Health Informatics (M.S.H.I.)

View PDF of Health Informatics Admissions Checklist
Prospective students should use this checklist to obtain specific admissions requirements on how to apply to Graduate School.

View PDF version of the Health Informatics catalog description

Core Faculty

Eta S. Berner, Ed.D. Professor (Health Services Administration)

Darrell Burke, Ph.D, Professor (Health Services Administration)

Amanda D. Dorsey, M.S.H.I., Instructor & Assistant Program Director (Health Services Administration)

Glenn G. Hammack, O.D., M.S.H.I., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

Other Participating Faculty

Jeffrey H. Burkhardt, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Health Services Administration)

Dongquan Chen, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

Kay Clements, M.A., Associate Professor (Health Services Administration)

Beverly Golightly, M.S.H.A., Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration)

Gary J. Grimes, Ph.D., Professor (Electrical and Computer Engineering)

Sara S. Grostick, M.A., Associate Professor (Health Services Administration)

Randa Smith Hall, M.S.H.A., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

J. Michael Hardin, Ph.D., Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration)

S. Robert Hernandez, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Joan C. Hicks, M.S.H.I., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

Tee H. Hiett, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus (Health Services Administration)

Howard W. Houser, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Shannon Houser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

Thomas K. Houston, II, M.D., Assistant Professor (Medicine, General/Internal)

Stephen A. Moser, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Pathology/Microbiology)

Stephen J. O'Connor, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Pamela E. Paustian, M.S.M., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration

Craig C. Pearson, M.S.H.I., Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration)

M. Paige Powell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Health Services Administration)

T. Scott Plutchak, M.A., Associate Professor (Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences)

Midge N. Ray, M.Ed., Associate Professor (Health Services Administration)

Tommy J. Sanders, Ph.D, Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration)

Richard M. Shewchuk, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Donna J. Slovensky, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Thomas E. Terndrup, M.D., Professor (Emergency Medicine)

Michael R. Waldrum, M.D., Professor (Internal Medicine/Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine)

Norman W. Weissman, Ph.D., Professor (Health Services Administration)

Adjunct Faculty

David M. Bowen, Adjunct Professor (Health Services Administration)

Randy Carpenter, M.S.H.I., Adjunct Professor (Health Services Administration)

Steve Flammini, Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration) 

R. David Friday, M.S.H.I., Adjunct Instructor (Health Services Administration)

Terrell W. Herzig, M.S.H.I., Credit Course Instructor (Health Services Administration)

Jacqueline W. Kennedy, Adjunct Professor (Health Services Administration)

Michael E. McDevitt, Adjunct Professor (Health Services Administration)

Tim Stettheimer, Adjunct Professor (Health Services Administration)

Pele Yu, M.D., Adjunct Instructor

Program Information

Program Admission

Admission to the program is in the fall semester. Application to the program may be made September through April 30, preceding the expected date of enrollment for the next fall term. Applications received after April 30 are considered on a space-available basis. Applications are evaluated against the Graduate School criteria and those criteria developed specifically for the HI program.  The ideal size of each entering class is 20 to 25 students.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program requires acceptance to the Graduate School of The University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Applicants must have completed or anticipate completion of at least a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university or from a recognized university abroad before entering the program. As a criterion for unconditional admission, applicants must have no less than a B GPA (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) for the last 60 semester hours of earned undergraduate credit or overall undergraduate credit or overall undergraduate hours. Official transcripts of all previous academic work beyond the secondary level should be submitted.  Before matriculation, entering students must have received a final transcript for each degree received.

The applicant should include a carefully drafted statement about his or her personal interests, career goals, and relevant background experience and a professional resume. 

Three confidential letters of recommendation from individuals qualified to write concerning your potential success in both a graduate program and in the Health Informatics field must be submitted.

Prior to entering the program, applicants should have completed three hours of undergraduate course work in event-driven programming (e.g., Visual Basic, C++, Java, XML, .Net).  The program has two additional co-requisites:  a graduate level healthcare financial management course and a graduate level quantitative methods course.  These do not have to be completed prior to entering, but must be completed by the time a student graduates.

Admission to the HI program is determined by an interview process and the consensus of the Admissions Committee. The decision is based on previous academic record, standardized admission test scores, professional recommendations and evidence of ability to perform graduate-level work. The program director reserves the prerogative for final recommendation on admission status to the Graduate School.

Additional Information

For detailed information, contact Master of Science in Health Informatics Program, UAB School of Health Professions, Webb 532; physical address: 1675 University Blvd.; mailing address: 1530 3rd Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35294-3361

Telephone 205-934-3509

Fax 205-975-6608

E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Course Descriptions

Note: The curriculum consists of ten (10) Core Courses and either an eight (8) hour Administrative Internship or a six (6) hour Non-thesis Project for a total program of 48 semester credit hours.   Two (2) credit hours of HI 698 (Master’s Level Non-Thesis Research Project/Credit Course) will be required for all students who plan to complete a project instead of an internship.

