Program Mission
The mission of the Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program is to provide students with high quality education and training that will make them valuable employees in today’s data- and information-driven health care enterprises.
The relevance of this mission is reflected in the fact that health informatics professionals are in great demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10 of the 20 fastest growing occupations in the country are concentrated in health care services, making it an ideal career field for people who are looking for a growth opportunity and enjoy helping people (https://www.bls.gov)
With the health care environment enjoying such growth, this has a direct impact on the demand for health informatics professionals in the United States; this area is expected to see an 18 percent increase in the number of jobs available through 2016. With the 2010 enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Federal Government mandate that every U.S. citizen have an electronic health record (EHR) by 2015, together with the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) via the associated Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and the requirement by the federal government that each state develop a Health Information Exchange in order to become part of a vast electronic national health information infrastructure, the health informatics job growth rate will undoubtedly only continue to increase.
Accreditation
The Master of Science in Health Informatics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) Currently, it is one of first three nationally accredited programs in the United States. It is also the only accredited, graduate-level program in health informatics in the state of West Virginia.
Program Description
Health Informatics is a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary profession that utilizes information technologies, informatics and information systems and integrates them into the health care arena; it is the science that defines how health information is technically captured, transmitted and utilized, consisting of 3 core areas:
- Information Systems – focuses on such issues as information systems analysis, design, implementation, management and leadership;
- Informatics – focuses on the study of structure, function and transfer of information, socio-technical aspects of health computing, and human-computer interaction;
- Information Technology – focuses on computer networks, database and systems administration, security and programming
The combination of skills and knowledge acquired through coursework in these three areas, together with student internships in the health informatics field at the academic, government or industry levels, provides students with the high quality multidisciplinary education and real-world training that will result in valuable employees who are well prepared for the multifaceted demands and complexities in today’s data- and information-driven health care enterprises.
The program requires at least 4 semesters of coursework, including an educationally directed practicum (Health Informatics Internship) experience. The total number of credits includes at least 39 post-baccalaureate hours of study. Because this graduate degree focuses both on didactic and clinical applications, the program is a combination of classroom and clinical application credits. Graduate-level credits will be provided for the supervised practicum.
For more information regarding the Master of Science in Health Informatics program at Marshall University, please visit the health informatics website at https://www.marshall.edu/cob/graduate/health-informatics/.
Admission Requirements
Applicants should follow the admissions process described in the Graduate Catalog, or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission. (Submit all materials to the Graduate Admissions Office.) Students must have an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale from their undergraduate degree granting institution.
Provisional Admission
The Health Informatics program may admit applicants provisionally on a limited basis at the discretion of the program director. Example: If a student does not meet the GPA admission requirement, but believes he or she had the necessary qualifications to succeed in the Health Informatics program, he or she may still be accepted at the discretion of the program director.
Health Informatics Practicum
MSHI students will be required to complete the Health Informatics Practicum (HIN 650 Health Informatics Practicum), which includes successfully completing at least 400 hours in an educationally directed Health Informatics internship at one of several Health Informatics job sites which have been approved by the MSHI program director. The student internships consist of job placements within the Health Informatics field at academic, government or healthcare industry levels.
Besides successful completion of the required health informatics courses at MU, graduation from the MSHI program will be contingent upon successfully completing the HP 650 Health Infor Practicum. For more details about the practicum, see the MSHI Practicum Web page.
