Health Informatics

The Profession

Who They Are

A health informatics professional is an individual that uses information technology to solve healthcare problems. They perform interdisciplinary work with information from hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and more.

What They Do

According to the U of M Institute for Health Informatics, health informatics professionals design, use and evaluate information systems to support and healthcare while protecting the safety and confidentiality of those receiving care.

Where They Work

Health informatics professionals work in healthcare systems like hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and more.

Outlook

Health informatics careers are growing much faster than average. In the next ten years, jobs in the United States are supposed to increase by 11%. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Education

At the University of Minnesota, the degrees are offered in Health Informatics: Master of Health Informatics (MHI), Master of Science (MS), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). These differ slightly in goals and program type. The MHI consists of 31 credits and the MS consists of 36 credits. The PhD consists of 70 credits, along with research ending in a dissertation. Students complete a PhD in one of the following four tracks: Clinical Informatics, Data Science and Informatics for learning Health Systems, Translational Bioinformatics, or Precision and Personalized Medicine Informatics.

Preparing to Apply

Those interested in applying to a Health Informatics Program must have completed a Bachelor’s degree with a preferred GPA of 3.00 or greater. Interested students must also determine the prerequisite coursework for their program of interest. At the U of M, this includes courses in the life sciences and programming.

Many Health Informatics programs, including programs in the UMN Institute for Health Informatics, require the Graduate Record Examination, or GRE. Visit the UMN Institute for Health Informatics website linked below for more information. You can also learn about taking and preparing for the GRE here.