How to Become a Demographer

Demography is a segment of sociology that specializes in population trends. In becoming a demographer you learn how to apply demographic data using statistics and other math to interpret and analyze population trends. These tips point the way to become a demographer.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree

1. Check into Social Science colleges and Sociology programs to see if a demography degree or certificate can be earned. Most demography programs are at the graduate level, and are a part of a research center such as the Center for Demography and Population Health at Florida State University.

2. Gather application materials including the application, undergraduate transcripts and test scores for the GRE and apply to several programs. Consider applying for an assistantship or fellowship program to help pay for the college expenses.

3. Begin coursework that includes analysis, geography, demography, population and research courses. Examples of classes include Time Series Analysis, Multivariate Analysis, Urban Geography, Economic Geography, Principles of Social Demography, Population Theory, and Social Research Design.

4. Complete a research project, often a thesis or dissertation as part of the degree. Some programs also require students to have a summer internship in the field.

5. Interview for jobs suitable for a demographer that include forecasting and studying populations in the marketing, higher education and government sectors. Potential employers want demographers with strong communication skills, statistical backgrounds, computer skills and analysis backgrounds.