MS in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics
The residential MS in Health Informatics curriculum includes foundational coursework in health information technology. The curriculum integrates learning across computer science, health informatics, and health research, while also developing student research interests. Individuals with three or more years of professional experience are encouraged to apply for admission to the Executive MS in Health Informatics cohort (please see Executive plan of study information below).
Degree Requirements
The MS in Health Informatics curriculum requires 40 credit hours of course work.
Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative MU graduate grade point average to earn the master's degree.
Residential MS in Health Informatics students have the option to complete a 12-week internship during the summer following their first year, although it is not required for the degree.* The BBME student advisor will work with HI students who wish to complete an internship to find an appropriate placement.
| Required Courses | ||
| BBME 7410 | Introduction to the US Health Care System | 3 |
| BBME 7430 | Introduction to Health Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 7440 | Health Information Technology | 3 |
| BBME 8435 | Information Security, Evaluation and Policy | 3 |
| BBME 8437 | Data Warehousing and Data/Text Mining for Health Care | 3 |
| BBME 8441 | Biomedical and Health Vocabularies and Ontologies | 3 |
| BBME 8443 | Enterprise Information and Solutions Architecture for Strategic Healthcare Operations | 3 |
| BBME 8571 | Decision Support in Health Care Systems for Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 8550 | Health Data Analytics | 3 |
| BBME 8560 | Data Design and Analysis I | 3 |
| BBME 8610 | Consumer Health Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 8870 | Knowledge Representation in Biology and Medicine | 3 |
| BBME 8090 | Thesis Research in Informatics | 4 |
- *
If a student chooses to complete an internship, the student must register for BBME 8689 Field Experience in Informatics and must abide by all internship program requirements.
Executive MS in Health Informatics & Bioinformatics Program
In addition to the residential (on-campus) mode, the MS in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics degree is offered in an alternative format for professionals who have significant experience in health informatics and Bioinformatics. BBME accepts an Executive MS in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics cohort to begin in January of each year. The executive MS in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics combines one on-campus weekend sessions per semester with independent study and online interaction in an innovative two-year course of study, and requires 33 credit hours of health informatics coursework. Students must complete a substantial independent research project, which they present during their oral comprehensive examination in their final semester.
| Executive MS in Health Iformatics and Bioinformatics | ||
| Required Courses for Executive Option | ||
| BBME 7410 | Introduction to the US Health Care System | 3 |
| BBME 7430 | Introduction to Health Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 7580 | Project Management | 3 |
| BBME 8090 | Thesis Research in Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 8550 | Health Data Analytics | 3 |
| BBME 8435 | Information Security, Evaluation and Policy | 3 |
| BBME 8437 | Data Warehousing and Data/Text Mining for Health Care | 3 |
| BBME 8441 | Biomedical and Health Vocabularies and Ontologies | 3 |
| BBME 8443 | Enterprise Information and Solutions Architecture for Strategic Healthcare Operations | 3 |
| BBME 8571 | Decision Support in Health Care Systems for Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
| BBME 8560 | Data Design and Analysis I | 3 |
Sample Plan of Study - Residential MS in Health Informatics
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BBME 7410 | 3 | BBME 8441 | 3 |
| BBME 7430 | 3 | BBME 8550 | 3 |
| BBME 7440 | 3 | BBME 8560 | 3 |
| BBME 8090 | 1 | BBME 8090 | 1 |
| 10 | 10 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BBME 8437 | 3 | BBME 8870 | 3 |
| BBME 8571 | 3 | BBME 8610 | 3 |
| BBME 8443 | 3 | BBME 8435 | 3 |
| BBME 8090 | 1 | BBME 8090 | 1 |
| 10 | 10 | ||
| Total Credits: 40 | |||
Sample Plan of Study - Executive MS in Health Informatics
Executive students begin in the Spring semester.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| Please note: Executive students begin in Spring semester, and program runs on a calendar year. | BBME 8550 | 3 | BBME 7580 | 3 | |
| BBME 8571 | 3 | BBME 8560 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 6 | 6 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BBME 7410 | 3 | BBME 8441 | 3 | BBME 8090 | 1 |
| BBME 7430 | 3 | BBME 8435 | 3 | ||
| BBME 8090 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | 7 | 1 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | ||||
| BBME 8437 | 3 | ||||
| BBME 8443 | 3 | ||||
| BBME 8090 | 1 | ||||
| 7 | |||||
| Total Credits: 33 | |||||
Thesis/Non-Thesis Requirement
Residential HI students have the option to complete a formal Master's thesis to be submitted to the Graduate School. Students who choose not to complete a thesis must complete a substantial independent research project. All HI students must defend their thesis or research project, typically in their final semester of the program.
