Career as Demographer

Last Updated On 20 Mar, 2022

How to Become a Demographer

About Demographer

Demographers study Demography courses before beginning their careers. Demography is the study of collective populations, which encompasses societies, nationalities, religions, ethnicities, and educational levels. The field of demography is a branch of geography and a branch of sociology that focuses on studying the world's population.

Demography, in simple terms, is the study of statistics, such as births, deaths, migration, and the change of human populations over time. The goal of demographers is to understand population dynamics. Through studying demography, one comes to understand how the total number of men and women in a city is calculated, the ratio among them, and more. Students learn about the various methods used, the calculation, the common ratios, the equation, and the science of population.

Demographers learn about the population size, compositions, and distribution across space. The three primary aspects of demography are:

Birth

Death

Migration

Demography Course Highlights

Particulars 

Specifications

Courses Level

UG, PG, Ph.D. or Doctoral 

Process of Admission

Merit List and Entrance Examinations

Programme Duration

UG Level – 3 years

PG Level – 2 years

Average Course Fee (annually)

INR 25,000 – INR 3,00,000

Average Salary

(per month)

INR 15,000 – INR 1,00,000

Career Options

Demography Expert, Assistant Professorship, Research Associate/Analysts, Ethnographers, Family Health and welfare professionals, Development Programme analysts, Government Officials in Census and Statistical organizations, Consultants with International Organisations like Work Bank, United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), United Nations, and, etc.

Why Become a Demographer?

With its diversity, Demographers have a good scope in India and as well as abroad. They can expect a remuneration of around INR 2 Lakh per month. Demography course provides ample opportunities to its graduates with good salary in hand. After applicants gain experience in the relevant fields, they can also expect an increase in their emoluments. Hence, becoming a demographer is a good career option for candidates interested in pursuing this course.

Responsibilities of a Demographer

Provided below is the responsibility shared by a demographer. Go through the pointers to understand the job profile better.

  • Demographers are responsible to collect and analyze vital statistics related to human population changes
  • They maintain a record of the population’s births, marriages, and deaths.
  • They discuss and make a strategic plan to conduct research.
  • They are responsible to research surveys to study population trends
  • It is their responsibility to study and assess the effects of population movements.
  • Suggesting improvement plans and strategies follow.

Eligibility to become Demographer

Mentioned below are the eligibility criteria of a demographer. Check out the eligibility criteria required for UG, PG, and Post PG candidates.

For UG Candidates

For PG Candidates

For Post PG Candidates

  • The candidate must secure at least 50% marks in class 12 in any stream from a recognized board. However, 5% relaxation is given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) backgrounds or those who are differently-abled.

 

  • The candidate must secure at least 55% marks in graduation from any recognized university or institution. Applicants who have completed their bachelor’s degree or those who are in their final year will have to complete the degree before admission into the programmes.
  • Further, a 5% relaxation is given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) backgrounds or those who are differently-abled as per UGC norms.
  • Some universities also conduct Entrance Exams for M.A. Geography. Students need to qualify for the examination to secure admission to the college.
  • The candidate must secure at least 55% marks in the master’s programme in the Demography discipline.
  • Further, a 5% relaxation is given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) backgrounds or those who are differently-abled as per UGC norms.

 

Courses Offered in Demography

There are various courses offered at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels to the candidates under demography course admissions. Here is the list of UG, PG level of Demography courses mentioned below:

Undergraduate (3years):

  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Population Studies
  • Bachelor (B.A./B.Sc./B. Tech) degrees in various disciplines including anthropology, sociology, biology, statistics, economics, geography, and other social sciences.
  • In abroad universities, candidates can also earn a major/minor in the discipline while pursuing a related programme/degree course.

Top Colleges for Demography Courses

 

  1. JNU
  2. Kirori Mal College
  3. LPU
  4. Noida International University
  5. NIMS University
  6. Presidency University
  7. Adamas University
  8. Banaras Hindu University
  9. Amity University

 

Postgraduate (1-2 years):

  • Master of Arts (M.A.) in Demography/Population Studies
  • Masters of Arts (M.A.) in Population Studies (Distance Mode)
  • Master of Population Studies
  • Masters in Population and Geography
  • Master of Science (M. Sc.) Demography/ Population Studies
  • Master of Science (M. Sc.) Biostatistics and Demography

Postgraduate Diploma (1 year):

  • PG Diploma primarily aims to train candidates who have earned a master’s in a related discipline such as sociology or geography. Demography postgraduate diplomas are designed to train students in theory and methods of demography so they can become career-ready in the field. An additional variant of the diploma in the subject is the Population Demographics and Health diploma.

 

Doctoral Level/Ph.D.

  • Ph.D. in Demography is a long-term research program that helps scholars gain first-hand research experience. This is appropriate for the candidates who wish to work in the teaching profession, especially as tenured faculty in reputed colleges and universities. 

Demography Admission Criteria

  • After Class 12

Applicants looking forward to pursuing demography at the UG level should have cleared their class 12 with any combination but it is mandatory to have mathematics as a main subject. The second preferred subject is Biology for candidates belonging to the science stream. They can pursue with or without physics and chemistry.

In case candidates prefer to take a non-science approach, having geography and economics will be a great help. Applicants can also choose a humanities combination with any of the following mentioned subjects in addition to geography, economics, and mathematics: psychology, history, sociology, or political science.  In addition to this, applicants must have scored at least 45% in aggregate in the final examination. However, some relaxation for applicants belonging to the reserved category will be provided as per Government reservation rules. 

