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Deciding which college to attend can be a daunting task. For many, it will be the most important decision that they make in their lives. To make an informed decision, you have to consider a lot of variables, such as cost of attendance, financial aid, student/teacher ratio, academics, student life, and more. These factors will either positively or negatively impact the quality of education that you receive.
Do you want to acquire a master’s degree in health informatics, but don’t know what institution you should attend? Well, if you are as ambitious as I was in my late teens, then you want to attend a top school, instead of an average or mediocre one. Fortunately, we have already done the legwork for you. To help you find the right school for your interests and goals, we’ve compiled a list of 2022’s best master’s in health informatics programs.
What institution did we forget? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
This coursework is expertly split into four categories: core health informatics, health system, and organizational studies, human and social behavior, methods, and information management. Selective classes from these areas consist of:
- Population Health Informatics
- Exploratory Data Analysis for Health
- Contextual Inquiry and Project Management
- Database Management in Health Care
The pinnacle experience of the degree program at UM is the internship prerequisite. Learners will select to do a standard internship, an extended internship, or a continuous internship.
At Johns Hopkins University, learners will receive an MS in applied health sciences informatics. This is a full-time, 12-month degree program that models its coursework off the CDC expertise prerequisites. Learners take 27 classes and then an array of electives that are explicitly focused on health informatics. Electives may include:
- Health Systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries
- Data Management Methods in Health Research Studies
- Health Information Systems: Design to Deployment
- Health Sciences Informatics: Knowledge Engineering
Learners who are more interested in a part-time degree program should check out the online version of this degree. The coursework prerequisites are the same, but learners will have more flexibility in how swiftly they move through the degree program and the format in which they choose to finish classes.
UNC at Chapel Hill features an MS in biomedical and health informatics that is adaptable and versatile. Learners can finish this degree either in 16 months or in a 12-month “fast path” choice. Learners can concentrate in either clinical informatics or public health informatics. Either way, core classes will look something like this:
- Systems Analysis and Design
- Consumer Health Informatics
- Programming for Information Professionals
- Electronic Health Records
In the past, learners have found intern opportunities with the Laboratory of Applied Informatics Research, UNC Health Care, Northeast Medical Associates, and more.
This master’s in health informatics degree program keeps research at the forefront of the coursework. This is a thesis-path degree program with the intent for learners to publish eventually. The degree comprises 43 credits, with close to a quarter of the program delegated to research in health informatics. Other classwork includes:
- Clinical Data Acquisition and Analysis
- Applied Programming in Health Informatics
- Computer Security in Health Informatics
- Database and Knowledge Management
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a strong state institution that sustains three core campuses: the primary campus, the Center City Campus, and the Charlotte Research Institute Campus. It grants admission to over 5,200 graduate learners per year. UNC Charlotte has an MS in health informatics and a graduate certificate in health informatics. Learners have the choice of attending full-time or part-time, depending on their schedules. The degree program consists of 12 classes or 35 credit hours.
UNC Charlotte has two dual programs. By taking just a few more classes, learner can receive a health administration and health informatics MHA/MS dual degree or a public health and health informatics MPH/MS dual degree.
A sizeable research institution, Northeastern University is private education at its finest. It features a deeply established cooperative education degree program, which enables learners to get real-life work experience while they’re still in school. The school has been named the #1 “Best School for Internships” two years in a row. Northeastern University has an MS in health informatics. Learners take online and in-person classwork such as this:
- Data Management in Healthcare
- Hypothetical Foundations in Personal Health Informatics
- Quantifying the Value of Informatics
- Global Health Information Management
Long Island is home to SUNY Stony Brook, a state institution that is part of the State University of New York system. It sustains several distinct campuses: one in Stony Brook, another in Manhattan, and yet another in Southampton. The Stony Brook School of Health Technology and Management has a top-of-the-line MS in applied health informatics. This is a 52-credit-hour, 15-month degree program that learners finish at the Southampton campus. The coursework comprises core classes, focused classes, and a 480-hour practicum. Some highlights consist of:
- Biomedical and Health Informatics Essentials
- Regulations, Confidentiality, Privacy, and Security
- Health Information Systems and HIT
- Database Design and Development for Health Informatics
When learners finish the foundational work in their degree program, they jump into 12 additional credits in one of three concentration areas.
The University of South Florida is a sizeable, state institution that brings top-rated education to over 42,800 learners each year. Covering coursework of 11 classes (or 32 credit hours), the MS in health informatics is an online degree program. A sampling of classes includes:
- E-Healthcare Ethics
- Integrated Electronic Medical Records
- Health Data Management
- Case Studies in Health Information Management
A sizeable state institution system with over 110,000 learners, Indiana University contains the state’s largest enrollment numbers. IU Online, the school’s e-learning campus, has over 120 online programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Indiana University leads learners on one of two paths through its master of science in health informatics: the project path or the thesis path. The names mostly speak for themselves, though either way, learners will be completing these classes online. Some overlap classes consist of:
- Clinical Information Systems
- Security and Privacy Policies
- Foundations of Health Informatics
- Clinical Decision Support Systems
Within the Health Informatics Department, learners have several options for adding a graduate certificate to their degree. For instance, they can receive a certificate in clinical informatics, public health professionals, health information security, and more.
Learners move through UW’s master of health informatics & health information management with a cohort. Over 18 months, learners will take the 18 required classes, which contain a final capstone project. Some of the stand-out classes in this diverse coursework consist of:
- Health Information Systems & Leadership
- Health Care Databases & Applications
- Epidemiology/Critical Evidence Appraisal
- Consumer Health Informatics
With the capstone project, learners will address a real-life problem in the health care community. Some past learner projects have covered immunization standards compliance analysis, physician practice online staff training program, and more.
The University of Kansas is a state institution with several locations across the state. The MS in health informatics splits its coursework into three core areas: informatics, leadership, and research. As learners proceed through the classwork, they will select an area of focus.
A private, Roman Catholic institution, Saint Joseph’s University is one of the oldest institutions in the United States. Regionally, the graduate programs at SJU are rated #6 in the nation among other privately run institutions in the North. Saint Joseph’s University has an MS in health administration online or in person. Learners in the degree program can select to concentrate in health informatics.
This degree caters to learners who are already familiar with the healthcare system. The mean learner in this degree program has a maximum of seven years of work experience in the sector. Learners move through the degree with a cohort of around 20 other learners.
Boston University takes a more technical approach to its MS in computer information systems with a concentration in health informatics. Learners gain foundational knowledge in computer networks along with focused training in health databases and electronic health records.
The MS in health informatics caters to everyone. Health professionals go through the Plan A path. Non-health professionals finish the Plan B path, which catches learners up on some core classes. Either way, the coursework covers 36 credit hours and can be finished in two years. Some classes consist of:
- Health Data Analytics and Data Science
- Consumer Health Informatics
- Applied Health Care Databases
At UNT, learners will receive an MS in information science and health informatics. In the course of 12 classes, learners will cover concepts such as e-science, clinical decision support, and health information management. A sampling of coursework might look like this:
- Information Organization
- Medical Informatics
- Community-Based Health Information
- Information Retrieval Design
