MS: Health Care Informatics MS
Turn your background in technology, life sciences, health care, public health or business into new career possibilities. UWM’s MS in Health Care Informatics helps you build the data and technology skills to improve care, strengthen health systems and guide better decisions.
Program Type
Master’s
Program Format
On Campus, Online
Health Care Informatics Alumni Making an Impact
Graduates of the MS in Health Care Informatics program are using data, technology and innovation to improve patient care, advance medical research and strengthen health care operations.
Meet four alumni making a difference across the health care industry:
- Renita Wilma Mathias, a medical records specialist and Data Analyst at Telecare Corporation
- Meenakshi Anupindi, a medical review coordinator at Prime Healthcare
- Reshma Sahithi Dangeti, a clinical research coordinator at Washington University School of Medicine
- Roshini Annamneedi, a medical billing specialist at Fusion Anesthesia Solutions
Their diverse careers demonstrate the many ways health care informatics professionals are helping shape the future of health care.
Turn your background into a future in health care technology
Build on what you already know with UWM’s MS in Health Care Informatics. Connect your experience with data, technology and health care expertise to help improve care, strengthen systems and inform decisions.
| If your background is in… | Build on it with… | Consider these career paths. |
|---|---|---|
| Technology and data — Computer science, IT, data science or engineering | Apply your technical skills to health care. Gain the health care knowledge to develop solutions for clinical data and information systems. | Health data analyst, clinical systems analyst, electronic health record (EHR) analyst |
| Life sciences — Biology, biomedical sciences or kinesiology | Expand your options with data and technology. Add programming, databases and analytics to your understanding of human health. | Clinical data analyst, health data analyst, business intelligence analyst |
| Health professions — Nursing, pharmacy, dentistry or allied health | Turn clinical experience into better systems and care. Build analytics and informatics skills to improve workflows and support decisions. | Informatics specialist, clinical workflow analyst, health IT implementation specialist |
| Public health and business — Public health, health administration or business | Use health data to guide change. Add informatics, analytics and AI knowledge to improve population health and organizational performance. | Population health analyst, business intelligence analyst, quality analyst |
Career opportunities depend on your prior experience, technical skills and professional qualifications.
UWM’s MS in Health Care Informatics prepares you for a career at the intersection of health care, data and technology.
- Access career services, networking opportunities and advanced technology to support your academic and professional goals.
- Build technical skills in systems analysis and design, database management, clinical decision support and computer programming.
- Specialize in areas such as data analytics, health information exchange and predictive modeling.
- Choose online or on-campus coursework to fit your schedule.
- Learn from expert faculty and staff committed to your success.
Successful Alumni
Visit our Alumni page and be inspired by where a degree from the College of Public Health can take you.
Admission
You must meet UWM Graduate School requirements and the GRE requirement is waived.
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 zcph-info@uwm.edu.
Advising
Major Professor as Advisor
A student must have a major professor to advise and supervise the student’s studies as specified in Graduate School regulations. Initially the director of the HCI Program advises and supervises newly admitted students. Students are then assigned faculty advisors according to faculty advising loads.
When should I meet with my advisor?
You are encouraged to meet with your advisor at least once per semester to ensure timely progress to graduation.
Enrolling for spring semester?
Schedule an appointment with your advisor in October or November.
Enrolling for fall semester?
Schedule an appointment with your advisor in March or April.
You are also welcome to schedule an appointment with your advisor at any time to discuss academic challenges, career opportunities or any other questions.
How can my advisor help me?
Our advisors understand the challenges of balancing academics, work, family and the social aspects of college life. Advisors partner with you to:
- Explore your academic and career interests
- Plan the sequence of your courses
- Prepare for course enrollment
- Access tutoring and other academic support
- Identify opportunities for campus involvement
- Connect you to campus resources
- Plan for graduation
The MS Health Care Informatics degree is awarded upon completion of 33 credits (non-thesis option) or 36 credits (thesis option) of prescribed graduate study; 24 credits of core courses, 6 credits of electives, plus either three credits of project or six credits of thesis.
Core required courses (24 credits)
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| HI 700: Introduction to Health Care Informatics | 3 |
| HI 722: Legal, Ethical and Social Issues in Health Care Informatics | 3 |
| HI 723: Health Care Systems Applications—Administrative & Clinical | 3 |
| HI 740: Introduction to Biomedical Database Applications | 3 |
| HI 741: Essential Programming for Health Informatics | 3 |
| HI 742: Computational Intelligence in Health Informatics | 3 |
| HI 745: Health Big Data Processing Platforms | 3 |
| PH 701: Public Health Principles and Practice | 3 |
Electives (6 credits)
Electives other than those listed below are to be approved by the program director.
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| HI 721: Health Information Technology Procurement | 3 |
| HI 743: Predictive Analytics in Healthcare | 3 |
| HI 744: Text Retrieval and Its Applications in Biomedicine | 3 |
| HI 776: Biomedical Natural Language Processing | 3 |
| HI 789: Biomedical Information Extraction | 3 |
| HS 917: Seminar in Health Outcomes Assessment | 3 |
| HI 760: Biomedical and Healthcare Terminology and Ontology | 3 |
| HCA 541G: Healthcare Information Systems Analysis & Design | 3 |
Project (3 credits) or Thesis (6 credits)
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| HCA 891: Health Care Informatics Professional Project OR | 3 |
| HCA 890: Health Care Informatics Research and Thesis | 1-6 |
Career Outlook
Our MS Health Care Informatics program can prepare you for a variety of positions in health IT such as:
- Health data analyst
- Healthcare business intelligence (BI) analyst
- Clinical data analyst
- Electronic health record (EHR) or application analyst
- Clinical systems analyst
- Health IT implementation specialist
- Healthcare business analyst
- Population health analyst
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for health information technologists and medical registrars is projected to grow 16% between 2024 and 2034, compared with 3% for all occupations.
Career options and salary expectations vary widely for health informatics professionals depending on education, experience, location, title and responsibilities. Entry-level salaries in informatics range from $50,000 upward, with some positions paying higher.
- Associate Professor, Health Care Informatics Graduate Program Director
- jakeluo@uwm.edu
- 414-229-7333
- Northwest Quadrant B 6469
- Associate Professor, Health Care Informatics & Administration
- wu@uwm.edu
- 414-229-4778
- Northwest Quadrant B 6438