded PhD courses at UCL and at other universities*.
We provide departmental and university-wide career support, events, and networking opportunities throughout the year.
Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2018–2024 cohorts.