Health Information Management (IBHE Certificate)
Mailing Address:
Office of Graduate Programs (MC 530)
Biomedical and Health Information Sciences
1919 West Taylor Street
Chicago, IL 60612-7249
Campus Location: 250 AHSB
Program Code: 20FS1304CERU
Telephone: (866) 674-4842
E-mail: admissionsuic@healthinformatics.uic.edu
Web Site: http://healthinformatics.uic.edu
Department Head: Larry Pawola
Director of Graduate Studies: Larry Pawola
Academic Program Director: Karen Patena, RHIA
UIC's online Postbaccalaureate IBHE Certificate in Health Information Management provides opportunities for self-motivated, experienced healthcare, IT, or business professionals who have already attained at least a bachelor’s degree, to attain a solid foundation in the application and management of computers within the healthcare setting, as well as eligibility to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification exam. All courses will be delivered using online instruction that provides quality learning in a structured environment. Field work at a location convenient to the student is also required.
The Postbaccalaureate IBHE Certificate in HIM signifies that graduates are conversant in the planning, implementation, operation, and control of health data and information systems, and are eligible to sit for the RHIA exam. Course work emphasizes development of a state of the art skill set and knowledge base grounded in healthcare information sciences.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, applicants must meet the following program requirements:
IBHE Certificate
- Prior Degrees At minimum, an earned bachelor's degree from any accredited college or university is required.
- Transcripts An official transcript sent in a signed, sealed envelope from each postsecondary institution attended.
- Grade Point Average A cumulative GPA of 2.75/4.00 or above for the last 60 semester hours of the undergraduate degree OR a cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.00 or above for a minimum of 12 hours of graduate level course work beyond the baccalaureate.
- Minimum English Competency Test Score
- TOEFL If the applicant has taken the paper-based TOEFL, minimum scores in the range of 585–600 will be considered; in addition, the applicant must take the Test of Written English and submit scores in the range of 5–6. Applicants taking the iBT Internet-based TOEFL must have a minimum score of 95, with subscores of Reading 24, Listening 22, Speaking 24, and Writing 24. OR
- IELTS 7.0, with subscores of 6.5 for all four subscores.
- Personal Statement The statement should address the applicant’s desired outcomes and benefits from completion of the certificate program.
- Interview Applicant must interview by phone to determine eligibility, interest, and purpose of graduate study.
- Resume Applicant should submit a resume that highlights education and work experience.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum requirements, students must meet the following program requirements:
IBHE Certificate
- Prerequisites This certificate requires completion of the following prerequisite courses (or equivalent course work or professional experience). These courses are most typically taken upon admission to the certificate program.
- KN 251 and 252—Human Physiological Anatomy I and II OR KN 253 and 254—Human Physiology and Anatomy I and II
- PSCH 242—Introduction to Research in Psychology OR STAT 101—Introduction to Statistics
- IDS 200—Introduction to Management Information Systems
- Minimum Semester Hours Required 23-40. While 40 hours are required for the full program, a minimum of 31 hours may be taken if proficiency can be demonstrated in up to nine hours of specific core courses (see Note below) for students seeking the Postbaccalaureate IBHE Certificate in HIM only. While 32 hours are required for the full program concurrently with the MS in Health Informatics, a minimum of 23 hours may be taken if proficiency can be demonstrated in up to nine hours of specific core courses. (In this case, the Postbaccalaureate IBHE Certificate in HIM is awarded only upon completion of both the 23 or 32 hours required for the certificate and the 45 hours required for the MS in Health Informatics degree.) Proficiency will be demonstrated through reviewing the student's petition, personal statement and experience, and completion of a written exam.
- Course Work
- Required Courses for students completing the full 40 hours for the IBHE Certificate in HIM only: HIM 410, 432, 433, 481, 451, 452, 453, 454, 455; BHIS 405, 406, 460, and 580. Note: BHIS 405 must be taken within the first 17 credit hours of enrollment, excluding prerequisite courses. The student will be denied further registration in the program until this course is successfully completed.
- Required Courses for students completing the full 32 hours for the IBHE Certificate in HIM concurrently with MS in Health Informatics: HIM 410, 432, 433, 481, 451, 452, 453; BHIS 405, 406, and 580. Note: BHIS 405 must be taken within the first 17 credit hours of enrollment, excluding prerequisite courses. The student will be denied further registration in the program until this course is successfully completed.
- Additional courses taken as part of the MS in Health Informatics curriculum—11 hours. Note: These courses count toward the MS in Health Informatics degree and are substituted for courses in the Postbaccalaureate Certificate in HIM program: BHIS 500, 517, 535, and 546. Note: Upon satisfactory demonstration of proficiency in HIM 410, HIM 453, BHIS 405, or BHIS 406, students may waive up to 9 hours.
- Students with a current CPC, CCA, CCS, CCS-P coding or registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) credential and demonstrated proficiency in HIM 432 and/or HIM 422 may include these courses as potential waived courses.
- In addition, students may substitute up to 4 hours from the following: BHIS 437, 515, 517, 525, 528 for required course work. Proficiency will be demonstrated though reviewing the student's petition, personal statement and experience, and completion of a written exam. Students completing the certificate concurrently with the MS in Health Informatics may substitute only BHIS 528, as all other courses are existing requirements of the MS with concurrent certificate.
- Note: Due to the evolving nature of this profession, all courses in the certificate must be completed within three years of program enrollment. If the student goes beyond this time frame, due to leave of absence, single semester time off, repeating courses, or other reasons, the student may be required to demonstrate proficiency by exam or retake the course at an established minimum grade to continue in the program. A student may be dismissed from the program if the student demonstrates a pattern of poor academic progress and has failed to demonstrate competence at the established minimum level.
- Note: Courses taken outside the certificate will not be included in the GPA calculation used by the certificate program for determining progress or graduation.
- Other Requirements All students enrolled in this program are expected to have working knowledge of the following: microcomputer operating system, word processing, spreadsheets, electronic mail, Internet browsers. Information about technical requirements for the certificate can be found on the Health Informatics and Health Information Management website at http://healthinformatics.uic.edu.
