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infectious disease and global health

Types of Degrees infectious disease and global health Majors Are Earning

People majoring in infectious disease and global health have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	2
Master’s Degree	160

What infectious disease and global health Majors Need to Know

Programs in infectious disease and global health build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that infectious disease and global health graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in infectious disease and global health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a infectious disease and global health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to infectious disease and global health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, infectious disease and global health graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Processing Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by infectious disease and global health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
R	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	✓
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Minitab	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for infectious disease and global health graduates include:

• Scientist
• Research Scientist
• Clinical Researcher
• Neurophysiologist
• Medical Information Officer
• Health Care Manager
• Nursing Services Manager
• Public Health Director
• Nursing Home Manager
• Health Information Services Manager
• Occupational Health Nursing Director
• Hospital Administrator
• EMS Manager (Emergency Medical Services Manager)
• Medical Records Supervisor
• Outpatient Services Director

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to infectious disease and global health graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	32.4%
Bachelor’s degree	24.2%
Post-doctoral training	20.1%
Doctoral degree	11.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
Some college courses	1.2%
First professional degree	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in infectious disease and global health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 80.2% of infectious disease and global health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	130	80.2%
Men	32	19.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of infectious disease and global health graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	68	42.0%
Asian	14	8.6%
Hispanic or Latino	14	8.6%
Black or African American	11	6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.6%
Two or More Races	4	2.5%
Race Unknown	1	0.6%
International Students	49	30.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do infectious disease and global health Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of infectious disease and global health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$39,180
4 years	$52,367
5 years	$65,002

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,002 — roughly 66% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online infectious disease and global health Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for infectious disease and global health. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in infectious disease and global health Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, infectious disease and global health graduates earn a median of $52,367 four years after completion — roughly 38% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology	26.05
Immunology	26.0507
Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology	26.0503
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other	26.0599
Microbiology and Immunology	26.0508
Microbiology, General	26.0502
Mycology	26.0506
Parasitology	26.0505
Virology	26.0504
Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology	26.0401
Anatomy	26.0403
Biostatistics	26.1102

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.