The 37-credit master’s in epidemiology prepares you to succeed in roles related to geographic and demographic health surveillance and the management of disease agents and risk factors.

Learn how to select study populations, collect and interpret data, and recommend ways to improve the health of people affected by communicable and chronic illnesses.

Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I and II
Principles of Public Health
Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health
Principles of Statistical Inference I and II
Quantitative Methods in Epidemiology
Three electives in epidemiology, biomedical sciences, environmental health sciences, biological sciences, anthropology, or biometry and statistics. Electives can also be taken at Albany Medical College.
Epidemiology Field Placement
Master’s Thesis

During your field placement, you get to apply your knowledge to real epidemiological research projects.

More than 75% of faculty in the School of Public Health hold appointments with the NYS Department of Health, which provides many opportunities to work in the labs of the internationally recognized Wadsworth Center.

In addition, you can contribute to projects in the Cancer Research Center, Cardiac Quality Improvement Initiative, and Center for Health Workforce Studies.

If you're interested in private-sector epidemiological work, you can take advantage of the School’s relationship with numerous biotechnology firms located right on UAlbany’s Health Sciences Campus.

Admission Requirements

Deadlines

Priority: January 15
General: March 1
Final: Rolling until August 1 on space available basis

Applicants who wish to be considered for a scholarship must submit their application by the priority deadline. Some scholarships require that applications be received earlier than the published priority deadline. Students who wish to be considered for one of the early submission scholarships should consult our Financing Your Degree page and must submit the degree application and any additional required documents by the stated date for that scholarship.

Fee waivers are available for the first program you apply to in SOPHAS to cover the initial $140 application fee. There are three types of fee waivers: financial-based, service-based, and international-based. You may only apply for one type of fee waiver, and the waiver request must be submitted before you submit your SOPHAS application. Fee waivers are granted on a first come, first served basis, so applicants are strongly encouraged to apply before the priority deadline when requesting a waiver. For more information, visit SOPHAS Fees and Fee Waivers.

Applications are accepted for all programs on a space available basis after the published deadlines. Contact us at sphadmissions@albany.edu or 518-402-0361 with any questions. 

MS Epidemiology Degree Application

The application and all supporting materials for the MS in Epidemiology must be submitted through SOPHAS.

Visit the SOPHAS Applicant Help Center for help with starting your SOPHAS application.

Application Requirements

• Must hold a bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing
• Grade point average of 3.00 or better
• It is very strongly recommended** to have an undergraduate major in in mathematics, statistics, computer science, the biological, physical or social sciences
• One semester of college level calculus
• One semester of biology and chemistry
• Minimum GRE scores 160 verbal; 148 quantitative; 4.5 writing

**Students with undergraduate majors in areas other than those listed may be admitted on the basis of relevant work experience and course work as a non-major in the recommended disciplines. At least one semester of college-level mathematics and biology is strongly advised. Students lacking preparation in biological sciences will be required to take additional course work in this area.

For application specific questions, contact us at epibio@albany.edu.

International Requirements

• International students must submit a minimum TOEFL score of 98 or IELTS score of 7.0. We will only accept official scores sent by the testing institution.
• UAlbany SOPHAS TOEFL code is 5688. We do not use department codes. For electronic IELTS score results reporting, provide the following information to your test center:
  University at Albany (SUNY)
  1400 Washington Avenue
  Albany, NY 12222
• The TOEFL or IELTS is not required for international students who have completed at least four semesters of full-time study within a four-year time frame from time of application, and maintained at least a B average at a college or university in the United States or a country from an approved list.  For questions regarding English Language Proficiency waivers, please email Soha Acosta at szacosta@albany.edu.
• International students must request a transcript evaluation from World Education Services (WES). The WES evaluation must be sent directly to SOPHAS, NOT the University at Albany or the School of Public Health.

Required Application Materials

Official Transcripts 

• Official transcripts from EVERY post-secondary academic institution attended, including college coursework completed during high school, must be sent directly from the institution to SOPHAS. You must report all colleges and universities attended and submit official transcripts, even if your transfer credits are listed on your primary transcript. See Sending Official Transcripts for more guidelines.
• UAlbany students must have an official UAlbany transcript sent directly to SOPHAS.
• Applicants who use the transcript entry service provided by SOPHAS should note that the entry process adds TWO FULL WEEKS to the time it takes for an application to be verified and considered complete by the admissions committee.

Standardized Exam

• Official GRE (institution code: 4216) or MCAT scores  
• The standardized test requirement may be waived for applicants who have completed a graduate degree program from an accredited US institution and received a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the program. Applicants should consult directly with the department to determine waiver eligibility.
   

Three letters of recommendation

• A minimum of two letters must be from academic faculty 
• At least one letter must be from a university faculty member in the major field of study
• Applicants who have been out of school for five or more years may submit professional references
• Letters must be signed and on institutional/organizational letterhead

Personal Statement

• Why do you wish to pursue a career in public health and why are you interested in your chosen area of study?
• 2-page limit
• The personal statement must have well-defined research interests and should be very specific in nature

CV/Resume

Tuition-$56,000 for 2 years