If you want to work as a demographer, you can pursue different degrees. You can earn a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree, or a Ph.D. in demography, and many of these professionals hold a Ph.D. in statistics or a related field.
Bachelor’s degree
You can become a demographer by earning a Bachelor’s degree in demography. This degree is ideal for those who wish to study demography and have a background in social sciences. A Bachelor’s degree in demography requires candidates to study mathematics as their major subject, and biology as a secondary subject. However, you can also choose to study demography without a degree in physics or chemistry.
A demographer’s job profile is diverse, requiring extensive knowledge and skills. Depending on the level of your education, you can work in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or the private sector. Many major manufacturing companies employ demographers. Other options include a career in the media.
Demographers are highly trained social scientists who study population structure and change. Their research is critical to many areas, including health care, transportation, and policy decisions. While demographers are often highly paid, salaries can vary wildly depending on experience and education. The good news for demographers is that the field is expected to grow faster than average over the next decade.
Demography is a subset of sociology and requires students to study demographics. The goal of demography is to collect vital statistics, scrutinize population changes, plan research surveys, and predict future trends. Demographers analyze factors such as birth rates and immigration. By comparing these, they can predict trends that may occur in future populations.
Ph.D.
The Ph.D. in Demography is a doctoral degree program that focuses on the study of human populations. It analyzes past and current population trends and migration patterns. It also analyzes changes in population structure and age, and the composition of households and families. This PhD programme aims to train researchers who can undertake primary research in population studies. Applicants must first have completed an MPhil degree.
The first-year curriculum is designed to introduce graduate students to the fundamentals of demographic theory and methods. All three degree programs require that students complete this curriculum. The doctoral program follows the same curriculum as the Master’s program and requires the same written examinations. The first-year courses are all taught on a letter-grade basis.
Graduate students pursuing a doctoral degree in demography complete a two-quarter course sequence. The first quarter of the program includes Theory and Research in Demography, which provides a critical examination of population theories and major empirical research in demography. The second quarter of the program involves one or more graduate courses in population methods. The latter courses provide students with the tools necessary for conducting research and analysis. Additionally, they provide a thorough grounding in advanced methods and provide students with the opportunity to work closely with faculty.
Students can also complete an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in population health sciences, an interdisciplinary PhD program that is offered by Harvard’s School of Public Health and Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Faculty in both departments oversee the program, which allows students to apply their knowledge in various fields of public health. This program also provides opportunities to build scientific communication, mentoring, and teaching skills.
At UCLA, there is a new Center for Population Research that conducts basic social-science research on human populations. This center has 90 faculty researchers representing the fields of sociology, economics, geography, policy studies, and history. In addition to the new center, two departments of UCLA offer a specialization in demography. The Economics Department is also planning to launch its own program in the field.
As with any other job, a Ph.D. program requires hard work and research. Graduate students should put in the necessary hours and develop a productive network. A successful PhD program also teaches students how to interact with others professionally. It is also vital to publish research, which can be valuable when job hunting.
Dr. Roberts is a member of many professional societies and organizations. He has published over 300 research papers and supervised 35 Ph.D. students. In addition, he has served in several leadership and honorary positions in several organizations. For instance, he is the honorary secretary of the European Association for Population Studies and a fellow of the Society of American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The current research of Dr. Smith involves issues related to aging, compression of morbidity, and the effectiveness of health services and policies. He is also active in research and policy exchanges.
