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.

Fulltime students may complete the Program in 18 months, but will usually require two years. Part-time students may take three to five years to complete the Program.

Program:
Degree Requirements for MS in Biomedical Informatics:
All students will complete at least 36 credits hours of which at least 30 hours must be formal course work with an average grade of 3.0 or better. This includes: 18 credit hours of core courses, six credit hours in an area of emphasis, six credit hours of electives, and six credit hours of directed thesis or project. All students must submit four copies of a completed thesis/project in required format.

Admissions:
Program Entrance Requirements for MS:
General Requirements: Applicant for admission to the Graduate Programs in Biomedical Informatics must hold a bachelors degree from an accredited institution in the US or its equivalent with a major in any field of health sciences (including medicine, dentistry, allied health, nursing, public health, pharmacy), or biological sciences, computer science, engineering or an equivalent field of study. A student seeking admission to any of the Graduate Programs must satisfy all entrance requirements of UMDNJ-SHRP.

These requirements include:

• Completed applications form with the SHRP' s application fee.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation. Professors and/or individuals
  directly responsible for supervising the applicant, attesting to the
  candidate's potential success in the program, should write these
  letters.
• Official transcripts(s) of previous collegiate work or last earned
  degrees.
• GRE scores.
• Personal statement describing interest and commitment to the
  program.
• Evidence of basic proficiency in any programming language,
  database concepts and elementary calculus
• GRE Exemption: Applicants already holding a doctoral (e.g., Ph.D., MD, DDS) degree in an appropriate discipline from an accredited institution in the USA, or UMDNJ' s medical, or dental students are exempted from the GRE requirement. Students applying for admission to the Health Care Informatics Certificate Program are also exempted from the GRE requirement.

International Students and TOEFL:

In addition to the requirements stated above international students are required to provide evidence of English language proficiency by submitting Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination scores. Applicants with scores below 550 or CBT equivalent are not considered for admission. Prerequisite Course: Students are expected to have basic proficiency in any programming language, database concepts, elementary calculus and differential equations. Students lacking such proficiency are advised to take a bridge course at UMDNJ-SHRP namely, BINF4000: Essentials of Health Computer Science or its equivalent. This course provides an overview of all the essential and technical concepts of computing, data structure, and communications needed to understand the techniques, processes and applications outlined in the biomedical informatics curriculum. Students coming from non-health sciences (e.g., computer science or engineering) will be required to take an introductory physiology andor a Biochemistry course.

Advisement: Each entering student is assigned a faculty advisor who assists the student in initial course selection appropriate to the career goals of the student, election of a project advisor and an advisory on project.
Program retention: Retention in the graduate programs is based on the following criteria:

• maintenance of GPA at 3.0 or better;
• obtain no more than one course failure for the duration of the program;
• retake a failed course only once and attain a C or better grade;
• and adherence to the policies of the UMDNJ, the SHRP and affiliating
  institutions and health care agencies.