Frequently Asked Questions
Health Informatics is an emerging discipline that has been defined as the study, invention, and implementation of structures and algorithms to improve communication, understanding and management of medical information. The end objective of biomedical informatics is the coalescing of data, knowledge, and the tools necessary to apply that data and knowledge in the decision-making process, at the time and place that a decision needs to be made. The focus on the structures and algorithms necessary to manipulate the information separates Health Informatics from other medical disciplines where information content is the focus.
The most successful students are those with the maturity to handle both their full-time day job and evening study, and take initiative to explore new options. Independence and a high degree of self-motivation are required in this graduate program.
Prerequisites are built into the program. Basic computer programming and statistics are recommended but not required.
All majors are welcomed. You are qualified to apply as long as your undergraduate degree is from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
The GRE is not required to apply for the program.
Fulltime students can complete the program in two years while part-time students generally need between three to four years to complete the program.
Traditional in-person classes are held in the evenings, Monday-Thursday, usually from 6pm to 9pm. Each class meets once every week during Fall and Spring for 16 weeks. Summer classes are met once a week between 6pm and 9:30pm for 12 weeks.
Online courses are offered asynchronously with an optional live lecture in some of the courses.
Our average class size is between 20 and 25 students.
All 39 required credits must be acquired and completed from this program. No exceptions can be made for any courses completed outside of this program.
Starting from Fall 2022, the program offers a distance learning option that will allow completion of the entire completely online.
December 15th for spring admission and May 31st for fall admission.
Every year, we admit between 25- 30 students into the program as both part-time and full time.
The program currently does not offer any financial assistance to students. There might be limited financial aid or loans available to those who qualify.
For further information, please contact the Financial Aid Office at (718) 270-2488 or the Bursar's Office at (718) 270-3048. You may want to check in with your employer as well to see if they have any tuition reimbursement opportunities for you.
We are members of American Medical Informatics Association's Academic Forum, Health Information Management Systems and Associety (HIMSS)'s Academic Affiliate Program and International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA).
Graduates are qualified to be systems analysts, system designers, consultants, data quality managers, project managers, educators, and trainers. The degree offers flexibility to work in hospitals, ambulatory care centers, research facilities, health information technology companies (like medical software vendors) or government agencies.
Graduates of the program have typically gotten jobs in hospitals, group practices, government institutions etc. or career advancement at their current positions if they are currently involved in healthcare information related positions.
Positions held by our recent graduates include clinical application analyst, clinical data analyst, database system specialist, EMR trainer, EMR implementation analyst, project manager, clinical data analyst, nursing informatics specialist, and various research and development related positions.
The Admissions Interview should be treated as any other professional interview. You should be dressed in professional business attire and expect to meet with faculty members to discuss your education and professional experiences. It is highly recommended to familiarize yourself with the Health Informatics field and get acquainted with American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA).