Language
  • English
Format
  • Full time
  • Part time
Start date
  • September
Location
  • Maastricht
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Epidemiology

Epidemiology studies the patterns, causes, and effects of diseases in populations. It forms the backbone of public health. This one-year master’s trains you in study design, data analysis, and research communication—preparing you to improve public health.

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Why this programme

In a world facing pandemics, chronic diseases and emerging health threats, it is essential to detect infectious disease outbreaks early, monitor disease trends, and implement effective health-promoting interventions. This must be based on solid scientific evidence, the backbone of public health and medicine. Epidemiologists provide this evidence by investigating disease trends, determinants of both health and disease, and the effects of public health and clinical interventions. Because of its importance, epidemiology is considered the cornerstone of public health, preventive medicine, and evidence-based clinical medicine. 

In this programme, you explore epidemiology in all its different facets. You gain an advanced understanding of methodological concepts related to study design, bias, the measurement of health and disease, and of statistics. You develop the skills needed for designing, analysing, and interpreting epidemiological studies, synthesizing evidence from different studies, and communicating research findings to the public, policy makers, governmental institutions and academic communities. 

Public health challenges can be complex and require a holistic understanding of health. Our student population is diverse in study background and demographics, allowing for multidisciplinary discussions that prepare you for the complexities faced in epidemiology. You gain meaningful first hand research experience by conducting research within a larger ongoing study under the guidance of a personal supervisor.

This programme is for you if:

  • you want to contribute to the health of populations through scientific study
  • you enjoy analysing large datasets for answering relevant research questions
  • you are looking for a discipline that connects science with real-world health problems

The epidemiologist’s toolbox

This master’s programme offers a broad profile covering all fundamental topics in epidemiology. You develop an understanding of observational and interventional study designs, types of bias, confounding, effect modification, clinimetric properties of measurement instruments, meta-analysis techniques, and advanced statistical analysis techniques. Combined, this knowledge functions as the toolbox you need in all subdomains of epidemiology.

If you have gathered sufficient knowledge on health and disease at the bachelor’s level, you can become an Epi-A registered epidemiologist in only one year with the master’s in Epidemiology in Maastricht.

Research communication

Academic writing and presentation skills are essential for making a lasting impact and must be among the core skills of an epidemiologist. That’s why a strong emphasis is placed on research communication. There is a dedicated course on writing a research protocol and you write your thesis in the format of a scientific article. You will orally present your research protocol using a poster format, a common way to present studies at scientific conferences. Additionally, you will orally present your thesis in a conference-style format with room for discussion during the yearly master's of Epidemiology symposium.

Topics in epidemiology

The master’s programme in Epidemiology allows you to shape your own academic journey. You select two 3-EC topics on subdomains of epidemiology or domains related to epidemiology, for example infectious disease epidemiology and health technology assessment. Additionally, you select your own research topic for your thesis from a list of diverse thesis topics put on offer by the master or you propose your own topic for research within an ongoing study with medical ethical approval and availability of data; this enables you to profile yourself as an epidemiologist in a certain subdomain or to explore a broader range of topics, depending on your preference. 

Strengths of our faculty