Admission Requirements

• IBHE Certificate

Degree Requirements

• IBHE Certificate

Technical Requirements

• PC
• Mac

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: 20FS1303CASU
Telephone: (866) 674-4842
E-mail: p.rocha@healthinformatics.uic.edu
Web Site: http://healthinformatics.uic.edu
Director of Graduate Studies: Dr. Larry Pawola

UIC’s online IBHE postmaster’s certificate in health informatics program provides opportunities for self-motivated, experienced health care or IT professionals who have already attained at least a master’s-level degree, to attain high level knowledge about the application and management of computers within the healthcare setting.

All courses are delivered using online instruction that provides quality learning in a structured environment for healthcare professionals, as well as those working in public health, health information or technology management, and management-level business professionals.

This certificate signifies that graduates are conversant in the implementation, operation, and control of health information systems. 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 degree at the master’s level from any accredited graduate program is required. For those with an MBA, the degree must be granted either by UIC or another school accredited by AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
• Transcripts An official transcript sent in a signed, sealed envelope from each postsecondary institution attended.
• Grade Point Average At least 3.00/4.00 for the terminal degree work.
• 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. If the applicant has taken the computer-based TOEFL, minimum scores in the range of 240–250 will be considered. In this case the Test of Written English is not required. 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 (applicant should have at least two years of work experience in industries that can directly translate to health informatics, such as health care, IT, health information management, consulting, or law. This excludes academic student jobs).
• Deadlines The application deadlines are as follows: July 15 for fall semester; November 15 for spring semester; and April 15 for summer session.

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.
• HIM 486—Foundations of Health Information Management
• BHIS 406—Medical Terminology in Health Information Management
• Minimum Semester Hours Required 24.
• Course Work Required Courses: BHIS 437, 460, 510, 515, 520, 525, 530.

Technical Requirements

• Computer Literacy 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.
• Technology Recommendations The student should have access to a computer with the following minimum requirements:

PC Users

• Processor: Minimum Pentium III
• Memory: 1GB RAM minimum
• Hard Drive: 40 GB or more with 8GB free space preferred
• Modem: A cable or DSL connection is required
• CD-ROM: A CD-ROM reader
• Sound Card: SoundBlaster 32-bit compatible
• Video Card: SVGA 1024 x 768 resolution
• Monitor: 15 inch SuperVGA color monitor
• Operating System: XP, Vista
• Software: An active antivirus program and an office suite such as Microsoft Office 2008.  A student must be able to produce and open files that are compatible with Microsoft Office 2003 (.doc, .xls, etc). BHIS courses 437, 515, 520 require the use of Microsoft Visio Pro (professional version) as the drawing tool. )

Mac Users

• Mac G4 or G5 running OS 10.3 (or higher)
• Minimum of 1 GB RAM 
• 40 GB HD 
• Software: An active antivirus program and an office suite such as Microsoft Office 2008.  A student must be able to produce and open files that are compatible with Microsoft Office 2003 (.doc, .xls, etc). BHIS courses 437, 515, 520 require the use of OmniGraffle Pro as the drawing tool.