Frequently Asked

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Click the buttons to view information or questions under each category.

ACADEMICS

This video serves as a great introduction to biomedical informatics: What is biomedical informatics?

People who have a degree in biomedical informatics have a wide variety of career opportunities. The type of informatics career that an individual can pursue is, to some extent, dependent on his or her background, and selected area of study. Biomedical informatics trained professionals may become:

Chief medical information officers
Chief medical officers
Chief information officers
Directors of medical informatics
Chief nursing information officers
Project managers
Implementation specialists
Project Designers
Researchers
Programmers
Clinical Systems analysts
Health information technology educators, trainers and consultants
Template writers
Nursing informatics specialists
Account representatives

These professionals often work in hospitals and health systems, community health centers, physician practices and clinics, health care agencies within the federal and state government, and for health information technology system vendors, eHealth and health insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and consulting services.

Resources for current job opportunities can be found on our Financial Services page.

PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

The master's and certificate programs can be completed 100% online with the option of in-person courses offered at our Houston campus. The Certificate and Masters programs in Applied Biomedical Informatics are only available online.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics is a full-time, in-house program.

The Doctorate in Health Informatics (for executive-level professionals seeking a terminal, applied degree in the field of health informatics) is a hybrid with more than 50% of the coursework taught online.

https://sbmi.uth.edu/current-students/resources.htm

Yes; courses taken in an SBMI certificate program with a grade of a “B” or higher are transferrable into an applicable SBMI masters and doctoral programs. The specific academic programs build upon themselves.

Students enrolled full-time usually complete the certificate in two semesters and the master’s in five semesters. Students enrolled part-time must complete the certificate in three years and the master’s in eight years.

Average time for completion of the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics program is four to five years.

Average time for completion of the Doctorate in Health Informatics is four years.

Note that maximum program lengths vary depending on year and semester of program entry. Please refer to a specific catalog for more details.

SBMI holds informational webinars several times a year to discuss the programs we offer and the admissions process with prospective students. To see a list of upcoming webinar dates, click here: Prospective SBMI Student Webinar Sessions

Prospective students can contact the SBMI Office of Academic Affairs at anytime and request a meeting to discuss our graduate programs.

The applied track is more of a hands-on approach and students use different information systems to advance patient care. The applied track curriculum educates students in the correct and safe utilization of information systems to promote better quality of care for patients.

The research track focuses more on an abstract approach to information systems used in the healthcare field. This can include natural language processing techniques used for building clinical decision support systems or formulating algorithms used for health care datamining.

In essence, students in the research track pilot processes and innovate new technologies that are then evaluated, implemented and utilized daily by students in the applied track.

There is no part-time Ph.D. program. The master's and certificate programs are all offered part-time.

Students enrolled at TAMIU or Texas A&M International University have the opportunity to complete the graduate certificate in biomedical informatics during their fourth year of undergraduate study.

The 4+1 allows for SBMI graduate courses to satisfy advanced program electives in the majors of biomedical science, applied technology, biology, psychology, mathematics, and computer science.

Upon graduation from TAMIU, these students have the opportunity to complete the remaining master’s in biomedical informatics program requirements at SBMI in one year.

Yes, all students must be covered by private health insurance or an insurance policy obtained under the Affordable Care Act. Student who do not have insurance can purchase a policy provided by the UT System by clicking HERE or online at HealthCare.gov during open enrollment.

No; you must apply for and be offered admission to the school to be eligible to enroll in SBMI classes

Admission requirements vary for each program. Visit the admission requirements webpage to view the requirements for each program.

The application is 100% online. You will upload all application requirements to your application. All documents that are uploaded to your application are considered unofficial documents.

If you are offered admission to one of our programs you will at that time be required to submit official copies of your transcripts, education evaluations, and test scores to the UTHealth Registrar’s Office. If you submit an education evaluation that includes your transcripts it is not necessary to submit another official copy of these transcripts.

Please send official GRE and TOEFL scores to the UTHealth Registrar’s Office directly from ETS using institutional code 6906; no department code is necessary.

Physical Address P.O. Box

UTHealth - Office of The Registrar UTHealth - Office of The Registrar

7000 Fannin, Ste 2250 PO Box 20036

Houston, Texas 77030 Houston, Texas 77225-0036

To monitor your application and the receipt of any outstanding documents, please log in to your self-service center

Application Deadlines

SBMI does not allow auditing of courses. You will need to apply to the program to take courses.

Yes, all courses taken in the certificate or non-degree programs are transferrable into the master’s or Ph.D. programs if you have received a grade of “B” or higher in your coursework.

Yes, all courses taken in the research track master’s program are transferrable to the Ph.D. program if you have received a grade of “B” or higher in your coursework.

The minimum acceptable score for TOEFL is a 87 on the Internet-based test. The minimum acceptable score for IELTS is a seven (7).

GPA of 3.0 or greater out of 4.0 scale.

We recognize degrees obtained from universities accredited by

the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC),
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NAS),
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS),
New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC),
and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

Previous educators, employers or someone who can speak to your utilization of informatics, your academic ability or your potential to be a good fit for informatics.

For current students of the School of Biomedical Informatics who are applying to another SBMI program, it is highly recommended that a reference letter from at least one SBMI faculty member be submitted.

We strongly recommend that you submit all of your applications materials by the application deadline.

Please send your results from ETS using institutional code 6906; no department code is necessary.

The GRE is only a requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics program and no substitutions are allowed.

Waivers of the GRE requirement are not taken into consideration for our Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Informatics program.

