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Representation of Health Informatics

Health Informatics - M.S.

Health informatics is a science of how health information is technically captured, transmitted and utilized. It focuses on information systems, informatics principles and information technology as applied to the continuum of healthcare delivery. It is an integrated discipline with specialty domains that include management science, management engineering principles, healthcare delivery and public health, patient safety, information science and computer technology. 

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Northeast Ohio's only CAHIIM accredited Health Informatics program.
We are proud to be part of improving health informatics education and workforce development.

Program Information

Program Description

Full Description

The Master of Science degree in Health Informatics prepares graduates for careers in managerial, analytical, consultative and executive roles working with healthcare systems and clinicians.

Health informatics is the science of evaluating, implementing and utilizing technology to manage all information related to the patient care delivery process: clinical, financial, technological and enterprise-wide. Three major components comprise the health informatics discipline:

  1. Information Systems: focuses on such issues as information systems analysis, design, implementation, management and leadership
  2. Informatics: concerned with the study of structure, function and transfer of information, socio-technical aspects of health computing and human-computer interaction
  3. Information Technology: focuses on computer networks, database and systems administration, security and programming.

The informatics field also draws contributions from computer science, the clinical sciences, social and organizational influences and business practices.

Admissions

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admissions, visit the international admission website.

Admission Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  • Minimum 2.750 undergraduate GPA1 on a 4.000-point scale
  • Official transcript(s)
  • Résumé
  • Goal statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • English language proficiency - all international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning one of the following:
    • Minimum 587 TOEFL PBT score (paper-based version)
    • Minimum 94 TOEFL IBT score (Internet-based version)
    • Minimum 82 MELAB score
    • Minimum 7.0 IELTS score
    • Minimum 65 PTE score
    • Minimum 120 Duolingo English test score

For more information about graduate admissions, visit the graduate admission website. For more information on international admission, visit the Office of Global Education’s admission website.

1

In calculating total GPA, all grades from all courses taken at relevant level (bachelor's or master's) from all institutions are counted. Applicants who do not meet the minimum 2.750 GPA requirement must submit a statement that addresses the circumstances that contributed to the GPA and preparation for success in graduate study. Applicants should include recent professional achievements that indicate an ability to perform at a higher academic level to be considered for conditional admission to the program.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Semester
    • Application deadline: April 15
  • Spring Semester
    • Application deadline: November 15
  • Summer Term
    • Application deadline: March 15

Applications submitted after these deadlines will be considered on a space-available basis.

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to:

  1. Reconcile the needs of clinical and non-clinical users of health information systems utilizing workflow analysis, systems analysis and project management principles
  2. Analyze collected data of health information systems, utilizing principles of data mining, statistics and clinical analytics
  3. Manage the implementation of health information systems in multiple health care venues using principles of organizational dynamics and change management
  4. Facilitate communication between clinical and non-clinical users of health information systems
  5. Successfully obtain the credential of Certified Associate in Health Information Systems
Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements
HI 60401HEALTH INFORMATICS MANAGEMENT 3
HI 60402LEGAL ISSUES IN HEALTH INFORMATICS 3
HI 60403HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS 3
HI 60410HEALTH RECORDS MANAGEMENT 3
HI 60411CLINICAL ANALYTICS 3
HI 60414HUMAN FACTORS AND USABILITY IN HEALTH INFORMATICS 3
HI 60636STANDARDIZED TERMINOLOGIES IN HEALTHCARE 3
Major Electives, choose from the following:12
EMAT 51510
PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TEAM DYNAMICS
HI 60412
CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT
HI 60413
CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 60415
HEALTH INFORMATICS INQUIRY AND ASSESSMENT
HI 60416
HEALTH INFORMATICS ISSUES: POLICY, POLITICS AND ETHICS
HI 60417
PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 60691
SEMINAR IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 60792
ELECTIVE INTERNSHIP IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 61095
SPECIAL TOPICS IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 61096
INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
KM 60301
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
KM 60311
BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT
KM 60370
SEMANTIC ANALYSIS METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES
UXD 60101
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE I
UXD 60104
USABILITY I
Any Knowledge Management (KM) Course
Any Library and Information Science (LIS) Course
Any User Experience Design (UXD) Course
Culminating Requirement
Choose from the following:3-6
HI 66092
MASTER'S INTERNSHIP IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 66099
MASTER'S PROJECT IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 66198
MASTER'S RESEARCH PAPER IN HEALTH INFORMATICS
HI 66199
THESIS I
Minimum Total Credit Hours:36
Program Delivery
  • Delivery:
    • Fully online
RN-to-BSN Program

A collaboration between the School of Nursing and the School of Information allowing  high performing undergraduate nursing students to begin taking up to three graduate level courses (9 credits) that substitute for courses in their program and apply towards the Master of Science or graduate certificate in Health Informatics.  More information on the RN-to-BSN program can be found at the College of Nursing.

Health Informatics Student Achievement Data

MISSION

The Master of Science program in Health Informatics mission aligns with the missions of our School of Information, our College of Communication and Kent State University.

Health Informatics

  • The Health Informatics program prepares individuals to be professionals and leaders in data and information strategies to improve health and health care delivery systems.
  • The Health Informatics Program is committed to the overall mission of the iSchool at Kent State University through a focus on transforming the global information environment to improve health through dynamic learning and interdisciplinary collaboration.

