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Dual Degree Program - MD/MS in Biomedical Informatics


The UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) offers a Dual Degree program for students aiming to be both physicians and informaticians. Through this unique program, students earning a Doctor of Medicine (MD) also study at SBMI and earn a Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics during their four years of medical school.

SBMI collaborates with two different UT System medical schools to offer the dual degree:

Dual Degree students will explore the wide range of applications of health and biomedical informatics in the quest to improve patient care. The program examines both electronic health records systems and clinical decision support systems and methods for enhancing those tools. Students learn about data interpretation and knowledge management as they discover how to collect, process, and transform health and biomedical data into health information and knowledge. Dual Degree students will understand core clinical informatics disciplines such as technology assessment, quality and outcome improvement, data analytics and precision medicine.

The Dual Degree program requires a minimum of 39 semester credit hours to earn the MS, including the completion of a practicum experience in the field of biomedical informatics. Students must complete 27 semester credit hours of SBMI coursework and 12 semester credit hours from the student’s MD program are accepted.

 Admission Requirements
  • $60 Application Fee
  • Copy of Medical School admission letter if you are a new student with no enrollment or if you are already enrolled in Medical School a good academic standing letter that includes the academic year of medical school
  • Transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended
  • Students with international college transcripts must submit a course by course evaluation report by either World Education Services or Educational Credential Evaluators
  • Grade Point Average (GPA): no minimum GPA requirement. Majority of successful applicants have a GPA of 3.0 or greater
  • Resume and/or Curriculum Vitae
  • Three letters of reference from educators & employers
  • Two-page goal statement.
  • MCAT results
  • International students must report IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results The minimum acceptable score for the IELTS is a 7. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is an 87 on the internet-based test.
  • F-1 students will be sponsored by the medical school
 Curriculum
MD/MS Dual Degree*
Courses Credits
BMI 5300 - Intro to Biomedical Informatics (required) 3
BMI 5310 - Foundations of Biomedical Information Sciences I (required) 3
BMI 5311 - Foundations of Biomedical Information Sciences II (required) 3
BMI 6313 - Scientific Writing in Healthcare (required) 3
BMI 6000 - Practicum in Biomedical Informatics (required) 3
Four SBMI Elective Courses 12
Approved Medical School Modules (listed in SBMI Catalog) 12
Total Hours 39
*Program does not begin until spring 2019.

SBMI Contact Information:

Office of Academic Affairs
School of Biomedical Informatics 
(713) 500-3591
SBMIAdmissions@uth.tmc.edu


Admissions Deadlines

  • Fall - July 1
  • Spring - November 1
  • Summer - March 1

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