MPH Epidemiology vs Statistician

[dslamb5736]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I'm thinking about a change in direction in my career, and have been entertaining the idea of getting a masters in applied statistics or MPH in Epidemiology. My background is in Geography/GIS and have a strong interest in spatial stats and spatial epidemiology. I guess I see the masters in stats as more generalist and the epidemiology as more specialized. I don't have the hard sciences background, but am beefing up my math skills. I guess I'm curious how mobile a statistics degree is versus an epidemiology degree. Is it possible to move into health applications of statistics with a statistics degree? Is it possible to move into other statistics jobs with an MPH?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
David

 

[MolBio]

Is it possible to move into health applications of statistics with a statistics degree?

Yes, of course. As long as you have some training in modeling techniques, especially regression (linear, logistic, cox, poisson, multi-level, longitudinal), factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and statistical inference, or some combination of these skills, you would be very valuable in health research.

Is it possible to move into other statistics jobs with an MPH?

If you specialize in biostatistics, yes. Less appropriate to move into non-health statistics-based jobs as an epidemiologist (by definition, epidemiology is the study of patterns of diseases and their determinants), but it's possible. You may want to consider an MS or ScM in biostats rather than an MPH if you don't want to be branded to the "health" related field.

 

[dslamb5736]

Thanks! That's helpful.