2023 Best Online Master's Degrees in Health Informatics

With a near-perfect graduation rate, Duke University is a private, Methodist institution in Durham, North Carolina. It offers an online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) - Health Informatics that focuses on topics, such as IT systems analysis and design, clinical data analytics, and health information exchange. They complete 38 credit hours — four courses in the MSN core and seven in informatics — in this online graduate program that generally takes at least two years of full-time attendance.

Duke delivers online coursework and instruction via Canvas. It's designed for nurses seeking career advancement. MSN health informatics distance learners enroll in courses such as Clinical Data Analysis, Healthcare Quality Improvement Methods, Synthesis of Specialty Practice, and Effective Leadership. It's important to note that getting into Duke is exceptionally competitive. According to its website, it also has one of the most advanced health systems in the world.

The University of San Diego (UCSD) in California is a public university, and it is Asian American Serving and Native American Pacific Islander Serving. It offers an online Master of Science: Health Care Informatics to help graduate candidates in clinical and nonclinical healthcare roles build employer-sought technical, programmatic, and analytical skills. Specialized tracks include Health Care Analytics, Health Informatics, and Healthcare Leadership. Graduating requires completing 37 credits, which typically takes full-time students two years.

UCSD uses the University of California's system-wide UC Learning Center learning management system to deliver its online curriculum to distance learners. Depending on the track, health care informatics courses include Database Design and Knowledge Management, Financial Management in Healthy Systems, Advanced Health Care Analysis, and Digital Healthcare Marketing. Students must also complete a capstone to graduate.

Drexel University (DU) is a private, nonprofit institution in Philadelphia offering an online Master of Science in Health Informatics for information technology professionals interested in careers in biomedical and health organizations. This online program is organized into four 10-week quarters per year, enabling students to potentially finish the required 45 credits quickly and in under two years if attending full time. This health informatics programs at DU culminates in a capstone project.

Drexel's online students access assignments and participate in classes via the university's proprietary Drexel Learn learning management system. Health informatics distance learners participate in a range of courses, such as Data Mining, Ethical and Legal Issues in Healthcare Management and Policy, Healthcare Informatics: Planning & Evaluation, and Introduction to Biostatistics.

The highly competitive Northwestern University (NU) in Evanston, Illinois, is a private and nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Informatics. This online master's degree has three program specializations: (1) Clinical Informatics, (2) Health Technology Informatics, and (3) Health Administration Informatics. This 36-credit program (12 courses) takes full-time students about two years to complete.

NU's distance learners use Canvas to access online instruction and coursework. The health informatics classes at NU include Telecommunication Networks, Consumer Digital Health, Information Systems Acquisition & Lifecycle, and Global Health and Technology — to name a few. Individual course schedules vary by specialization and career interests. Students must also develop and implement a health informatics capstone project in the workplace as a culminating experience.

Northeastern University Global Network (NEUGN) in Boston is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Health Informatics. Students can choose from a Personal Health Information concentration, a Health Informatics Analytics concentration, and a health informatics degree without a concentration. Graduating requires completing 33 credits. Full-time students may be able to finish in 18 months, while part-time students may take around two years.

Canvas is the learning management system that NEUGN uses for online curriculum delivery. The degree in health informatics integrates technology with health organizations' clinical and business needs. Depending on the concentration, online health informatics courses may include Introduction to Computational Statistics, Information Design and Visual Analytics, Applied Regression Analysis, and Interoperability Key Standards in Health Informatics. Finally, this online master's program concludes with a capstone project.

Public University of South Florida Online (USF Online) in Tampa offers an online Master of Science in Health Informatics that helps students understand "the design, development, adoption, and application of information technology-based innovations in healthcare services delivery, management, and planning." It helps prepare students to sit for various exams, such as the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) – Certified Health Data Analyst (CHDA) exam. This online program consists of 32 credits, usually taking full-time students two years to complete through 8-week sessions.

Distance learners at USF Online use Canvas to complete assignments and participate in classes. Those enrolled in the online health informatics master's program take courses such as E-Healthcare Ethics, Case Studies in Health Information Management, and Healthcare Project Management. Students may choose to complete a research project, independent study, or internship before graduating.

Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is a public institution near the Ohio border offering an online Master of Science in Health Informatics that provides opportunities for students to explore artificial intelligence, data visualization, mHealth, and the Internet of Things as part of its curriculum. This 33-credit online master's program in health informatics can be completed in as few as 12 months of full-time attendance. It includes ten three-credit courses and a three-credit capstone project.

NKU delivers its online programming via the Canvas learning management system. Distance learners use Canvas to access coursework and instruction. Health informatics classes include IS in Healthcare Organizations, Evidence-Based Healthcare Methods, Healthcare Quality Systems, and Healthcare Organizational Change Management — to name a few classes.

Capella University (CU) is a private, for-profit institution based in Minneapolis offering an online MHA - Health Care Informatics for students interested in pursuing director-level and leadership positions in healthcare settings. Students choose between CU's GuidedPath, which follows a typical semester-based format, and FlexPath, which is more self-paced. Graduating requires completing 32 credits in GuidedPath and 24 program points in FlexPath. This includes 11 courses and one capstone, which FlexPath students may be able to finish in as few as 14 months.

CU delivers its online programming via Blackboard. Online healthcare informatics graduate courses include Health Care Delivery: New Environments in Health Informatics, Health Care Information Systems Analysis and Design for Administrators, and Cornerstones of Health Informatics for Organizational Operations. This online curriculum culminates in a health care administration capstone.