In its simplest explanation, Epidemiology is the study of epidemics. It’s the branch of medicine dealing with the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations. It’s also concerned with detecting the source and cause of infectious disease.

Major infectious diseases not only have serious health-related consequences—being disasters that affect a vast range of communities within a larger population, they also have policy and social implications that need to be addressed. An education in Epidemiology is extremely important in giving people the skills they need to help inform decisions around public health policy, screening, and prevention in the event of infectious disease spread.

There are a wide variety of careers available to those who study Epidemiology. In fact, there are at least 100 career options for budding Epidemiologists! Some of them include Biostatician, Research Data Analyst, Research Assistant in Health Economics, Pharmacoepidemiologist, Director of Epidemiology, Communicable Disease Nurse, Research Coordinator, Infection Control Practitioner, Clinical Supervisor, University Faculty Member, and many more.

Online courses taught through Coursera enable learners to think critically about epidemiological concepts. Lessons explore how to measure the health of populations, assess interventions, collect and analyze data, and investigate infectious disease outbreaks.

Epidemics and pandemics throughout history are covered in available online courses, including the flu, childhood diseases such as measles and whooping cough (and their recent comebacks), malaria, and others. The spread of infectious diseases between people, and the increase in disease surveillance through mobile technology, are examined as well.

Through Coursera, lessons in Epidemiology are applied through a variety of projects. Learners perform a wide variety of project exercises to solve authentic problems encountered by Epidemiologists. There are also exercises on the design and critique of epidemiological research.