     

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH INFORMATICS ACCREDITATION WITH CAHIIM STANDARDS AND OUTCOMES

The Master of Science in Health Informatics is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) as of September 2023.  

CAHIIM accreditation standards are available from their website. 


APPLICATION, ADMISSION, AND ENROLLMENT

2022-2023 Academic Year

The table below shows only the students who went through the admissions process and enrolled in their admission semester.

Term Applications Admitted Enrolled
Fall 2022 24 10

7

Spring 2023 15 12

12

Persistence and Graduation Rates

Health Informatics students are admitted in both fall and spring semesters. All students who persist, graduate but are not necessarily registered every semester. Retention is only a measure of students who continuously enroll. Kent State provides persistence and graduation statistics because of our focus on degree completion. Master’s students have up to 6 years to complete their degree, so we show 6 years of data.

Percentage of Enrolled or Graduated Students per Cohort

TERM

After 1 Year

After 2 Years

After 3 Years

After 4 Years

After 5 Years

After 6 Years

Fall 2017

85.71%

85.71%

71.43%

85.71%

85.71%

N/A

Spring 2018

100.00%

66.67%

66.67%

66.67%

66.67% N/A

Fall 2018

80.00%

20.00%

80.00%

60.00% N/A N/A
Spring 2019

75.00%

50.00%

75.00%

50.00% N/A

N/A

Fall 2019

83.33%

83.33%

83.33%

0.00%

N/A

N/A

Spring 2020 80.00% 40.00% 60.00% N/A N/A N/A
Fall 2020 100.00% 100.00% 0.00% N/A N/A N/A
Spring 2021 100.00% 100.00% N/A N/A N/A N/A

Fall 2021

66.76% 0.00% N/A N/A N/A N/A
Spring 2022 75.00% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Fall 2022 0.00% N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Spring 2023 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Data report downloaded through Kent State University Institutional Research, 6/23/2023.

 

EMPLOYMENT PICTURE OF 2022 GRADUATES

The iSchool surveyed 2022 graduates of the MS program in Health Informatics.

  • 100% are employed in their field of study.
  • Graduates are employed in electronic medical records administration and operations, data analytics and facilitation of care coordination
  • Found networking to be helpful in their job search

Career Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects increasing demand for careers in health informatics-related fields through 2032. Across all fields there is a median job growth of 16.5% in the next ten years. 

28%
Clinical Informatics Director
16.5%
Clinical Informatics Analyst
8.5%
Health Information Coder

Meet Our Faculty

Our award-winning health informatics faculty bring years of academic and professional research to their courses, providing you with relevant industry experience as well as the latest advances in theory and practice. Here are a few members of this team.

Rebecca Meehan, Ph.D.

Dr. Meehan came to the iSchool in 2012, bringing an extensive background in research related to health care and health informatics, particularly focused on information technology and user experience. Her interests center on improving patient safety outcomes by improving the user experience of health information technology, and sociotechnical approaches to improving health outcomes for a diverse cultural population. Dr. Meehan bridges academic research to industry applications and standards. 

She recently co-authored the book Making A Difference: Careers in Health Informatics with her iSchool colleague John Sharp, MSSA, FHIMSS.

Her previous experience includes senior research roles with Intuit, Inc., a fortune 500 company, as well as Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Department of Sociology.  She also has served as senior research scientist at Myers Research Institute of Menorah Park Center for Senior Living, and senior research associate at Innovative Designs in Environments for an Aging Society (I.D.E.A.S., Inc.). Meehan holds a B.S. in biology from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind.; a master’s and a Ph.D. in sociology from Case Western Reserve University, with concentrations in medical sociology and gerontology.

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John Sharp, MSSA, FHIMSS

John Sharp has been Adjunct Faculty in the Health Informatics Master’s Program at Kent State University since 2012. He developed and frequently teaches Clinical Analytics I and II. 

John recently retired as the Director of Thought Advisory for the Personal Connected Health Alliance, a HIMSS innovation company. Before working with HIMSS, Sharp had years of experience managing research informatics at Cleveland Clinic and at the Clinical and Translation Science Collaborative. In addition to producing white papers and blog posts on digital health, he advises startups through incubators and challenge competitions. He is the author of several book chapters and journal articles on digital health, most recently Making A Difference: Careers in Health Informatics which he co-authored with Rebecca Meehan, Ph.D.

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Yi Hong, Ph.D.

Dr. Hong has been an adjunct instructor in Kent State’s iSchool since 2018. In addition to teaching, Dr. Hong works as an Integration Data Architect in a health data analytics company. She has over 20 years of practical experience working with health data to improve outcomes and efficiency of healthcare through data modeling and analysis, data transformation and standardized terminology services. She has enjoyed sharing her extensive experience with students in iSchools. 

Dr. Hong holds a doctorate degree in Biomedical and Health Informatics from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. Her research interests focus on big data modeling and mining, information architecture, standardized terminologies and controlled vocabularies, clinical decision support, information organization and knowledge representation. Honors include the New Investigator Award of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine and the Graduate of the Last Decade Award of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has developed courses in standardized terminologies in healthcare, information organization and knowledge management which integrate theory with real world applications.

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