Academics

The M&I concentration focuses on building knowledge and skills in epidemiology and applied data analytics. Modeling can be used to predict outbreaks and disease spread and to model the effects of different responses to disease outbreaks. The MS with a concentration in M&I has more of a focus on infectious disease science than other programs. This concentration emphasizes quantitative science behind infectious disease threats and how they might be assessed and addressed using data modeling and other quantitative methods.

Upon completion of the degree, Global Infectious Disease students will be able to describe and analyze patterns of disease in human populations and identify the determinants and public health impact of infectious disease. They will also understand mechanisms and interaction of factors involved in disease transmission and methods for disease prevention and control.

Students will assess how study design elements impact the choice of statistical test, whether and how test assumptions are met, and how to interpret results of tests and models; and will also learn about the use of big data sources in either public health or clinical settings. 

The concentration strives to produce graduates who are smart consumers of modeling data and effective collaborators with professional modelers. Rather than setting up students for modeling jobs per se, this concentration affords graduates a better understanding of how to interpret and make use of findings from infectious disease models, which is becoming an important function for many governmental and private organizations involved in infectious disease preparedness and response.