Who is the Master's in Health Informatics for?
Drexel’s College of Computing and Informatics’ (CCI) Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) provides students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds with the knowledge and experience to use information technology efficiently and responsibly to improve health outcomes.
The MS in Health Informatics enables IT professionals who want to expand their knowledge and skills into healthcare, whether in patient care organizations, such as hospitals and clinics, or the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. The flexibility of this program is ideal for clinicians who wish to acquire technical skills to advance their careers in today’s competitive health care environment.
Fast Facts
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Hours
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Full-time (FT) or Part-time (PT)
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Time-to-Degree
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1.5 years (FT); 2.5 years (PT)
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Format
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Online only
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Term Starts
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Fall, Winter
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Curriculum Design
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Traditional Course-by-Course. Credits from the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Healthcare Informatics can be applied to this master’s degree.
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Hands-on experience
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Capstone
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Technical experience required?
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No (Electives can be tailored for IT professionals.)
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GRE required?
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Recommended for students with a GPA below 3.0 on the 4.0 U.S. GPA scale, or equivalent
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Meets F1 Visa STEM Requirements
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No (This is a fully online program.)
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Health Informatics Program Overview
The Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) at Drexel’s College of Computing & Informatics prepares you to use data, information and knowledge for scientific inquiry and problem-solving to improve health outcomes. The program addresses the challenges and opportunities encountered as healthcare transforms itself into a digital, patient-centered system. The interdisciplinary nature of the MSHI program brings clinicians and IT professionals together to analyze problems as well as to develop solutions through the application of advanced information technology.
Students in this program complete their required courses in the College of Computing & Informatics and choose from a group of electives drawn from the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the Dornsife School of Public Health and the LeBow College of Business. Under the guidance of skilled faculty, students engage in a variety of learning activities, develop their organizational leadership skills and develop an appreciation of the varied perspectives in today’s healthcare world.
A capstone project gives you the opportunity to gain practical, real-world industry experience within your area of interest and to use your new knowledge and skills before graduation.
Drexel's MSHI degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)*. Drexel CCI is a charter member of the American Medical Informatics Association Academic Forum.
*Drexel University's educational programs are accredited by MSCHE (Middle States Commission on Higher Education).
Accreditation Statement
The Health Informatics accreditor of Drexel University's College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) is the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The College’s accreditation for Master's degree in Health Informatics has been reaffirmed through 2029. All inquiries about the program’s accreditation status should be directed by mail to CAHIIM, 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 5100, Chicago, IL, 60601; by phone at 312.235.3255; or by email at info@cahiim.org.
MSHI Student Graduation Rate and Retention Rate
According to the data collected by Drexel University's Office of Institutional Research, the Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) has 75 percent one-year retention rate and 67 percent six-year graduation rate.
MSHI Students Post-Graduation
The following figure shows the results of exit surveys for MSHI graduates in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Overall, 97 percent of graduating students remain in the Health Informatics field upon graduation; 21 percent applied for new job; 7 percent received new job offers and 7 percent received promotion.
Request More Information
Be in touch with us to get answers to all your questions! We can connect you with a Recruitment Specialist, one of our Graduate Dean’s Ambassadors, or a faculty member to help. Contact our graduate recruitment team at cciinfo@drexel.edu and we’ll get back to you soon.
Master's in Health Informatics Curriculum
NOTE: Drexel operates on the quarter, not semester, system, offering classes during four 10-week terms throughout the year. (You are not required to take classes every quarter, but full-time students must complete the degree in 3 years.)
Our master’s degrees are 45 credits (15 courses) which is the equivalent of 30- to 33-credit degrees at other universities. The benefit of the quarter system is that students receive instruction in more topic areas than through the semester system and have more freedom to personalize their curriculum using electives.
The MSHI curriculum includes:
- Eleven required courses
- Three electives
- A final capstone project which gives you the opportunity to gain practical, real-world industry experience within your area of interest and to use your new knowledge and skills before graduation.
Please visit Drexel’s Course Catalog for a full description of each required course and elective for this program. You can also find a sample Plan of Study for the degree.
Where Our Health Informatics Graduates Work
- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
- Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation
- MetLife Worldwide Benefits
- Horizon NJ Health
Health Informatics Career Outlook
Health Informatics, like all disciplines within the computer and information sciences, has a very healthy employment outlook. Read more about this field and the places you can go with this master’s degree here.
Other Drexel CCI Health Informatics Programs
- A completed online application.
- A four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or an equivalent international institution.
- A GPA of 3.0 or higher, in a completed degree program, bachelor’s degree or above.
- Official final transcripts from ALL Colleges/Universities attended. Please note: For students who have attended an institution outside of the US, it is highly recommended to submit a NACES approved course-by-course transcript evaluation (i.e., WES) for expedited review of your application. This approved evaluation will take the place of the transcript requirement to complete your application.
- One letter of recommendation required, two recommended (academic, professional, or both).
- Essay/Statement of Purpose: In approximately 500 words, describe what professional goals you hope to achieve, how an advanced degree facilitates that success and anything else you want the Admissions Review Board to know about you.
- Current Resume.
- Master's in health informatics prerequisites include computer requirements and skills for all graduate level programs.
- Additional requirements for International Students.
Please visit our Graduate Admissions section for application deadlines.
Finances
Tuition
Please visit Drexel’s official Graduate Tuition & Fees webpage. Note that this master’s degree requires 45 quarter credits.
Scholarships
There are a variety of sources of financial aid and scholarships to help you fund your master’s degree — explore them here.
Get in Touch
Our Recruitment Specialists are here to walk you through the sometimes confusing world of financing your graduate education. Get in touch with us now by filling out this form.
Schedule a Visit or Register for an Online Information Session
Learn more about the College of Computing & Informatics experience through an online information session or an in-person visit. Contact our recruitment team to schedule your visit today by contacting us at cciinfo@drexel.edu!