No, SBMI utilizes a holistic review process for all applicants. This enables us to give careful consideration to all the credentials presented by the applicant. This ensures that no single factor leads to either accepting or excluding the applicant from admission.

The majority of successful applicants have individual GRE scores (quantitative, verbal and analytical) in the 50th percentile for our doctoral program.

We do not accept MCAT or GMAT scores for admissions to our programs.

You must submit TWO applications – one to the School of Biomedical Informatics and one to the School of Public Health. The application for SBMI is to be completed using ApplyNow and the application for the master’s in public health is to be completed with SOPHAS.

You do not need to apply for both programs at the same time. However, you cannot have more than 21 hours in each college in order to be eligible for the dual program. You must notify each college of your intent to pursue a dual program so the appropriate degree plans can be completed.

F-1 students who complete a graduate certificate at SBMI are not eligible for F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT). F-1 students should contact the Office of International Affairs for more information.

A cost estimate breakdown for the School of Biomedical Informatics can be viewed on the Registrar's website.

Tuition Comparison of Biomedical Informatics Programs

For students seeking financial assistance, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services. Students interested in scholarships or job opportunities at SBMI can find additional information at our website, the UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics.

https://sbmi.uth.edu/current-students-new/financial-services/

Yes, our OPE ID is 00495100. You can find more information here: https://www.uth.edu/student/veterans/ or contact Winston Matranga, Veteran Affairs Coordinator at 713-500-3351 or Winston.Matranga@uth.tmc.edu.

CURRENT STUDENTS

School of Biomedical Informatics students are advised by both faculty advisors and advising staff. Faculty advisors direct students in curricular studies and research advancement/opportunities, while the advising staff assists students with enrollment, student administration, and paperwork.

Advisors are assigned to new students upon admission to the School of Biomedical Informatics. Newly admitted students are provided the name of their academic advisor in their admissions letters. The advisor is also listed in myUTH. If a student should want to change Academic Advisors at any point in their graduate program, a Change of Academic Advisor form signed by the current and new advisor will need to be submitted to the SBMI Office of Academic Affairs.

https://sbmi.uth.edu/academics/forms/RequesttoChangeAdvisorRevised+091715.pdf

Yes, a request will need to be sent to the Office of Academic Affairs (SBMIAcademics@uth.tmc.edu) including a jpeg file of a head shot (ending at the shoulder) and the mailing address to where you would like the badge mailed.

This PDF will give you directions for clearing your health insurance hold.

Click this link to view a video tutorial: Course Registration

https:my.uth.tmc.edu/

The full list of courses (updated every semester) can be found on the course offerings page

You can obtain the schedule by clicking on the following link: Two-Year Course Rotation.

Students may drop courses through their MyUTH account before the 12th day of class in the fall and spring and prior to the fourth day of class in the summer. An Add-Drop/Withdrawal/Audit form must be used after the 12th class day in the fall and spring and after the fourth class day in the summer. A grade of “W” will be assigned by the instructor.

Withdrawing from all courses requires submission of an Add-Drop/Withdrawal/Audit form and a resignation form. Please be aware of the refund policy.

Yes; Students can apply completed course credits to an applicable program, no more than five (5) years after the course was successfully completed, with a grade of “B” or better. Transfer credit is awarded upon approval of a completed Petition of Equivalency Credit form.

The maximum number of transferable semester credit hours is three for the certificate program, 12 for the master’s program, 21 for the DHI program, and 36 for the PhD program.

An approval code is the key that allows you to register and enroll in the courses on MyUTH. Please note, approval codes are only required for the following courses: practicum, directed study, preceptorship, research in biomedical informatics, and dissertation. An email showing prior approval from the instructor must be forwarded to the Office of Academic Affairs SBMIAcademics@uth.tmc.edu) in order to issue the approval code.

This link will provide you information regarding Poster Sessions.

A final copy of a student's dissertation, translational project, state of the science, or practicum capstone report is due to the Office of Academic Affairs via Canvas. During the final semester of enrollment, students will be enrolled in a Graduation Canvas course. The required document (including signed cover page) should be uploaded in the appropriate assignment within that Canvas course.

Students who are in their final semester of their academic program are added to a “Graduation/Certificate Completion” course in Canvas. Within that course are instructions for uploading required documents which must be submitted to the SBMI Office of Academic Affairs prior to the completion of their program. Failure to submit the required documents will result in a delay of the student receiving their certificate/diploma.

Only students in the master of science in biomedical informatics must complete a practicum course.

Students in the master of science in biomedical informatics program must complete 135 clock hours to earn the three credit hours that are required. Practicum hours can be completed in one semester or over the course of three semesters (1 semester clock hour per semester).

Typically, students will have completed 24 credit hours in their respective program before enrolling in a practicum.

Students needing assistance with practicum placement must contact the Practicum Coordinator at least 30 days before the start of the semester.

Please contact the SBMI practicum coordinator for information on how to enroll in the practicum course (Chelsea.E.Overstreet@uth.tmc.edu).

The practicum coordinator can provide assistance in securing a practicum site.

If you have secured a site, please contact both your faculty practicum advisor and the practicum coordinator for information on getting practicum agreements filed (Chelsea.E.Overstreet@uth.tmc.edu). Please note that both an affiliation and program agreement must be filed if the site is not directly associated with UTHealth.

Students will have an on-site practicum preceptor that they will report to. He or she will assign the student tasks, monitor student progress on-site, arrange student’s practicum work schedule, etc. If you encounter issues while at your practicum site, you can contact your faculty practicum advisor for assistance.