Overview

With the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) MS Health Care Informatics Program you will develop skills in areas of high demand in health care such as systems analysis and design, database design and management, clinical decision support, and computer programming.

Why choose us?

  • Our program is designed for both full-time or part-time students with courses offered face-to-face and online.
  • Our program gives you a broad perspective of the field as well as theoretical and applied knowledge pertaining to various subareas within healthcare informatics.
  • You will be exposed to cutting edge research in areas which are indispensable to improving health care, such as big data, predictive analytics, natural language processing, medical knowledge representation, and information retrieval.

Apply

To apply to the MS Health Care Informatics Program you must apply to the UWM Graduate School.

Cost

Tuition

For the most up-to-date information, visit the UWM Enrollment & Financial Services website . Be sure you are viewing the Graduate Fee Schedule for the appropriate semester.

UWM offers the following Tuition Reduction Programs for out-of-state residents:

Mandatory/Segregated Fees

These funds are earmarked for the support of certain student services. See the Mandatory/Segregated Fees document for the appropriate semester on the UWM Enrollment & Financial Services website .

Additional Course Fees

There may also be additional course fees that could include differential tuition, distance education fees, or special course fees. To see if your courses have additional fees, go to web.uwm.edu/registrar/tools/fee .

Aid

Graduate Assistantships

The Health Care Informatics Program is looking for dynamic graduate students to support our program. These part-time graduate assistantships provide a modest stipend and an excellent experience working closely with faculty. Assistantships are matched to faculty focus areas.

UWM Fellowships & Awards

UWM & CHS Scholarships

Complete the FAFSA then go to the UWM Panther Scholarship Portal . Sign in using your PAWS credentials and complete the General Application and the CHS application. You may save your work and return to the portal at a later time. Additional information can be found at uwm.edu/scholarships .

State & National Scholarships/Awards

UWM Emergency Grant

The UWM Emergency Grant is funded by several private contributions and is available to students when they have unforeseen circumstances that may negatively influence their academic success. You can be awarded up to $1,000 for non-academic expenses (e.g., car repairs, medical bills, rent, utilities, child care, food, etc.). Learn more at uwm.edu/emergencygrant .

Other Financial Support

Resources

Contact

For questions about the MS Health Care Informatics Program, please email ms-hci@uwm.edu.

Admission

Admission

You must meet UWM Graduate School requirements and submit GRE scores taken within the last five years (the GRE requirement is waived if you already hold another master’s degree, PhD, or the equivalent).

No specific undergraduate major is necessary for admission. Typical applicants have a background in a health-related or information/computer related field, but applicants from other academic or professional backgrounds are welcome to apply.

We accept applications for both Fall and Spring semesters. Our admissions are on a rolling basis and there are no deadlines.

For questions regarding admissions, please contact ms-hci@uwm.edu.

Curriculum

Curriculum

The MS Health Care Informatics degree is awarded upon completion of 32 credits (non-thesis option) or 35 credits (thesis option) of prescribed graduate study; 23 credits of core courses, 6 credits of electives, plus either 3 credits of project or 6 credits of thesis.

Core required courses (23 credits)

CourseCredits
HCA 700: Introduction to Health Care Informatics3
HCA 722: Legal, Ethical and Social Issues in Health Care Informatics3
HCA 723: Health Care Systems Applications—Administrative & Clinical3
HCA 740: Introduction to Biomedical Database Applications3
HCA 741: Essential Programming for Health Informatics3
HCA 742: Computational Intelligence in Health Informatics3
HCA 760: Biomedical and Healthcare Terminology and Ontology3
HCA 541: Healthcare Information Systems Analysis & Design3

Electives (6 credits)

Electives other than those listed below are to be approved by the program director.

CourseCredits
HCA 721: Health Information Technology Procurement 3
HCA 743: Predictive Analytics in Healthcare 3
HCA 744: Text Retrieval and Its Applications in Biomedicine3
HCA 745: Health Big Data Processing Platforms 3
HCA 776: Biomedical Natural Language Processing3
HCA 789: Biomedical Information Extraction 3
HCA 909: Guided Teaching Experience in Health Sciences 3
HS 917: Seminar in Health Outcomes Assessment3

Project (3 credits) or Thesis (6 credits)

CourseCredits
HCA 891: Health Care Informatics Professional Project OR3
HCA 890: Health Care Informatics Research and Thesis1-6

Employment Outlook

Employment Outlook

Our graduates are highly sought after. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for medical records and health information technicians will grow 8% between 2019-2029, faster than other occupations. The demand for health services is expected to increase as the population ages. An aging population will need more medical tests, treatments, and procedures. Additional records, coupled with widespread use of electronic health records (EHRs) by all types of healthcare providers, could lead to an increased need for technicians to organize and manage the associated information in all areas of the healthcare industry.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Records and Health Information Technicians .

Professional Organizations

Professional Organizations

Visit these websites for current information and other resources regarding our profession.

Faculty & Staff

Faculty & Staff