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Studies & Degrees in Parasitology

Parasitology is the study of parasites and of their relationship with the organisms they live on. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define a parasite as an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host. Three main classes of parasites cause disease in humans: protozoa, which are one-celled organisms such as the agents of malaria and giardiasis; helminths, or parasitic worms; and ectoparasites, such as ticks, fleas, lice and mites. Bacteria and viruses are studied in other branches of microbiology.

Students learn to identify parasites under the microscope and with molecular methods, and study their life cycles, which often involve more than one host and an insect or other vector that carries the parasite between hosts. Courses also cover how the host's immune system responds, how parasitic diseases are diagnosed and treated, how they spread in a population, and how they are controlled. The subject has a medical side, a veterinary side and an ecological side, because parasites affect people, livestock, pets and wildlife.

Qualifications and levels

Parasitology is rarely a bachelor's degree of its own. Most students reach it through a broader degree and specialise afterwards.

  • Bachelor's level. The subject is taught as courses within biology, microbiology, medicine, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and medical laboratory science. In Spain these are bachelor's degrees (grados) of 240 ECTS credits, or more for medicine, veterinary medicine and pharmacy.
  • Master's degree. Specialised programmes carry names such as parasitology, tropical medicine, infectious diseases or global health. McGill University in Canada offers a Master of Science in Parasitology (Thesis), a research-intensive programme of its Institute of Parasitology; the institute states that an MSc can typically be completed in 2 years. In Spain, official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.
  • Doctorate. Research posts usually require a PhD. McGill's Institute of Parasitology indicates that a PhD typically takes 5 years.
  • Clinical and veterinary routes. Doctors and veterinarians meet parasitology in their degree and can later specialise in fields such as clinical microbiology, infectious diseases or tropical medicine, under the rules of each country.

Where to study parasitology

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for parasitology in ten countries. Spain has two, the Universidad de Alcalá, near Madrid, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. The other countries have one each: McGill University in Canada, West Virginia University in the United States, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, the University of the Philippines Manila, Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, Bukovinian State Medical University in Ukraine and Rostov State Medical University in Russia.

The list reflects the subject: several of these universities are in regions where parasitic diseases are a daily public health problem, and that gives students direct contact with fieldwork and clinical cases. Teaching is normally in the language of the country: Spanish in Spain, Peru and Guatemala, for example. Research groups work and publish largely in English. Check the language of instruction and the entry requirements of each programme before applying.

Careers

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics describes parasitologists as microbiologists who research the life cycle of parasites, the parasite-host relationship and how parasites adapt to different environments. Graduates work in university and public research institutes, hospital and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, public health agencies and disease control programmes, and in pharmaceutical and animal health companies that develop antiparasitic drugs and vaccines.

The need is global. The World Health Organization estimates that neglected tropical diseases, many of which are caused by parasites, affect more than 1 billion people, and notes that their complex life cycles, vectors and animal reservoirs make them hard to control. For the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of microbiologists to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035 and employment of medical scientists to grow 13 percent. It adds that some employers prefer candidates with a master's degree or PhD.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bachelor's degree in parasitology?

Rarely. Parasitology is normally studied as courses within biology, microbiology, medicine or veterinary medicine, and as a named programme at master's or PhD level.

How long does postgraduate study in parasitology take?

It depends on the country. McGill University's Institute of Parasitology states that an MSc can typically be completed in 2 years and a PhD in 5 years. Official master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits.

Do parasitologists study bacteria and viruses?

Not as their main subject. Parasitology deals with protozoa, parasitic worms and ectoparasites such as ticks and lice. Bacteria and viruses belong to bacteriology and virology, although all these fields share laboratory methods.

Do I need to be a doctor to work in parasitology?

No. Most research parasitologists have a science degree followed by a master's or PhD. Treating patients or animals does require a medical or veterinary degree.