Rochester Institute Of Technology (RIT)

Program Information

Degree Offered

Medical Informatics

Format: Campus

Program Description:

Medical informatics studies the nature of medical information and the use of information technology in managing this information in medical practice, education, and research. With increases in the application and uses of information technology to the medical industry, there is an unprecedented need for professionals who can use their knowledge of both information technology and health care to improve the safety and quality of health care delivery and to control its costs.

Medical informatics is an emerging profession in which the power of information technology is creatively applied to the information needs of health care. This includes the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of patient data, as well as access to electronically maintained medical knowledge for use in patient care, research, and education. This field requires computing expertise; understanding formal medical terminology, clinical processes, and guidelines; and the application of information and communication systems that can successfully delivery patient information in a number of healthcare settings.

The program is offered both full-time or part-time. On a full-time basis the program may be completed in approximately two years. For part-time students, competition may take three to four years. The master’s capstone is completed across two academic terms. This program may be started in fall terms only.

Curriculum

The MS in medical informatics is a 14-course degree program: nine required core courses, a three-course concentration for depth, plus a two-course capstone experience. Students may choose from a set of pre-approved concentrations or, with the pre-approval of the faculty, define a specialized concentration. Depending upon the student’s background, some of the program’s core courses may be replaced. For example, a physician may be allowed to replace a course such as The Practice of Health Care (4006-704/MFI 404) with one that will be more beneficial. Similarly, a database professional may be allowed to replace the foundation database course.

Students take courses at both universities. The University of Rochester has an academic calendar based upon 15-week semesters, while RIT has 10-week academic quarters. However, all courses are scheduled so that students can attend courses offered by at each university without conflict. All requirements for the degree program must be completed within seven years of the date of the oldest course counted toward the student's program of study. Bridge courses are excluded.

Core courses
RIT Course # UR Course # Course Title
4002-726 MFI 406 Research Methods†
4006-701 MFI 400 Introduction to Medical Informatics‡
4006-735 MFI 403 Clinical Information Systems (EHR)†
4006-702 MFI 402 Perspectives of Health Informatics‡
4006-704 MFI 404 Practice of Health Care‡
4006-707 MFI 407 Clinical Decision Support‡
4002-720 MFI 430 Data Modeling and Database Implementation†
4006-780 MFI 405 Design, Development, and Deployment of Applications†
4002-820 MFI 401 Economics of Software Development†

† Course offered at RIT.

‡ Course offered at UR.

Concentrations

All students complete a three-course concentration for depth. The six pre-approved concentration options are:

* Electronic Health Record Development*
* Database Systems†
* Clinical Systems Integration†
* Web Applications for Medicine†
* Management†
* Public Health‡

* This concentration includes courses from both RIT and UR.

† Courses for this concentration are available at RIT only.

‡ Courses for this concentration are available at UR only.

With the approval of the faculty, the student may create a customized concentration by selecting courses from the existing concentrations or from related areas, such as bioinformatics or computer systems security.

Capstone

The capstone experience for this MS degree is a two-course experience, for a total of four academic credits, and is completed in two consecutive academic terms.
RIT Course # UR Course # Course Title
4006-887 MIF 408A Capstone in Medical Informatics I†
4006-888 MIF 408B Capstone in Medical Informatics II†

Accreditation:

Offered jointly by Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester.

Eligibility Requirements:

* Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0, a graduate degree, MD, RN, or other professional degree.
* At least one year of computer programming in a current object-oriented language or equivalent work experience.*
* Knowledge of the medical terminology/vocabulary, clinical processes, and information systems that are used to support health care activities and processes.
* Familiarity with anatomy and physiology, including the major systems of the human body, including: the skeletal system, muscle tissue physiology, muscular system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, urinary system, and histology.
* The equivalent of one statistics course

International Student Requirements:

Applicants from international universities are required to submit GRE scores. International applicants, whose native language is not English, must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 570 (paper-based), 230 (computer-based), or 88 (Internet-based).

Tuition & Financial Aid

Tuition In-State Full Time:

52000 USD

Tuition Out of State Full Time:

52000 USD

Financial Aid Offered: Yes

Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities I

Institution Sector: Private not-for-profit

Locale: Large Suburb

Size & Settings: 10,000 - 19,999