Biology and chemistry

How to become an epidemiologist

Official title: Epidemiologist

Also called: Public health advisor, Public health analyst, Epidemiology analyst, Veterinary epidemiologist, Epidemiology adviser, Quarantine scientist

Epidemiologists study causes and patterns of disease and other negative health outcomes in humans and animals. They develop ways to detect and control outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Main tasks

Study diseases and health outcomes
Plan biological research
Lead medical science or health care programmes
Share information with government agencies
Prepare reports and presentations
Create standards for work processes and medical care
Guide scientists and health staff
Research diseases and parasites

How to become one

You need a qualification to become an epidemiologist and experience may be useful. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in epidemiology, public health, biological sciences, veterinary science, mathematics and statistics or similar area. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a master's degree in public health, biological sciences, veterinary science or similar area; a doctoral degree in public health (epidemiology) or similar.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Health & Public Health degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
University: Science degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
University: Veterinary & Animal Science degrees, Offered by 1 universities in New Zealand

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Most common pay: $114,000 to $174,000 a year (median $143,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $87,000 a year · Upper: $205,000 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Decrease (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians: 1,557 at the 2018 Census and 1,398 at the 2023 Census (-10.2%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 27 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians, 44% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians work (2023 Census): Auckland 34.3%, Wellington 32.5%, and Canterbury 17.6%.

Questions people ask

How do I become an epidemiologist?

How much does an epidemiologist earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $143,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $114,000 to $174,000 a year.

Has the number of people working as an epidemiologist grown in New Zealand?

It has shrunk: TEC records a decrease in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of an epidemiologist?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026