Management and Monitoring of Parasitic and Infectious Emergencies (GS-EPI)

Depending on the course units: Final exam, ongoing assessment, oral exam. Course units involving projects and internships are assessed using specific ongoing assessment methods: a written report or thesis and an oral defense before a panel.

• An M1 program specifically for^fourth-year pharmacy students in the research track, designed to focus their training on skills not covered in their previous coursework

• Master's degree (M2) through an apprenticeship program (currently being organized and awaiting approval): alternating periods of on-campus study and internship periods

in the works

Scheduled to open in September 2022, if approved

A 3- to 4-month internship is offered and recommended starting in the first year of the master’s program (M1), if possible in the field of applied or applied-research, to foster the development of the scientific method and training through research. An in-depth supervised project is offered as an alternative to the first-year internship for students who need to deepen their knowledge and/or strengthen their analytical approach and ability to synthesize information, in order to better prepare for the second year of the master’s program and the final-year internship.

            The end-of-program internship in management or oversight organizations (national or international), international organizations, NGOs, applied research organizations or institutions, or even health-related companies is mandatory during the M2 program and lasts 5 to 6 months in the student’s chosen area of specialization.

Admission requirements for the M1 program: a bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Admission requirements for the M2 program: completion of the first year of a master’s degree or equivalent

See "Target Audience" for more information

Applications can be submitted through the following platforms: 

French and European students:

• For the M1 program, follow the “My Master’s” procedure on the website:https://www.monmaster.gouv.fr/

• For the M2 program, students must submit their application through the e-candidat portal:https://candidature.umontpellier.fr/candidature

International students from outside the EU: Follow the “Études en France” procedure:https://pastel.diplomatie.gouv.fr/etudesenfrance/dyn/public/authentification/login.html

This program is open to young people with a background in basic science programs (bachelor’s degrees), health-related programs (particularly Pharmacy, but also Human and Veterinary Medicine), as well as to staff in public health surveillance services enrolled in continuing education and to students in Geography and Urban Planning programs (subject to certain conditions), helps foster a shared culture among stakeholders in this field, in response to the need for interdisciplinary connections.

At the entrance to the M1:

• students from
  • degrees in Life Sciences or Life and Earth Sciences, particularly the following tracks: Ecology and Organism Biology, Organism and Population Biology, Environmental Sciences, Microbiology, Cell Biology and Physiology,
  • Health Sciences bachelor's degrees 
  • Bachelor's degrees in Biology and the Humanities (Catholic universities)…,
• fourth-year pharmacy or human medicine students.
• To a lesser extent, students with bachelor’s degrees in Geography and Urban Planning, Social Sciences, and Health and Social Sciences. Their admission will be determined based on additional information in their application that demonstrates their ability to quickly master certain aspects of the so-called “hard” sciences.

At the entrance to the M2:

• In the field of law, students who have earned the M1 in Eco-EPI
• students changing their academic focus, who have completed a first-year master’s degree (M1) in Biology, Health Biology, Health, Life Sciences, Public Health, Microbiology, Nutrition and Food Science, Biology–Agricultural Sciences, Agrosciences, Environment, Territories, Landscape, Forestry, Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Risks and Environment, Teaching, Education, and Training Professions (MEEF),^Secondary Education. Their admission will be evaluated based on the M1 prerequisites essential for continuing on to the M2 GS-EPI program, the alignment between their academic plan and the program’s objectives, and the availability of potential openings relative to the program’s capacity.
• ^6th-year veterinary students pursuing a career path focused on “One Health” epidemiological surveillance (under the same conditions as those listed above)
• In continuing education, pharmacists and medical residents are addressing the need for integrative skills among future healthcare professionals
• in continuing education, staff from public health surveillance departments in the field of eco-epidemiology.

Admission to the M2 GS-EPI apprenticeship track (application pending—subject to approval; scheduled to begin in September 2022)

• Primarily M1 Eco-EPI students
• students from the M1 cohort (listed above)
• 6th-year veterinary students

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Determined by the entry level (see “Target Audience”), the specific requirements for initial, continuing, or work-study training. These primarily include:

• a bachelor’s degree in biological and environmental sciences, or its equivalent, for admission to the first year of the master’s program (M1);
• knowledge equivalent to the first year of a master’s program in biological and peri-biological sciences, or its equivalent, at the M2 level, which in this case includes fundamental knowledge of pathogens or infectious and parasitic diseases.

For admission to the M1 program, “knowledge” at the L3 level or equivalent in at least two of these fields

• Biology of Organisms
• Physiology
• Cellular and Molecular Biology
• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Parasitology
• Microbiology

For admission to the M2 program, knowledge at the M1 level or equivalent is required in the biology of major pathogenic organisms and in at least two of the following fields:

• Diseases of Infectious and Parasitic Origin 
• Antibiotic Therapy and Anti-Infective Drugs
• General Ecology
• Parasitic Ecology
• Microbial Ecology
• Health Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology and/or Conservation Biology
• Parasitology
• Microbiology
• Vector Entomology
• Descriptive epidemiology (statistics)
• Modeling
• Health Risk Management
• Public Health Policy
• Epidemiological Surveillance

For admission to the M1 program,

• Knowledge at the L1-L2 level in at least one of these areas

1. Biostatistics
2. Computer Science (databases, GIS)

• Basic knowledge—even if self-taught—in one or two of the following areas can be invaluable

1. Livestock Farming Systems
2. Economy
3. Sociology
4. Anthropology
5. Land Use Planning
6. Environmental Management
7. Conservation Biology

For admission to the M2 program,

• Master's-level knowledge in at least one of these fields (Initial Training)

1. Biostatistics
2. Computer Science (databases, GIS)

• Experience (professional experience, internships, academic studies, extracurricular activities) in one or two of the following areas

1. Human or veterinary health
2. Livestock Farming and Animal Production Systems
3. Economics and the Globalization of Trade
4. Citizen Science
5. Sociology / Anthropology
6. Development Assistance
7. Humanitarian Aid
8. Land Use Planning
9. Environmental Management

Although it is not the primary objective of the program, it is possible to pursue this path through doctoral dissertations at the interdisciplinary intersection of health ecology and sociology, in applied or applied-research contexts.

the same opportunities as in France, for theses focusing on interfaces and aimed at practical applications in management

Job Titles: Eco-epidemiologist, Eco-epidemiological Monitoring Specialist, Public Health Surveillance Specialist, Surveillance Network Coordinator (including animal diseases), Epidemiological Risk Management Consultant, etc.

Inclusion: National or regional management and monitoring agencies / public health surveillance institutes (in France: ANSES, DGAI, DDPP, SPF… or abroad: ECDC…), international organizations, surveillance networks, public health protection groups (GDS)…