Department of Health Informatics

Biomedical Informatics Program
Degrees Offered

Certificate in Biomedical Informatics

Students with baccalaureate degrees in health sciences who do not plan to seek the Master of Science degree may apply to enroll in the postbaccalaureate level Health Care Informatics Certificate Program. Curriculum contents and guided projects under this option can be tailored to meet students’ specific area of interest or requirements. Upon successful completion of a total of 15 credits in the Program student is eligible to receive a Certificate in Health Care Informatics from UMDNJ. Permission to take courses is contingent upon fulfillment of the specific course prerequisites, and approval of the Program Director.

Master's Degree in Biomedical Informatics

All students complete at least 36 credits hours of which at least 30 hours must be formal course work. This includes:

18 credit hours of core courses,
Six credit hours in an area of emphasis/ specialization,
Six credit hours of electives, and
Six credit hours of directed thesis or project.

In addition to core courses, electives and directed research projects, the student can pursue an in-depth study in one of the following tracks:

Bioinformatics/Biotechnology Systems
BioMedical Imaging and Image Analysis
Clinical Decision Support Systems
e-Healthcare Systems
Hospital/Healthcare Management Systems
Students successfully completing the program will be granted the Master of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics.

Doctor of Philosopy in Biomedical Informatics

The curriculum consists of at least 61 credits beyond MS degree in Biomedical Informatics. Graduate courses taken for a MS degree, including biomedical informatics, computer science, computational biology and bioinformatics degrees may be applied to the Ph.D. course requirements. The 61 credits beyond the MS degree in Biomedical Informatics include: (a)technical/computing and management courses, (b) informatics specialization courses, and (c) 36 credits of original research work leading to a dissertation in selected area of specialization.

A student that shows exceptional promise may enroll for the Ph.D. degree program without an M.S. degree by taking at least 85 credits. Graduates of this program will develop, implement and evaluate informatics algorithms, biomedical computing solutions and technologies for decision support tools for improving clinical practice, and health care delivery and management; and design systems for more effective and informative research and education. Thus, expanding and advancing the science and methods of biomedical informatics.

Students can select one of the following areas of specialization:

1. Bioinformatics/Biotechnology Systems

2. BioMedical Imaging and Image Analysis

3. Clinical Decision Support Systems

4. e-Healthcare Systems

5. Hospital/Healthcare Management Systems

Full-time students may complete the program in three to five years. Part-time students may take up to seven years to complete the program. Students successfully completing the program will be granted the Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Informatics jointly by UMDNJ.