Health Care Informatics
School/College: College of Health Sciences
Degrees Conferred:
- MS in Health Care Informatics
Contents
The College of Health Sciences, Health Care Administration and Informatics Program, offers the Master of Science in Health Care Informatics (HCI).
The HCI Program is designed to meet the demand for highly trained health care informatics professionals by drawing on the experience and expertise of several UWM disciplines: Computer Science-College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS), Health Care Administration and Informatics . College of Health Sciences (CHS), Management Information Systems-Lubar School of Business (LSB), and the School of Information Studies (SOIS). The curriculum covers several areas including: systems analysis and design, database and project management, decision support, network design, and health care applications and procurement.
The program is designed for full-time and part-time students who seek employment as health care informatics professionals within health care delivery systems, managed care organizations, and with health care computer vendors.
Graduate Faculty
(Professors' home departments, programs, or schools appear in parentheses)
- Professors
- Hemant Jain, Ph.D. Lehigh University (Business Administration)
- Mary K. Madsen, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison (Health Care Administration and Informatics
- K. Ramamurthy, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh (Business Administration)
- Associate Professors
- Elizabeth Buchanan, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Information Studies)
- Alex Koohang, Ph.D. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Information Studies)
- John Lynch, Ph.D. Marquette University (Health Care Administration and Informatics)
- Susan McRoy, Ph.D. University of Toronto (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
- Derek Nazareth, Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University (Business Administration)
- Ali Reza, Ph.D. University of Wyoming (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
- Atish Sinha, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh (Business Administration)
- Hanh Trinh, Ph.D. Virginia Commonwealth University (Health Care Administration and Informatics)
- Dietmar Wolfram, Ph.D. University of Western Ontario (Information Studies)
- Jin Zhang, Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh (Information Studies)
- Assistant Professors
- Joseph Bockhorst, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
- Amol Mali, Ph.D. Arizona State University (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science)
- Timothy Patrick, Ph.D. University of Missouri-Columbia (Health Care Administration and Informatics)
- Min Wu, Ph.D. University of North Carolina (Health Care Administration and Informatics)
- Hong Yu, Ph.D., Columbia University (Health Care Administration and Informatics)
Master of Science in Health Care Informatics
Admission
An applicant must meet Graduate School requirements plus the following requirements to be considered for admission to the program:
- Submission of GRE scores taken within the past five years.
- Completion of the following foundation requirements or equivalents prior to admission into the program.* HCI foundation courses provide a basis for subsequent coursework:
- HCA 102: Health Care Delivery in the U.S., 3 credits or BUS ADM 756: Health Care Delivery Systems, 3 credits
- CL SCI 301-305: Human Pathophysiology, 5 credits or CL SCI 701 & 702: Human Pathophysiology I & II, 6 credits.
- HMS 270: Statistics in the Health Professions, 3 credits or BUS ADM 210: Introduction to Management Statistics, 3 credits.
- *Individual course exemptions will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Credits earned in these courses do not count toward the degree.
- Basic proficiency in the use of word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
Major Professor as Advisor
A student must have a major professor to advise and supervise the student.s studies as specified in Graduate School regulations. Initially the director of the HCI Program advises and supervises newly admitted students. Students are then assigned faculty advisors according to faculty advising loads.
Credits and Courses
The Master of Science in Health Care Informatics degree will be awarded upon completion of appropriate prerequisite course work and 35 credits of prescribed graduate study. Credits must be taken in each of nine Core Content areas, in an Emphasis Area, and in the project or thesis course.
Core Content
Completion of one of the following courses or equivalents in each of the core content areas is necessary to fulfill this requirement. Combined undergraduate and graduate level (U/G) courses must be taken for graduate credit. Courses are 3 graduate credits unless otherwise noted.
- Health Care Informatics
- HCA 700: Introduction to HealthCare Informatics, 2 cr
- Programming
- BUS ADM 740: MIS Concepts & Languages
- BUS ADM 813: Object-Oriented & Visual Paradigms
- Systems Analysis and Design
- BUS ADM 747: Systems Analysis & Design
- HCA 441: Healthcare Information Systems Analysis & Design, 3 cr (U/G)
- Database Management
- BUS ADM 749: Data Management Systems
- COMPSCI 557: Introduction to Database Systems, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 757: Data Base Organization and File Structure
- HCA 442: Healthcare Database Design & Management, 3 cr (U/G)
- Project Management
- BUS ADM 748: Information Technology Project Management
- Decision Support Systems
- BUS ADM 814: Intelligent Systems for Business
- COMPSCI 720: Computational Models of Decision Making
- Network Design /Telecommunications
- BUS ADM 893: Infrastructure for Electronic Business
- COMPSCI 520: Computer Networks, 3 cr (U/G)
- L&I SCI 710: Electronic Networking and Information Services
- Technology Procurement
- HCA 721: Health Information Technology Procurement, 3 cr (G)
- Applications
- HCA 723: Health Care Systems Applications - Administrative & Clinical
Emphasis Areas
Students are expected to complete their training by choosing one (Thesis students) or two (Project Students) additional course(s) from one of the following emphasis areas: Technology, Decision Support Systems, or Administration. Combined undergraduate and graduate level (U/G) courses must be taken for graduate credit. Courses are 3 graduate credits unless otherwise noted.