  • Entrance Examinations

UG-level courses specific to the discipline are limited in number. Therefore, admission to these may or may not have entrance examinations. The entrance examination will be dependent on the course and demography institution selected by the candidates. Many universities like Delhi University, JNU, and other public and private universities conduct their entrance examinations for the admission selection process. Applicants must refer to the appropriate program admission criteria while choosing for a bachelor/UG level course. 

Entrance exams for PG levels are conducted by the specific demography colleges or universities themselves. 

  • IIPS conducts a computerized test for its master program in Population Studies. 
  • Master of Philosophy courses conducts a written exam and a viva/interview component in their admission selection process.

Entrance exams include questions based on general aptitude, language, reasoning, quantitative aptitude, mathematics reasoning, statistics, research aptitude along with basic knowledge of demography discipline. 

Demography Admission Process

Candidates can adhere to the following mentioned steps below for the demography admission process:

Step 1: Selecting a University/College: The very first step is to search for colleges or universities offering courses in Demography. Candidates can check the fees, the number of seats offered, minimum eligibility criteria for the particular course, etc.

Step 2: Apply for Selected Course: Candidates can proceed to apply for admission after selecting the university/college offering the programme. Fill in the required details, upload the documents and pay the application fee followed by submitting it. Note: Application forms are available for a defined period so candidates are advised to know the details way in advance.

Step 3: Mode of Admission: Admission to some universities and colleges will either be based on entrance exams or through a merit list. For PG-level courses, the candidates will have to sit for an entrance examination.

Step 4: Results Declaration: Selected and qualified candidates who fall under the merit list and secured a desired rank and percentage, will be eligible for admission.

Step 5: Counselling: Selected candidates will have to appear for the counseling session conducted at the university to book their seats. At the counseling session, candidates will have to submit their valid required documents and pay the fees to seal admission.

Types of Job Roles Demographer

After pursuing Demography courses, applicants have a wide opportunity of job placements in the various public as well as the private sector. Further, candidates can also opt for pursuing Higher education program under this course.

Some popular job profiles for demographers are listed below:

Statistician

The job of a statistician is to design and manage experiments, surveys, and research. They deal with the initial collection of data and analyzing it.

Data Analyst

Using the statistical data or database, the data analyst’s job is to provide reports based on that. They are also responsible for Acquiring data from the sources and identifying, analyzing, and interpreting the patterns in complex data sets.

Team Leader

A Team Leader is a professional in charge of allocating work, guiding, monitoring, and leading an entire workgroup.

Consultant

Consultants’ job is to offer advice and expertise to organizations for improving their business performance in terms of operations, profitability, management, structure, and strategy.

Subject Matter Expert

The primary job is to ensure that the content or matter or any information about her/his field of expertise is accurate and correct.

Senior Manager

The role of a senior manager is to supervise individuals to ensure that business operations are running efficiently. They also evaluate each individual's performance and ensure that it meets company and industry standards.

Researcher

Their job is to gather data during the project life cycle, analyze the data and publish the findings to aid new research.

Geologist

They are responsible to evaluate and explore the planet’s natural resources. Identify them, gather data and improve upon research methods.

Sociologist

Sociologists’ job is to study human behavior, interaction, and organization.

Public Administration

Their jobs are to analyze information, oversee expenditures, draft and implement governmental and public policy.

Employment Sector/Industry for Demographer

There are various employment opportunities for a Demographer in different sectors. Some of the top sectors/industries that require a demographer are listed below:

  • Corporate business
  • Multimedia companies
  • Publishing house
  • Marketing firms
  • Government sectors
  • MNCs
  • Colleges/Universities
  • NGO’s

Top Recruiters in Demography

The top recruiters in India for demographers are listed below:

  • Population Foundation of India
  • International Institute for Population Studies
  • National Council of Applied Economic Research
  • UNICEF
  • Any renowned university
  • PATH, India

Planning to choose Demographer as your career?

Pay Scale/Salary of Demographer

The expected salary for the demographer graduates is highly variable. There is a wide range of entry-level jobs in NGOs to teaching positions in colleges and universities. There are also opportunities outside India that can pay significantly more.

Job Profile

Minimum Average Salary

Maximum Average Salary

Demographer

INR 15,000 per month

INR 1,000,000 per month

Books & Study Material to Become Demographer

•    Disciplining Statistics by Libby Schweber
•    Demography, Education, and the Workforce by Robert I. Lerman
•    The Great Demographic Illusion - Majority, Minority, and the Expanding American Mainstream by Richard Alba
•    The Great Demographic Reversal, - Ageing Societies, Waning Inequality, and an Inflation Revival by Charles Goodhart, Manoj Pradhan
•    Religious Demography of India - Myths and Realities by Lancy Lobo, Jayesh Shah
•    The Anthropological Demography of Health by Véronique Petit, Kaveri Qureshi, Yves Charbit, Philip Kreager
•    Demography and the Global Business Environment - by Alfred A. Marcus, Mazhar Islam
•    Demography and the Anthropocene by Larry D. Barnett
 

Pros of becoming a Demographer

•    Demographers are highly demanded by government and private sectors for population-related data-based research and analysis.
•    Demographics are also required by many industries to tell companies exactly how to market and develop their brands so people in the demographic environment. 
•    Demographers get to learn new things every day through their research hence their job doesn’t get monotonous.
 

Cons of becoming a Demographer

•    Demographer has to work in the field at times for impartial research data gathering.
•    The work of a demographer can become more of theoretical work than a practical one at times.
•    A demographer has to keep him/her self-up with the ever-changing society and population trends.
 

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