Competencies for master and doctoral students in epidemiology: what is important, what is unimportant, and where is there room for improvement?

In 2008, members of the American College of Epidemiology's Education Committee began work on a project to facilitate discussion on identifying domains and core competencies for epidemiologic training at the master and doctoral levels. Two online surveys were created and participants (N = 183; n = 147 [established epidemiologists] and n = 36 [recent graduates]) rated the importance of 19 domains and 66 competencies. A total of 17 competencies were viewed as important or very important for individuals earning various master- or doctoral-level degrees in epidemiology, whereas eight competencies were reported as being unimportant for all individuals earning graduate degrees in epidemiology. Twenty additional competencies were viewed as important or very important only for individuals receiving doctoral training. In addition, recent master-level graduates identified nine domains in which they felt less prepared, and recent doctoral-level graduates identified two such domains. Additional research is warranted to ensure that all epidemiologists receive sufficient training in identified areas.