Health Informatics (HI)  

600. Analysis and Design of Health Information Systems. Requirements, concepts, methods, and tools in analyzing, modeling, and designing health information systems with emphasis on clinical systems. Prerequisites: Current computer programming language course.   4 hours.

601. Databases and Data Modeling. Concepts of data modeling, data architectures and data administration. Study of various models with application to current healthcare IT initiatives.  Course will include weekly on-line labs to provide hands-on use of databases, modeling tools to illustrate the impact of design principles on integrated data healthcare systems. Prerequisite: HI 600 or permission of instructor. 4 hours.

602. Clinical and Administrative Systems. Foundations of clinical information use with an emphasis on the Electronic Health Record and information collection, processing (e.g., decision making), recording and dissemination in inpatient and outpatient facilities. Special emphasis on the clinician's workflow to support enterprise-wide health care delivery. Prerequisites: 640 or permission of instructor. 4 hours.

605. Communications and Networks. Local & wide area networking and communication technologies as it applies to health information systems. Telecommunication technologies supporting the Internet and campus networks are emphasized. Technologies such as Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), Digital Subscriber Lines (xDSLs), and new global mobile (wireless) technologies. Emphasis is placed on the practical use, implications for the architecture of the next generation of health information systems, and in strategic planning of the technical aspects of integrated health information networks. Prerequisites: HI 640 or permission of instructor. 4 hours.

610. Project Management for Health Services Executives.   Concepts and techniques in health care organizations for maintaining and effective management of organizational information through system implementation case studies.  Special emphasis on communications plans, resource allocation, risk management, various quality management methods, and the integration of scope, time and cost management. Prerequisites: HI 640 or permission of instructor. 4 hours.

612. Organizational Behavior and Leadership. Systematic examination of human behavior in healthcare-specific settings. Emphasis on study of individuals and small groups; personality, perception, attitudes, motivation, communication, and leadership. Case discussions and textbook readings. Prerequisite: 4 hours.

615. Decision Support Systems. Examination of the role of information systems in supporting administrative and clinical decision-making in health care enterprises. Case studies of the design and use of computer-based decision support and modeling systems. Prerequisites: HI 640 and or permission of instructor. 3 hours.

620. Security and Privacy in Health Care. Security and privacy issues, legislation, regulations, and accreditation standards unique to health care domain. Technical security of networks, databases, audit mechanisms and control.  Privacy implications for the Electronic Health Record and organizational planning. Prerequisites: HI 602, 605, and 640, or permission of instructor. 3 hours.

630. Strategic Planning and Contracting for Health Information Systems. Theory, practice, and processes needed for strategic planning of integrated health information systems. Assessing benefits of enterprise-wide information integration and tactics needed to attain benefits realization. Steps needed for developing strategic plans that are aligned with goals of health care institutions using case studies and in team projects. Development of a Request for Proposal (RFP) based on strategic plans. Critique and practice of skills needed to negotiate contracts with vendors. Prerequisites: HI 600, 601, 602, 605, and 640, or permission of instructor. 4 hours.

640  Introduction to Health Informatics and Health Care Delivery. History and current status of information systems in health care and health care information systems. Information architectures, administrative and clinical applications, strategic planning, security, and benefits realization. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. 3-4 hours. The 3-credit hour option is used for MSHI/MSHA dual degree students.

Non-Thesis Project, or Administrative Internship: Each student must complete an administrative internship or a non-thesis research project. Each student, in consultation with Program Faculty, chooses the most appropriate option. Prior to enrolling for the thesis or project, students will enroll in two 1-hour planning courses under the direction of the Projects and Internship Coordinator, in the fall and spring semesters prior to completing their Non-Thesis Research Project in the final semester.  The UAB Graduate School requires that you be enrolled during the semester in which you plan to graduate

690. Administrative Internship. Structured field experiences in health care or other enterprises associated with health care industry. Includes a mentoring relationship with a preceptor and an opportunity for application of skills learned in the MSHI program. Foundation for professional development and assists in refining skills and behaviors necessary for successful practice in a complex professional, social, political, and technological environment. Prerequisite: Permission of Internship Coordinator. 4-8 hours.

698. Master's Level Non-thesis Research Project. Rigorous project that provides opportunity for focused investigation of informatics problem in real-world setting and for application of problems solving methodologies for development and execution of solutions. Investigation and application of theory through practical implementation project. Conducted during Administrative Internship; may be repeated for credit (minimum of 8 credit hours required for graduation). Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. 4-8 hours.

Prerequisites and Co-Requisites

Financial Management: The HI curriculum requires a minimum of one graduate-level course in financial management as a co-requisite.  A graduate level financial management course can be completed either before enrolling in the HI Program or before graduating with the M.S.H.I. degree.

Quantitative Methods: The HI curriculum requires a minimum of one graduate-level course in quantitative methods as a co-requisite; a graduate-level finance course can be completed either before enrolling in the HI Program or before graduating with the M.S.H.I. degree.