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Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston, formerly UTHealth Houston School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI) offers a Master's Degree in Biomedical Informatics with two tracks: the research track and the applied biomedical informatics track. Both tracks provide students with knowledge and skills to deliver innovative solutions to real-world problems in health information technology. Both tracks have CAHIIM Accreditation and can be completed online. Master’s students also have the option of enrolling full time or part time in either track. Semester credit hours earned in the master's programs are transferrable to the doctoral program.

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  • Deadlines and Admissions Requirement

    Please ensure you review the Admissions Requirements for your particular program of interest. Feel free to visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to also assist with your application journey.


    Admission Deadlines

    PROGRAM FALL SPRING SUMMER
    Certificate July 1 November 1 March 1
    Master's July 1 November 1 March 1
    PhD December 1 July 1 N/A
    DHI March 1 Only one DHI cohort will be admitted annually.

  • Information Sessions

    Interested in learning more? Visit the Prospective Student Information Sessions webpage for upcoming prospective student webinars for all programs offered at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics (SBMI). Be sure to register for the event date and time that best works with your schedule!


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RESEARCH TRACK

The research focuses on how health and biomedical data are collected and processed into health information and knowledge and how they are applied to support clinical decision making. Students in this will gain solid understanding in basic aspects of biomedical informatics as well as in-depth knowledge in focus areas of the student's choosing. The research requires 39 semester credit hours to complete. The program concludes in a capstone/practicum project that allows students to work on an investigative project to demonstrate their learning acquisition in a professional setting.

Research Biomedical Informatics
Courses Credits
BMI 5300 - Intro to Biomedical Informatics 3
BMI 5310 - Foundations of Biomedical Information Sciences I 3
BMI 5311 - Foundations of Biomedical Information Sciences II 3
BMI 5352 - Statistical Methods in Biomedical Informatics 3
BMI 6313 - Scientific Writing in Healthcare 3
BMI 6000 - Practicum in Biomedical Informatics 3
Select seven courses from the areas of study below to complete your degree. 21

APPLIED TRACK

The mission of the applied master’s in the biomedical informatics program is to educate and train future leaders, innovators, and problem solvers across Texas, the nation, and the world. Our students will utilize data, information, and knowledge to design, implement, and evaluate health information solutions to improve human health.

The applied biomedical informatics track is a fully online program. Students will learn about the modern U.S. health care system, electronic health records (EHRs), health care legislation, standards, health information security protocols, health data science, change management, and project management. The program culminates in a capstone project that allows students to apply learned skills in a real-world setting.

Applied Biomedical Informatics
Courses Credits
BMI 5300 - Intro to Biomedical Informatics (required) 3
BMI 5301 - The US Healthcare System (required) 3
BMI 5305 - Legal and Ethical Aspects of Health Informatics (required) 3
BMI 5313 - Foundations of Electronic Health Records and Clinical Information Systems (required) 3
BMI 5315 - Quality and Outcome Improvement in Healthcare (required) 3
BMI 5317 - Applied Data Management (required) 3
BMI 5328 - Systems Analysis & Project Management (required) 3
BMI 5329 - Workflow Process Modeling (required) 3
BMI 5371 - Business and Technical Communication (required) 3
BMI 6316 - Change Management in Health Informatics (required) 3
BMI 6340 - Health Information Visualization & Visual Analytics (required) 3
BMI 6000 - Practicum in Biomedical Informatics (required) 3
Elective Course: Students select one elective course with advisor guidance. (required) 3
Total Hours 39
Required Courses - any exceptions must be pre-approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs prior to course registration

Practicum

All master’s students, in both the research and applied tracks, must complete a practicum during their academic program. This gives our students hands-on field or research experience while providing them with the opportunity to work in a professional environment under the supervision of a preceptor with biomedical informatics or related experience. With the guidance of a SBMI faculty member and their practicum preceptor, students develop a proposal that details the goals and objectives of the project. During the project tenure, logs are submitted to track student progress and once the project is complete, a state-of-the-science or capstone report is due to evaluate what knowledge and/or skills were attained during the practicum.

Visit the practicum webpage for more information.


Accreditation

  • The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificate, baccalaureate, masters, doctorate and special professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

  • The health informatics Accreditor of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Biomedical Informatics is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for the master’s degree in health informatics has been reaffirmed through 2026. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to:
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    • CAHIIM
      200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601
      Phone: (312) 235-3255 or by Email: [email protected]

Student Achievement/Outcomes

The following master’s degree outcomes are provided for your information. If you have questions about these outcomes, please email [email protected].

  • GRADUATION RATES
    Image of SBMI Masters 5 Year Graduation Rates Graph

    In accordance with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board definitions, the graduation rate for the School of Biomedical Informatics was determined using a 5-year completion rate for the Masters Program. The graduation rate is calculated using the number of students who matriculated in a given academic year as the denominator and those who have graduated as a numerator. However, given the large percentage of part-time students, some of whom only take a single course per semester, SBMI cannot view a graduation rate as complete until the full 5-year timeframe has passed. It should also be noted that master’s students can study for up to 8 years as a part-time SBMI student. As of academic year 2022, the normal time for a full-time student to complete masters was 23 months, with 83% of students completing the degree within that timeframe. The normal time for a part-time student to complete the masters was 28 months, with 63% of part-time students completing with that timeframe. The percentages below are current through August 2022.

  • RETENTION RATES
    Image of SBMI Masters Rentention Rates Graph

    Retention rates are a representation of whether students leave before finishing their program. High retention rates indicate many students are remaining in the program until they graduate. Retention rates are calculated year over year, using the total number of master’s students enrolled as the denominator and those who discontinued or were dismissed as the numerator. As can be seen below, while there is variation in the retention rates from year to year, all retention rates remain higher than 90 percent.

  • EMPLOYMENT RATES
    Image of SBMI Masters Graduates Reporting a Job in Informatics at Graduation Graph
    Includes only job titles in biomedical or health informatics. Does not include graduates with clinical or computer science positions.

    All students are required to complete an exit survey upon graduation from the M.S. program. Graduates are asked whether they have a job in informatics or elsewhere. Potential responses are Yes, No, Other, or leaving the entry blank. Overall, 90 percent of M.S. graduates report being employed or studying in another program at the time of graduation. The responses for the M.S. graduates reporting a job in informatics from AY 2017 to AY 2022 can be found below. As you can see, in the most recent academic year, nearly 55 percent of graduates report a job in informatics at the time of graduation. Many of those who graduated with the M.S. and reported they did not have a job in informatics (an answer of No), were employed in other areas in health care, for example, as a nurse or a physician, or in information technology, for example, as a senior applications systems analyst. Some of those answering Other were also employed in other areas of health care or had a previous job outside of health care and remained in the position.

Contact Information

For more information on the Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics, please contact:

Office of Academic Affairs
D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston
713-500-3591
[email protected]

Kimberly Smith, PhD
[email protected]
Master's Track Program Coordinator

Susan H. Fenton, PhD
[email protected]
Master’s Applied Track Program Director

Updated: 12/07/2023