Financial Aid
Further information about costs, financial aid, and external scholarship opportunities is available on the BBME Department's website at: https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/biomedical-informatics-biostatistics-medical-epidemiology/graduate-degrees-programs/costs-financial-aid.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants are required to meet two sets of minimum qualifications for admission: the requirements of the MS in Health Informatics program and the minimum requirements of the Graduate School. Because requirements vary, you must refer to a degree program’s graduate admission page to learn about specific admission criteria, application deadlines, eligibility and application process. Before official admissions to the University of Missouri, your application materials will be reviewed by both the degree program to which you’ve applied and the Graduate School.
Admissions Information for the Department of BBME
Deadline for Fall entrance: August 1st-December 1
There are two prerequisites for the program: a college level statistics course and a college level algebra course.
A minimum of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
Undergraduate GPA: 3.0 during the last 60 hours of undergraduate course work and any subsequent graduate course work
Minimum TOEFL scores:
| Internet-based test (iBT) | Paper-based test (PBT) |
|---|---|
| 100 | 603 |
- Minimum Academic IELTS scores:
| Item | Score |
|---|---|
| OVERALL | 7.5 |
- Minimum GRE Scores:
| When did you take the GRE? | Verbal + Quantitative |
|---|---|
| Prior to August 1, 2011 | 50th percentile |
| On or After August 1, 2011 | 50th percentile |
- In lieu of GRE, minimum GMAT score: 50th percentile. BBME also accepts LSAT and MCAT scores. GRE scores are not required for applicants to the Executive cohort.
Required Application Materials
Master's program applicants should apply online through the Graduate School application system. When completing the online application, you will have an opportunity to upload/attach additional documents
Admission Criteria
- Minimum GPA: 3.0
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- International students whose native language is not English must submit test scores from TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) of 100 or better on the internet-based exam or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) of 7.0 or better, or Duolingo scores of 120 or better.
- Please refer to Mizzou’s Language Proficiency Exemptions and Waivers
- Only completed applications will be considered for fall admission. Applicants are selected for admission to the program based on their potential to successfully complete the program.
- Graduate School applications open August 1 for fall semester of the following year. Deadline for applications is February 1.
Required Application Materials
- Completed graduate school online application
- Unofficial transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation (submitted through the graduate school application)
- A personal statement in essay form that is at least two paragraphs long but no longer than one page. The statement should include your prior training and experience that would make you a strong candidate for the program; your career goals and how the program will contribute to your success; and specific topics or areas in biomedical informatics you would like to focus on.
- An updated resume or curriculum vitae.
You may also be required to submit other documentation and in some cases complete prerequisite courses. Below is a checklist to help make sure your application is complete:
- Request to re-enroll form (for previously admitted students only)
- Application for Change of Degree form (for students already enrolled in a Master's degree or Graduate Certificate program)
- Letter of support from your employer (Executive Students only)
- Official TOEFL report (for international applicants only - have official results sent to us: institution code is 6875, our department code is 25 - minimum score of 100 on the Internet-based exam required)
- Prerequisites - links to information about prerequisites for each degree program are available at https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/health-management-and-informatics/graduate-degrees-programs
For additional information about the Executive MS in Health Informatics degree, please visit https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/health-management-and-informatics/graduate-degrees-programs/executive-health-informatics-program or call (573) 884-0698.
Admissions Contact
https://medicine.missouri.edu/departments/biomedical-informatics-biostatistics-medical-epidemiology