- Technology
- BUS ADM 740:MIS: Concepts and Languages, 2 cr (G)
- COMPSCI 431: Programming Languages Concepts, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 469: Introduction to Computer Security, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 536: Introduction to Software Engineering, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 557: Introduction to Database Systems, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 757: Database Organization & File Structure
- COMPSCI 759: Data Security
- L&I SCI 710: Electronic Networking and Information Services
- L&I SCI 782:Information Systems A & D
- Decision Support Systems
- COMPSCI 710: Artificial Intelligence
- COMP SCI 720: Computational Models of Decision Making
- COMPSCI 723: Natural Language Processing
- COMPSCI 790: Advanced Topics in Computer Science
- COMPSCI 810: Knowledge Representation
- NURSING 727: Epidemiology in Community Health
- L&I SCI 817: Information Sources & Services
- Administration
- BUS ADM 755: Health Care Administration
- BUS ADM 757: Managed Care & Integrated Health Networks
- COMPSCI 469: Introduction to Computer Security, 3 cr (U/G)
- COMPSCI 759: Data Security
- NURSING 727: Epidemiology in Community Health
Thesis/Project Options
Option A: Thesis Option
The thesis option requires students to plan, design, execute and report results of original applied or basic research. Students who choose the thesis option are responsible for identifying a HCAI major professor and a thesis committee. The thesis committee should consist of the major professor and at least two other graduate faculty. The student must pass a comprehensive oral examination in defense of the completed thesis. Six credits of HCA 990 may be applied toward the required 35 graduate credit minimum.
Option B: Professional Project Option
The project option requires students to apply Health Care Informatics research and theory to a professional situation. Students who choose the project option may count 3 credits of HCA 890 toward the 35 graduate credit minimum. The project must be written in compliance with program format requirements under the supervision of a HCAI major professor.
Program Completion Time Limit
The student must complete all degree requirements within five years of initial enrollment.
Master of Science in Health Care Informatics/Master of Library and Information Science
The College of Health Sciences and School of Information Studies collaboratively offer a program designed to provide students with theoretical and practical exposure to the evolving field of healthcare informatics as practiced in hospitals, clinics, professional offices, corporations, the government, the insurance industry, and higher education.
Admission
Students are admitted to both graduate programs separately and admission requirements are consistent with those specified by the UWM Graduate School, the Department of Healthcare Informatics, and the MLIS program of the School of Information Studies.
Credit and Courses
Students accepted into this MS/MLIS program complete the following courses:
Healthcare Informatics
- Introduction to Healthcare Informatics: 2 credits
- HCA 700 Introduction to HealthCare Informatics
- Programming, 3 credits:
- BA 740 MIS Concepts & Languages OR
- BA 813 Object-Oriented & Visual
- Systems Analysis and Design, 3 credits:
- BA 747 Systems Analysis & Design OR
- HCA 441 Healthcare Systems A & D
- Database Management, 3 credits:
- BA 749 Data Management Systems OR
- CS 557 Introduction to Database Systems OR
- CS 757 Data Base Organization and File Structure OR
- HCA 442 Healthcare Database Design & Mgt
- Project Management, 3 credits:
- BA 748 Information Technology Project Management
- Decision Support Systems, 3 credits:
- BA 741 Decision Support Systems and Groupware OR
- BA 814 Intelligent Systems for Business OR
- CS 720 Computational Models of Decision Making OR
- HCA 744 Text Retrieval & Its Application in Biomedicine (pending)
- Network Design/Telecommunications, 3 credits:
- BA 893 Infrastructure for Electronic Business OR
- CS 520 Computer Networks OR
- L&I SCI 710 Electronic Networking and Information Services
- Technology Procurement, 3 credits:
- HCA 721 Health Information Technology Procurement
- Clinical Applications, 3 credits:
- HCA 723 Healthcare Systems Applications - Clinical, Administrative & Research
- Project or Thesis, 3 credits:
- HCA 890 Healthcare Informatics Research and Thesis OR
- HCA 891 Healthcare Informatics Masters Project
Minimum Credits for MS: 29
Library and Information Science
- L&I SCI 501 Foundations of Library and Information Science; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 511 Organization of Information; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 571 Information Access and Retrieval; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 591 Research in Library and Information Science; 3 credits
- Electives (15 credits), including at least 4 of the following 5
- L&I SCI 510 Introduction to Reference Services and Resources
- L&I SCI 661 Ethics and the Information Society; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 714 Metadata; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 791 Information Architecture; 3 credits
- L&I SCI 835 Information Sources and Services—Health Sciences; 3 credits
- Other elective; 3 credits
Students also must pass a comprehensive examination, or submit and successfully defend a thesis. The thesis option requires additional credits.
Minimum MLIS Credits: 27
Minimum Total Credits for the Program: 56
The credits for the coordinated program would typically be completed in both programs at the same time, rather than one program after the other. A student not completing the requirements for the coordinated degree program would need to complete all requirements for an individual program in order to receive a degree.
Time Limit
Students in the coordinated MS/MLIS degree program must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student.
Courses
Descriptions of required and elective courses offered at UWM as part of the M.S. in Health Care Informatics can be found under the respective curricular areas (see below).